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KEITH SEIDEL
     A 40 year old full time saddle maker and one of the finest leather craftsmen in the United States today. In his career, spanning 27 years, Keith has had the good fortune to have worked in twelve different saddle shops, not including his own, and has made in the vicinity of 800 saddles. He bought his first stitcher at age 13, and built his first saddle at 14. Pinned down to put his maker's philosophy into words, Keith says, "A saddle has to work. It's got to fit the horse and the rider correctly. The basic design must be absolutely correct. There are no unimportant design or execution elements in a saddle. Once the basics are in place, then it's great to incorporate fine carving into a saddle to enhance its appearance and owner satisfaction."

     Keith hopes to never quit improving his saddle making skills and strives to do work comparable to the best saddlemakers in the world. Keith is a 2-time nominee for Saddlemaker of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists, and recently won the saddle making contest at the 16th Annual Boot and Saddlemaker's Roundup in Wichita Falls, Texas in October 2004. He won the Best Tooling award in the Open Floral Category and the Best Workmanship in the Open Floral Category as well as the Best of Show, which encompassed all categories. The winning saddle took approximately 600 hours to complete.

     Keith says "The cowboy way of life is very traditional. I hope that the quality and style of my work has, and will continue to support that tradition."


Copyright 2005 American Saddle Makers Association, Inc.