Rod Retherford Saddlery & Cowboy Art

03/28/2025

Saddle repair....New padded seat and cantel binding.

03/28/2025

Finished up a new pair of Chaps for a Bull Rider

03/16/2025

A couple of Chap belts. Great to wear around pants, skirts or dresses. A fun ,hot accessory for the ladies.This black one went to a Nashville Dancer !!!!she will dress it up with crystal Conch's she bought herself where I temporarily conected the pieces with chicago screws. The bucksin belt has the crystal Concho's on it.

01/19/2025

01/19/2025

We are moving our Saddle Shop to John Day Oregon in the next 30 days. So get your saddle repairs in soon. We have GREATLY enjoyed serving all of your saddle and leather good needs for the past Decade and look forward to continuing in John Day. We will come to Pendleton to pick up saddles to repair when we can coordinate it with our monthly grocery runs to Walmart so let us know when you need to set up a meet for us to pick up your saddles. It will be easy and convenient to meet with you once a month to continue serving your needs as your Saddle Maker/repair shop even from John Day Orgeon. NOTE....If there are several saddles to pick up I will make extra runs to Pendleton to pick them up and return them aside from our monthy Walmart run. Feel free to call us anytime at 541 279 9060 Don't be a stranger Rod Retherford Saddlery & Cowboy Art will still be there for all of your saddle needs.😉Thank you ALL for being our loyal customers and we look forward to continuing to serve all of your saddle needs. ROD & Jackie....Long Live Cowboys😉

01/08/2025

Now is the time to get your saddles and tack repairs and cleanings done during the slow winter time so bring them in now for a fast turn around.

10/14/2024

This "COWBOY WAY MOUNT" I did for my ol college football buddy Clifford Knotts was a very special project for me. He gave me the rack nailed to a board he had it hanging in his house on for over 5 decades. It was the last elk him and his Dad got when he was only 8 years old. His Dad passed the next year so it was their last hunt together. I mounted the horns on a skull so I could do a whole head mount. Clifford then sent me pictures of the Wallowa Mtns. where they got the elk and his Dad kneeling with the cut off rack at elk camp. I made the face mask with 11oz. saddle leather and drew my borders on it then flattened it back out and positioned the photo's where I had Dyrk Godby (Dyrks art gallery is in Sisters Oregon) hand burn the photo's onto the mask. I then tooled and dyed the whole mask and put custom sliver eyes the mask. The eyes have the family brand on them with scalloped hair on hide inlaid behind them accented with brass dots.(Silver eyes by Russ McCullough silversmith in Ione Oregon at The Riggin Shop).The backside is covered with dark brown buckskin so no bone shows anywhere on the head. The mask is glued on then tacked down on the backside with brass tacks in pre drilled holes so the bone don't crack from the tacks being tapped in.The nose area is tied in with a rawhide laced rope roll with their family name plate with KNOTTS tooled on it. It was an HONOR to get to do this Custom "Cowboy Way Mount" to memorialize Cliffords father and his last hunt with his Dad at 8 years old. 😉This will be one of the GRANDEST projects I ever do im sure. TOO COOL !!!!

10/14/2024

My connection to The Oregon Trail. This saddle was made for the son of one of the first 3 families to arrive on the Oregon Trail. Made by Victor Madera in The Dalles Oregon when he turned 20. At the request of his 87 year old son I rebuilt it from the tree up EXACTLY like Victor Madera built it tooling and all so his 50 year old son could ride it. This is a 125 year old saddle now built by two different saddle makers over 110 years apart built exactly the same way with his maker name on the cantel back and my maker name on the back jockey tail piece. Two saddle makers over a century apart forever connected talents. What a cool project to get to do.

10/14/2024

Custom made 16" plain Wade. Easy cleaner.