Lost in the leather

Tack shops were once a common sight across the country, but especially the West. As the tools used in ranching have evolved from riding a horse to riding an all-terrain vehicle, these iconically western businesses seem to have all but disappeared.

Not in Saratoga, though, where Hatch Tack has set up shop on Bridge Avenue. Cordell Hatch and his wife, Siara, have operated Hatch Tack for nearly two decades and opened up their storefront in Saratoga over a year ago. Since then, said the couple, they’ve had a great reception especially due to the fact that they create functional tack.

“Right before we got married, I started working in a saddle shop back in Idaho. After we got married, we started Hatch Tack just so we could start making some extra money when we were in college,” said Cordell. “I worked for that saddle shop for about two years. When we moved and took other jobs and changed schools, we worked out of our house.”

In 2009, Cordell made his first saddle under Hatch Tack. There’s been no looking back since then. Cordell, who works for TA Ranches, is honest about the reason he started working with leather and making tack.

“I started out because I was too cheap to buy it,” said Cordell with a laugh. “I just like doing a lot of different things with my hands. I liked working with leather, I had done a little bit working with my dad growing up. As I got into saddles, I liked doing it because you can build something and there’s a function to it and you can do it right.”

There are saddles which are designed just to look nice and are ideally for show, then there are saddles built only for working day-to-day. Cordell tries to meet somewhere in between when it comes to building his saddles.

“There’s an artistic element, but there’s a very strong functional element. It has to work for what we do. There’s strictly functional saddles, there’s strictly artistic saddles and I try to hit where those two meet,” said Cordell. “We’ll make some stuff that’s fairly ornate but there’s got to be a form and a function. It’s fun to build things that blend those aspects, sell them to people who put them to work and then see them use them.”

Working on a ranch gives Cordell an idea of exactly what a saddle needs to be able to do, but there’s still a lot of what is up to the customer among other factors. What job is the customer using the saddles for, how do they ride and what horse do they ride are just some of the examples.

“If I know a guy works a certain type of horse, I can make some adjustments. Some guys like a big horn and if you build that right, it works really nice. Some guys like a smaller horn and if you build that properly, it works right,” said Cordell. “I can make it work for what he wants and the way he wants it and then I can see him use it for the next 20, 30, 40 years depending on how much they use it and how well they take care of it.”

There’s an art to leatherwork and tack and, like with any other artistic medium, there are ways in which the artist needs to work with what he’s been given.

“You have to pick your battles. Different parts of the hide work better for different things. Some areas are more moldable, some have a denser, firmer texture and they’re going to be more durable but you also can’t work them as much,” said Cordell. “You have to work within the space that gives you.”

Using one of the saddles in their storefront—one they didn’t build—Cordell provides an example. The fork, or pommel, of the saddle is thick and has obviously been spliced with additional leather. On either side, an upside-down V shape can be seen where there wasn’t enough leather to wrap around the section but the splicing is done well and doesn’t draw notice to itself. As Cordell points to different areas on the saddle, his passion for leatherwork becomes clear. The image of a man of few words melts away and is replaced by an artist who can sell his work just by talking about it.

“I enjoy most of it. The design, you know, there’s always a little bit of a puzzle. They’re usually not very complicated puzzles but there’s something to keep me engaged,” said Cordell. “I enjoy making things look and work the way that I want them to.”

Hatch Tack is located at 102 W. Bridge Avenue in Saratoga. Visit their website at hatchtack.com for more information.