Marc Brogger, a fifth-generation Western horseman, has built over 900 saddles since the start of his career in 1981. He is well respected in the Western community for his intricate leather work and flower stamping, bringing his skills to creating ornately hand-tooled saddles which bridge art and utility. On the enriching nature of his work, Marc states, “I believe in art and in not just being little machines that go to work every day. I think art just makes life for everyone more interesting.”
The friendship between his father, a large animal veterinarian, and master saddle maker Ray Holes sparked Marc’s interest in leather work at a young age. After graduating from Montana State University where he was on the rodeo team, he served a three-year apprenticeship with Jim Lathrop, a well-known custom saddle maker. Marc then worked for Dale Harwood of Shelley, Idaho, and received guidance from Don King of Sheridan, Wyoming, both of whom are considered masters of the craft. After working for Three Forks Saddlery, he struck out on his own and has since built saddles on an entirely custom basis for a clientele located everywhere from Montana to Norway.
For Marc, the horse is central to Western culture. For 25 years, he day-worked on the Climbing Arrow (CA) Ranch of Madison Valley, a historic cow-calf operation that has since closed. Unlike modern-day ranches that rely on off-road machines, Marc spent innumerable days on horseback while trailing and moving cattle across the ranch’s 79,582± acres. This experience influenced his perception of what is most important in the saddle-making world: the construction of practical and high-quality saddles that, first and foremost, fit the horse.
Using traditional tools, methods, and high-quality materials, Marc creates superior products that are not only carefully designed to fit the horse and rider but that are also built to last. His daughter, musician Lilly Platts, remarked that the saddle her father gifted her for graduation would last her a lifetime; “I’ll never need another saddle.” According to one of Marc’s customers, he has been riding a saddle that Marc built since 1988, a testament to the quality and longevity of his work.
Dedicated to supporting and preserving the creation and use of Western art, Marc has participated in workshops, art shows, gatherings, and rodeos. His saddles have been featured at the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nevada, at the Dry Creek Arts Fellowship in Flagstaff, Arizona, and in multiple publications including on the covers of books such as David Stoecklein’s Saddles of the West. In 2015, the Academy of Western Artists named Marc “Saddle Maker of the Year.”
Today, Marc operates out of Three Forks, Montana. His wife and daughters, passionate horsewomen, as well as his place in the Western and local ranching community, are what drive him to continue to make his living building saddles. While the commercialization of Western products, the use of off-road machines, and closures of ranches have put pressure on his business, Marc remains unwavering in his commitment to producing exceptional products and advocating for the use of custom gear. By doing so, he contributes to the preservation of saddle making as an art form and a viable career option for generations to come.