EDDIE BROOKS
Saddlemaker Eddie Brooks is a transplanted Texan whose roots have grown deep into the buckaroo country around Elko,NV.
Eddie started working with leather as a boy, apprenticed in the saddle making trade, and was working in a Texas shop in 1964 when he was hired to run the saddle shop at Capriola's in Elko. He says that Nevada buckaroos "went everywhere horseback," so they really needed and appreciated well-made saddles. Working with them helped him develop his skills to a high art.
In 1982, he left Capriola's and started his own custom saddle business where he makes and repairs saddles that fit both horse and rider, and that have pleasing lines and the intricate floral stamping that is the hallmark of buckaroo horse gear. Those in the know can always pick out an Eddie Brooks saddle in the tack room–it has a distinct style and grace.
Brooks received a Governor's Arts Award in 1993 for his quiet, steady contribution to one of Nevada's distinctive working art forms.
e-mail mailto:info@saddlemakers.org
Copyright 2007 American Saddle Makers Association, Inc.