The Collector

Bob Welch, Franktown, Colorado

The Collection

Artistry in silver, steel, rawhide, and horsehair adorn the walls of Bob Welch’s Colorado saddle house. Though not a professional horseman, Welch has a strong affinity for cowboy trappings. “Craftsmanship and practicality come together in tack like nowhere else in cowboydom,” he says.

The bosal is a Bill Black. The spurs at the top of the photograph were made by Pee Wee Peebles—and are Welch’s everyday hooks. Billy Klapper built the other spurs. The bit in the center of the photograph was made by the late Jerry Cates, while the one pictured below it is a Tommy Sprayberry.

“I don’t know what makes it so, but the Sprayberry is most versatile and useful bit I own,” he says. “My wife and I are always fighting over who gets to use it.”