The makers story

I’m often asked how I picked up the leather working trade. I’d say it’s because when I was younger I had to impress a little cowgirl who had a broken bridle. Here’s how the story goes...

I was sixteen years old when I met my sweetheart. It was one of those “head over boots” kind of stories from day one. I believe it was our second or third date when we went for our first horse ride together on her horses Paisley and Comanche. 

My dreams were coming true as we galloped side by side through one of the pastures near the barn. My hopes of impressing her with my horsemanship skills were soon shot down when ol’ Comanche (the mustang that I was on) didn’t want to quit running. As we were quickly running out of pasture, I decided to pull back and rein him in hard to the right. Well, all I know is I ended up in the dirt with a broken bridle in my hands, and Comanche kept running. 

(Now, here I need to insert a plug for Comanche:  that boy was a one of kind horse. Anything he ever did to me in those early days was simply a test. He wasn’t about to let just anybody win the heart of his Breanna.)

So there I was; broken bridle in hand, I’d just been thrown, and I was embarrassed! I instantly wanted to repair the bridle. I’d never fixed a bridle before but I’d earned the leather-working merit badge at scout camp and I knew I could do it.  

With the hardware off the old bridle, a couple of chicago screws, and an old split rein, I made something work. 

We used that makeshift bridle for the following 6 years. Comanche wore it for every single ride, including the night that me and Bre rode off from the reception on our wedding night. Yes that old makeshift bridle outlived our dear friend who lost the fight to Cushing’s disease at the unfortunate age of 19 years old. 

Fast forward down the trail a ways to the day I’m writing this down; I look back and admit that it’s kind of hard to pinpoint one reason for why I’ve stuck with this trade other than the truth that it’s been a labor of love since day one. 

This little memory I’ve shared with you is just the beginning of our story. At Arnoldsen Leather co, we have a wild passion for quality, built to last, custom leather products. Breanna and I have spent many hours in the saddle, several years working for different horse operations, and we’re continually expanding our knowledge of quality tack and other leather products to not only enjoy for ourselves, but for the betterment of the horse and horseman community. 

We’re a little old fashion in that we decided to keep our last name in the name of our company. This is one way we remind ourselves to never cut corners, assure things are done right, and that we’re in this—as a family—together.

 -Preston & Bre