The 2022 World Leather Debut was back on schedule May 20 • 21 • 22. The World Leather Debut is a special event for leatherworkers worldwide. Makers are invited to enter their work to compete in one or more of seventeen categories. The entries are arranged in a gallery setting for the public to tour over a three-day span during the Rocky Mountain Leather Trade Show in Sheridan, Wyoming.

In the “Stand Alone Category” Fritz Riedl entered a half-scale or “Baby”-Wade-Saddle. Ben Swanke, Billings, MT made the rawhide covered tree. Hermann Oak in St. Louis provided the leather, the Silverkings in Chatsworth, CA, did the handengraved sterling silverconchos. The copper bound Oxbow-stirrups are handmade by Trina Weber, Nampa, ID. The brass rigging hardware is homemade,

The history of miniature saddles reaches back to the times when salesmen and representatives of the saddle companies travelled cross country to the local saddle shops or feed stores. They used these halfscale, genuine leather replicas to take orders from. In addition the stores have displayed them as well. These miniatures all have been of high quality workmanship, with all the bells and whistles of their “big” siblings: featuring fine hand tooled leather, wooden trees, all the correct straps and brass or nickel hardware. Nowadays miniature saddles are collector pieces in high demand, supposed to be the eyecatchers in a western style livingroom.