OklahomaHorses Magazine March 2022

24 OklahomaHorses • March/April 2022 Searching for Something More Champion Horseman Finds Niche in Saddlemaking Story and photographs by Carol Mowdy Bond C linton “Doc” Hole spent years on the rodeo circuit. He rode in rough stock events such as saddle bronc riding and bronc riding, and he spent eight to ten years on the bull-riding circuit. Hole also competed in cowboy mounted shooting, an intense sport. He nabbed the “Overall” title, outshooting all competitors in all divi- sions, at the 2007 Centennial Celebration Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association Grand American Championship at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Galloping full speed through the years, Hole has bagged various world championships. For mounted shooting, the Fairview native trained his own horse, Lou. He makes it abundantly clear that he trained Lou from the ground up with no help from anyone. Hole acquired Lou when she was 15 months old. They are truly a team — he rode Lou for all competitions. While riding and shooting, Hole talked to Lou and gave her cues with his hands and legs. Hole also taught Lou tricks, and the two performed variety acts for events. Specializing in equine hoof care and shoeing horses, Hole started his own farrier business in Kingfisher in 1998. But by 2007, Hole was burned out on the hoof end of horses. He mounted up in search of something more, and he learned saddle- making from renowned master craftsman Don Atkinson in Ingram, Texas. Atkinson, who had opened his first shop in Pawhus- ka at age 18, was one of several pros who impacted Hole in major ways. Setting Up Shop Returning from Ingram, Hole set up his equipment in his in-laws’ Yukon garage in 2009, where he began his custom-made saddle business. Hole’s client base mush- roomed, and he opened a shop on Main Street–Route 66 in Yukon’s downtown historic district. One thing led to another, and Hole outgrew the shop. So he moved a literal stone’s throw from Main Street into a larger shop. And that is where his C Bar H Saddlery, at 316 Elm Avenue in Yukon’s Old Mill Plaza Shopping Center, grows and thrives today. In that first year of making saddles, 2009, Hole grossed $11,000. But during the 2020 pandemic, he filled his largest order ever at just over $15,000. “It takes two sides of leather plus a little more, from the cow neck to butt and the spine and belly, to make a saddle,” Hole said. “I use sheep shearling as the wool that goes under the saddle. I buy my saddle- trees.” Hole works one-on-one with his custom- ers. In fact, it’s not unusual to see a repeat customer drive up to Hole’s shop in a pick- up truck, pulling a horse in a trailer. Hole crafts saddletrees to fit not only the rider but also the horse, for a fully custom-made saddle and perfect fit. He has owned and used inexpensive and off-the-rack saddles in the past, and he is the first to say that a custom-made saddle is the only way to go. By using a mechanical clicker press more than a century old, Hole said, “I use cookie-cutter-type dies to cut leather for all the saddles I make. I can customize leather pieces for saddles, purses, or anything.” In his shop, Hole maintains numerous other vintage machines that he uses for ev- erything pertaining to saddles and leather, including repairing cowboy boots. He also has a cinch loom to make custom cinch- es. Customers bring their saddles to him, and he cleans and repairs and takes care of anything they need. Hole custom-crafts other types of leath- erwork for customers such as the Oklaho- ma Highway Patrol and a sheriff’s office. “Doc”Hole custom-crafts the saddletree so it will fit both horse and rider.