Also called: Saddler, Leather Craftsman
Handcrafts custom saddles, bridles, and leather tack.
Spends weeks building one custom western saddle: shaping the tree, stretching and stitching leather, and hand-tooling floral patterns. A top custom saddle can sell for $10,000 or more.
Estimate; mostly self-employed artisans.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
No formal education, about 3 years after high school. Learned through apprenticeship over several years.
Ways in: Apprenticeship, Self-taught. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Growing about average. Small craft field.
Low risk for 10 years. Laser cutters and CAD can speed patterns, but custom handcrafted saddles stay skilled handwork buyers value.
Classes: Art or leatherwork, Woodshop, Business or entrepreneurship, Agriscience (FFA).
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-6041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.