SIMLA, Colo. — Blink and you'll miss Saddleland. But slow down, and you will see a collection of nearly 500 saddles, from Western to international gear, that is preserving the past and is well worth the stop.
Don and Janet Bailey operate a cow-calf ranch with about 120 female cows, but their barn tells a different story. Inside is western memorabilia along with saddles that outnumber the animals on the property, with a collection approaching 500.
Now, the collection did not grow overnight. Don Bailey has several of his father's saddles on display alongside ones he rode growing up, but he recalls how the number kept climbing.
"When I got married in 77, I had three saddles, and I convinced my wife that I might collect one saddle a year, and she thought that was an okay thing, and that that worked okay for about one year. Then I had the chance to buy one saddle I really wanted, but I had to buy six to get it, to get a decent price. So, I did that and decided I could sell the others, and that was the beginning of my little saddle business as far as buying and selling new and used saddles to create a collection."
Bailey's passion for these handcrafted pieces shines through when he talks about his collection. WATCH IN THE VIDEO PLAYER BELOW BAILEY DESCRIBE...
These days, Bailey's biggest problem is turning down more items. Word has spread in the saddle community, and people offer him pieces that would fit perfectly in his collection.
"Now you can see the entire collections got a little bit out of hand," said Bailey. "We are bursting at the seams, and I'm not buying very many anymore. But lately I've been getting some really nice, nice gifts and you can't really turn those away, especially of the quality of some we've had lately."
Now, Bailey's collection is just pieces away from hitting the big 500. He said around 40 have been donated, and the rest purchased at auctions and saddle bit and spur shows from all over the United States.
Each saddle has been photographed and tagged so that people can know the details behind the pieces. Bailey takes immense pride in the collection, viewing it as a way to preserve Colorado's saddle-making history.
"Colorado is considered the saddle capital of the world from 1880 to 1920," explained Bailey.
While it may look like a lot, he sees the immense detail and beauty in each piece.
"I've had several people over the years that told me that these guys are truly artists, and I started thinking of some way to cover that, and so I came up with the term Picasso of the Plains...I just love this type of design and how they made it stand out, so much for you to look at," said."
To see this full collection, the museum is open from Memorial Day until Labor Day weekend. However, the Baileys said you can give them a call at 719-740-0658 if you would like to visit during the off-season.
