Prices Ride Tall in the Saddle

Saddles were so vital to 19th-century cowboy life that punchers often spent at least two months of pay on serviceable rigs, with more ornate saddles costing as much as a year’s salary. Collectors of Western gear are willing to spend much more than the average American’s monthly salary. With last year’s average salary at $39,795, saddles would have to sell for around $6,632 for two months of work. The premium saddles would sell for almost $40,000. But at this year’s High Noon Western A