About Us
Mark Howes, Saddlemaker
Mark Howes has a goal: "To produce moderately priced and well made working cowboy gear." Howes has been around cattle and horses all his life. As a boy, he spent summers wrangling on a dude ranch in Grand Lake, Colorado. The ranch had lots of old saddles needing repair, and Mark was given the "opportunity to fix them." Without any assistance, he tore the saddles apart, made the necessary repairs and put the pieces back together.
From the dude ranch, Mark went on to work several cattle ranches. He developed a feel for the function of the gear used by horsemen and cattlemen. With his understanding of the relationship between horse, gear, and rider, he began creating his own equipment. Later on, he left the cowboy country to enrich his artistic abilities with schooling in the arts. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and continued his studies in Europe and later Australia. As so often happens, the ranching life called him back, and, in 1976, Howes became foreman of his in-laws ranch near Kaycee, Wyoming. He purchased adjacent land and went on his own in 1982.
Throughout these years he continued his leatherwork and sculpting when time allowed. His life on the ranch provided the inspiration to create sculptures of life in the West. He began to be noticed for his creative talent, and custom orders for saddles and sculptures flowed in steadily. As time went on his leather work became the main family income, so, in 1986, he changed occupations.
He sold the ranch and most of the livestock and moved his wife and three boys to Fort Collins, Colorado, where he opened a custom tack shop specializing in old-time working-cowboy gear. Howes now has a flourishing saddle business, and has recently embarked on a new venture - LaPorte Forge Horse Brand Bits and Spurs.
Most of the bits and spurs available from large retailers are imported. The bits and spurs that are fabricated in the states are made by ultra-craftsmen and boast a high price tag. Howes is offering showmen, stockmen, and pleasure riders an affordable bit or spur that still reflects quality. Each bit is carefully balanced to ensure the bit performs as it was designed.
Mark and his wife Linda
Cody Dawson has lived in northern Colorado all of his life and has been visiting the Double H Ranch Saddle Shop since the age of 12. As he was growing up he showed horses in 4-H , and did some team roping. Cody currently works with his own horses training them for ranch working in roping. He provides private and group lessons and horsemanship, ranch roping, and how working for youth and adults. Cody began working with Mark and Double H Ranch Saddle Shop in 2006.
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| Cody Dawson | Cody calf-roping |
Sean Cannady was raised in Dumont, Colorado where he developed a love for the mountains, outdoors, and horses from his grandpa Max. It wasn't until Sean went to work for his Uncle Steve in Shell, Wyoming that became interested in saddle making. While in Shell, Sean had the opportunity to repair a few saddles while working at his uncle's ranch. Sean had the chance to visit different leather craftsmen on the other side of the Bighorn Mountains in Sheridan, Wyoming. Sean has been working as a full-time assistant for Mark Howes, Double H Ranch Saddle Shop since fall of 2007. In his spare time, Sean twists some of the finest Llama Hair Macates to be found anywhere.
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| Sean Cannady | Sean Cannady |
