Andy Maschke Interview

BY TRACY WAGER

Q - Your saddles really are first-class and are not only beautiful, they are functional earning you to be on the short list of the greatest saddle makers ever from Arizona. Your brand joins Porters, Rios, Bob’s, Rockys, Dunning, Blue Ribbon, and Ambrosino on that coveted list. How does that make you feel?

A - It makes me proud, especially coming from Europe and not being born in this Country where you were raised with the cowboy culture. It was something that came up when I was young. I wanted to be a cowboy and started learning trick roping, and I got my first cowboy boots when I was 14. Starting to build my first saddle when I was 18 and thinking that one of these days I will build a saddle that is “as good” as a Bob’s. It makes me proud to be part of this culture. The first saddle I built was a ranch saddle and later on I got involved in Reining. When I got my first great Reining saddle I noticed, these saddles are a little wide compared to a Dressage saddle. So I thought, I can make a reining saddle that has a nice narrow seat, gives you the support that you need while stopping, turning and roll backs. In 1998 I moved to the states and was making Reining, and some Cutting saddles. At that time I was showing Cutting horses. Then I met with Tim McQuay and later Tom McCutcheon and these are the people that encouraged me to do something innovative for the Reiners. Tom was the first person to say, “OK, I want to try this, you know what you are talking about.”, especially saddle fit. He was probably the most difficult trainer that I ever worked with, but in a good way. Because while he was demanding certain things, he was educating me. It was about the sport of Reining, to see what is important for them. He still rides his first saddle that I built him in 2007 today!

Q - Your talents as an artist are reflected in both the leather tooling and silver work of the saddles. Why did you choose these forms to showcase your talent as an artist.

A - I think that something functional can also be pretty. Aesthetics are very important to me in my entire life, the style and quality of hats I wear, the style of boots I buy or the music that I listen to. I try and implement as much as I can from my everyday life into my work. For example, the car that I drive, I see woodwork on the interior wood trim. That is why I came up with a wood horn and wood cantles and included those elements in a modern type performance saddle. I learned to engrave silver in 2005, just to know what it takes to do this. When I was talking to my silversmith, he sometimes said that impossible, that is hard to do, that is difficult and it is going to cost money. I was always thinking, is it really true? Because they can tell me a lot, but is it really true? So I started to explore who were the greatest engravers in the country. I called an Engraver who lives in Louisiana and asked if he gives private lessons. He said, “Yes, come next week.” So, I got in the car and drove from Texas to Louisiana and stayed with him for a week and learned the art of gun engraving. That was always something that I wanted to include in Western saddle making. Western saddles have usually only western engraving, which is a simpler version of engraving. Then learned from my good friend Travis Stillson, he is my idol when it comes to tooling and leather carving. In my opinion he is one of the best carvers that we have

in this Country. I watched him several times, we even have done saddles together, because I said “ I want to learn this too.” I want to do every little part, the same with the saddle trees. It was important that I build a tree that is symmetrical, that fits my horse most of all and also myself or the customer/rider. Putting this all together is a concept of quality, art and function. I was using a few knives that a great custom tool maker makes for us in the saddle industry. They are made from Damascus Steel and I always liked the beauty of those knives, besides the quality of the steel. I started doing research and learned that there are so many different patterns. There was a young kid who was doing his apprenticeship with L.A. Langley. He was from France, and becoming a Master Blacksmith. I asked him if he could do Damascus Steel in dee’s and conchos just for me. He said Ok, I will make this my masterpiece for my test. We started this project, he had his issues, he had to learn this process, but it turned out to be really great. Last year I finished my first saddle with the dee’s and conchos on it and we showcased it at the Sun Circuit this year. It seems like people are loving it!

Q -The rumor is you built a saddle for Cole Hauser who plays the role of “Rip” in Yellowstone. Any truth to that rumor? If so, did you do saddles for anyone else on the Yellowstone Series? A - Yes and no. I built a prototype for him first. The challenge was to find something for him, that gives him the support while he is doing ranch work, which they do. It may only be for a few minutes, or half an hour on the set, but he needed something that he could sit in and stay comfortable, supports him and he can do some ranch Cutting, some Roping and also general riding. He used that saddle in Season 4 filming. Now we are working on his new final product that will be the “RIP” saddle.

Q - You give back to the community by donating award saddles at major events? Why do that? A - I think everything is a give and take. You cannot just take, you also have to give back. I think I am a very generous person, but if it is not appreciated, then I get sad. Because I did a good thing and it is not acknowledged. That is something we want too in life, it is not only money. It is respect, acknowledgement, maybe a pat on the shoulder. But I support the industry that is feeding me. As long as people know that I am not just a taker, they stay as loyal customers and they appreciate that fact.

Q - Recently you created your first set of custom spurs. • Why did you do that? A - I have always liked equipment that is associated with riding and Reining. We make the saddles now, I can make my own silver, I can tool the saddle and I can make my own trees. I am always challenged to learn something new. Here comes Nick Schmersal and he approached me and asked “ Andy, can you make spurs?” I said I think so. I did not think I was getting into something serious. Nick said, “Hey then design me some. I want something that is as cool as the saddle that you built for my Step Dad.” It took about two years and he harassed me constantly. “Where are my spurs? Are my spurs ready? When are you going to have my spurs?” I sent him a drawing around Christmas time and he said “OK, I

want them!” So then COVID came along, and I had to make sure I had the business safe and really did not pay much attention to the spurs. So the first show comes along this year, and here he is again approaching me and says, “Are my spurs ready yet?” I said, guess what, I have started working on them. Six weeks later we had them, and he loves them. The response from social media was all positive. Now I am doing a whole series of collector edition of spurs for The Run for a Million. There will be a series this year of three different styles, three different colors that collectors can buy. We start with the 2021, but if someone won something in 2019, we can do that too. That way there is a complete set, since the show originated. Anyone can order or purchase these spurs. The Run for a Million spurs will be a limited edition, but if you want any other custom spur, I can make them.

