Farm & Ranch
Colt Baldwin: The Craft of Saddle Making
The saddle has served as an essential tool for cowboys and cowgirls for hundreds of years, providing
both comfort and security for horse and rider as they go about their daily tasks, from herding cattle to
building fences. The time-honored tradition of saddle making is an art that has been passed down through the generations. Colt Baldwin, of Gainesville, Texas, continues this tradition, a gift of knowledge he received from his high school agriculture teacher, Chris Uselton. The teacher took Baldwin under his wing, teaching him the ins and outs of taking a piece of leather and turning it into a custom-made, beautiful tool that a rider can use day in and day out.
Learning the Craft
Baldwin grew up in Gainesville with roots deep in the north Texas town. His grandfather raised Brangus
bulls, while his father owned and raised horses while working at Peterbilt. The saddle maker also is
employed by Peterbilt, where he has worked 11 years while growing his business and expanding his craft along the way.
Uselton had once worked for Jack and Bruce Chaney, who shared their expertise of saddle making. He
made good use of that knowledge and crafted saddles for years before making the move into teaching.
When Baldwin became his student, Uselton began instructing him on metal projects, such as spurs and
bits, which they began showing as ag mechanics projects.
“I don’t know if he thought I was good enough, or that I wanted to try enough, but he thought it would
be cool to do a saddle next as a project because he had never seen anyone do that,” Baldwin recalled. “My senior year, we finally finished and showed the saddle, and won a ton of awards at San Antonio and San Angelo, all the big shows. Now, students win all kinds of things like scholarships, but at the time, it was a new thing, and they didn’t even know where to put us. We still won a bunch, but it wasn’t really set up for that kind of stuff.”
Baldwin’s school was not equipped with the proper tools for saddle making, so Uselton allowed his student to work from his house and use his own personal tool collection.
To read more pick up a copy of the February 2022 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Tony Dean
There are a handful of grasses on North Texas grazing lands ranchers need to know, not because they are highly desirable, but rather because they are not of much value. I call them “decom” plants, which is am acronym for “Don’t Ever Count On Me.” Silver bluestem is a “decom” grass.
Silver bluestem is a perennial which grows in all areas of Texas. It can survive in almost all soil types, and in full sun conditions or in semi shade. It grows up to three feet tall and is easily recognized with the presence of the white fuzzy seed head. Also, one of the identifying characteristics of Silver bluestem is a bend in the stems at each node, causing the plants to take on a rounded shape as they mature.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By: Rayford Pullen
Fall is here which means winter is closing in on us and before we officially get into winter, we need to make sure our factories are either producing or will be producing in a few months.
We have been pregnancy testing our cows this fall and if they are not bred or nursing a calf, we are bidding them adios. With annual costs somewhere between $900.00 and $1,000.00 per cow, those cows not producing a live weaned calf are costing us quite a bit.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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