Recently the western saddle making world lost one of the great makers, Bob Klenda. Bob was an award winning saddle maker and great teacher and I was very honored to have known him and taken classes from him over the years.
The first time I met Bob was at a class at the Columbine Leather Guild in Denver many years ago at a class he taught on carving combine flowers in leather. In the following yearsI Iwas able to spend time with him many times after that at Sheridan leather shows and even took a class he taught at a CSMA meeting last year on shaping a ground seat in a saddle. He was always very willing to share his knowledge.
Bob Klenda was born and raised on a farm in Kansas. Growing up, his exposure to leather was primarily functional—mostly workhorse harnesses, belts, and shoes. His interest in leathercraft was sparked while he was serving in the U.S. Army, after his brother sent him a wallet he had made in an Army craft shop. Bob decided then that he wanted to learn the craft himself and spent his time in the service practicing in the military’s craft shop. After being discharged, he moved to Utah in 1957, where he began his professional journey by working with mentors like Duane Soderquist before eventually establishing his long-term saddle shot in Meeker, Colorado. Over his lifetime, Bob completed nearly 500 custom saddles, in addition to countless sets of chaps and high-quality leather accessories.
Top Professional Honors
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Al Stohlman Award for Achievement in Leathercraft: This is widely considered the highest and most prestigious honor in the leatherworking industry. It recognizes master craftspeople who have demonstrated lifelong dedication to the advancement of the trade.
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Saddlemaker of the Year (2016): Awarded by the Academy of Western Artists at the 21st annual Will Rogers Awards.
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Master Saddlemaker: Formally recognized as a Master by the Colorado Council on the Arts, where he frequently worked to preserve the traditional art of saddlemaking through educational programs and apprenticeships.
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National Western Centennial Saddle: In 2007, he was chosen to create a custom saddle for the Denver National Western Stock Show’s 100th Anniversary. The piece was auctioned for $19,500 to benefit the National Western Scholarship program.
Smithsonian Institution Exhibition (2025–2026)
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The Exhibition: His work was featured in a major exhibition titled The State Fair at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C.
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The Purpose: The exhibition was designed to celebrate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States (the Semiquincentennial in 2026) by showcasing crafts that have been central to American state fairs since the 19th century.
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The Piece: Bob was specifically contracted to create a custom-made, flower-carved saddle for the gallery. He used three high-quality sides of leather and his signature floral carving designs to transform a piece of rugged equipment into a museum-grade art piece.
This placement at the Renwick Gallery solidified his status not just as a master tradesman, but as a significant American artist whose work preserved a vital part of the nation’s western heritage.
You can see an interview with Bob Klenda here courtesy of Jim Linnell and Elk Track Studios.