Q - How important is choosing the right leather hides in creating your saddles? A - It is so important - I only deal with one tannery, and it is basically the only one out of two that are left in the United States. Because of EPA issues a lot of tanneries had to close. Bona Allen was one of them, located in Georgia they were famous for their leather. People are still talking about the recipe of the Bona Allen tanning liquid that they used to make it such beautiful leather. We work with Hermann Oak leather. They are THE tannery of the US, consistent in quality, support, and pricing. They are awesome people, it is an old tannery and that is the only quality of leather that I use. No compromise.

Q - Are your saddles made in America?

A - My Superior line is made in my own shop located in Texas. I lived there for 16 years. In 2010 I started to make my Signature Series saddles, and I make those here in Scottsdale in my studio. The Signature Series saddle all have my personal touch points on ever detail, I build and work on them personally. The base price of a Superior saddle without tooling is $3,995.00 made in Texas. The ones that I make here start at $5,495.00 and that can go from there to infinity.

I made a great saddle for a hunter that had corner plates and conchos with all different types of game animals engraved into the silver. It is called Bulino engraving on silver or steel. I found a lady in Prescott that works for Winchester as a specialist gun engraver. I contracted her to do this engraving because that is something that I will not be learning to do myself. That type of work is an art by itself that has to be learned over many, many years. He wanted ducks, wild boar, elk, black bear, so that was really, really cool. The tooling was oak leaves and acorn so it was a very cool project. It was the most expensive saddle so far. Being able to make the customers idea into a realty is the finest part of creating my work, that and making their ideas become a reality.

Q - What time in the morning do you get started?

A - I start at 4:30 every morning because of the time difference in Texas and I check in and do a briefing with them. Every month I fly down there and stay for a week, to stay on top with the quality and in touch to make sure if there are any issues, they get resolved. I make my custom trees there, because I left my tree shop in Texas. The guys that I have trained, have no intentions to move to Arizona, they are family rooted. When I get done with that, my wife and I take care of our horses. Then I take care of the office work, and then I go to my shop and work until however late I want to. I love this, it is my passion. For me to work until midnight on a saddle project is fun, it is not overtime. I am not counting the money I make because I worked so late, it is because I have fun doing it. The other thing is the artist aspect of it. If I am inspired I better get on it now and keep on working as long as I am inspired. Sometimes when I am sitting, and I have a deadline, I cannot get anything on paper because I am not inspired to do it now. I choose my hours however if I want to. I can work 24 hours if I want to and then sleep for two days if I want to. Like a typical artist.

Q - You are quite the horseman. Tell us about your program? A - Cutters were a big thing in 1994 to 1998 in Germany. I won the European Championships on a horse that I had trained myself in 1994. Then it became very hard to find good cattle for shows, in Germany. That is when I decided we should move to the United States to Texas. They had Cutting shows in every direction, every weekend. That would save us a lot on travel expenses, because I was traveling to the US quite a bit to buy saddles and shipping them to Germany. So I said to my wife, lets just move over there and start a saddle company and I can go to Cutting shows every weekend. I did that for one season, and then my work load got so big I could no longer go anymore. That is when I started breeding. That is how I originally met Tim McQuay and Tom McCutcheon. My wife wanted to see Hollywood Dun It.

I had a Doc Olena mare and thought that would be nice cross with the Cutting blood and the Reining blood, plus the prettiness of Hollywood Dun It. My wife is an Arabian horse person, she still breeds them now. Back then, she said, “Hollywood Dun It would be a good cross for half Arabians.” That was in 1998. So, we drove to McQuays, and I met Tim for the first time. Tim asked me what kind of mares I had, and I told him about my Doc Olena mare. Tim said that would be a great breeding. That was the first time of many that I bred to Hollywood Dun It, and one of her offspring made it to the NRHA finals in 2000. So that is why we started breeding Reining horses and why I became more interested in Reiners than cutters. I could do it at home on my own place in Texas. That is how we got more involved in Reining and in 2000 I started traveling to Scottsdale and fell in love with the weather. It was so much better than in Texas, not so humid, not so cold in the winter. We moved here and kept on breeding Reiners and my wife is back to breeding Arabians. That has been going on since 2011, and right now we have 12 horses and more babies to come next year. Our Arabians are bred for halter, but we strongly believe that they should be able to do anything. The main thing in Scottsdale is halter horses. If you can breed a great horse that can be a halter Champion, it can also be a good performance horse.

Q - As an immigrant from Germany have you had issues with discrimination in America?

A - Never, ever! There is no other country that I could have made this what I have today! This is possible even today to make dreams come true in this Country, still. It is a known fact, that in this Country one can go from being a dishwasher to a millionaire. I am not a millionaire yet, but I want to be. But what I have today, is much more than I would have had in Germany ever. The opportunities that this Country gives you if you are not lazy, if you are willing to work, not just using and taking. Then you can make it in this Country! This Country is still someplace that you can make it if you are not lazy and you want to succeed.