The State
MAKERS
Tall in the Saddle Oklahoma City artisan draws customers from Oklahoma and adjacent states.
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TOP: MIKE MARCELLUS HAS BEEN IN THE BUSINESS OF SADDLERY FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS. RIGHT: IT TAKES BETWEEN 2-4 WEEKS TO CREATE EACH SADDLE. PHOTOS BY BRENT FUCHS
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ficial” since 1992 “with a license or as long as he in hand and permits and things can remember, … But I’ve been doing this for Mike Marcellus longer than that.” has been around His business, Mike’s Custom horses, saddles and Saddle Shop, is in the historic the art of saddlery. Stockyard District of Oklahoma “I grew up in southern Texas,” City. Marcellus has clients from he recalls. “I was a cowboy for all over Oklahoma. many years, and “We live People also come while cowboying I always was around and breathe from Kansas, Texas and other states to people who made this stuff.” visit because they saddles.” His family view Marcellus’s custom pieces has also been a part of the trade as necessary to their riding expeas far back as four generations. riences. “My father made saddles, and Marcellus’s whole business actually retired only a few years depends upon the art of paying atago. I have always been around tention to small details and craftsaddlery.” ing them into intricate, custom Marcellus has been in the pieces that are as unique as the business of saddlery for over 30 individual customers themselves. years, but he has only been “of-
OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2016
The process is far more complex than going to a store and picking out a saddle. “When a customer comes in for a custom job, they bring their horse in, then they’re measured, and we measure the horse,” Marcellus says. “Then the labor starts, which can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks.” Customers can easily tell a difference in the fit of a custom saddle. “It’s like buying a dress; you can buy one from the shop, or you can have a designer make you one with your measurements,” Marcellus says. “You’ll be able to tell a difference.” The various designs in leather vary from order to order. However, the patterns used are standard. Marcellus says that the general stamps are geometric waffle stamps, as well as “rita flowers” and “wild roses.” The patterns are put onto wet leather, then hand-tooled into the leather. Each saddle gets this custom hand treatment, and the prices reflect that: Marcellus says their average custom range is around $4,000. “You have to keep in mind that the materials are $1,700 on their own,” he says. “It’s definitely enough to make you say, ‘Wowee.’” “We live and breathe this stuff,” Marcellus says. “My father rodeoed, and I grew up watching Westerns and they had all of the influence in the world.” Marcellus and his son, Michael, recently qualified to compete in the U.S. Team Roping Championships’ National Finals, Oct. 22-30 in Oklahoma City. “We have cattle, horses, a roping arena; we train. It’s our entire lives.” Marcellus’s life goes beyond just making saddles; he’s the real deal. Right after hanging up the phone, he has plans to cut and haul hay. He loves what he does. And what does Marcellus enjoy the most about saddle making? “It’s not just about crafting saddles,” he says fondly. “It’s about making people’s dreams and wishes come true.” SAMANTHA ALEXANDER