Leather Tooling
Patricio Ruiz is a leather tooler at McCall Saddle Company. He works there alongside his wife Patricia. Patricia makes the stirrups, and she also manages office work for the shop.
Patricio was born in Mexico City. He learned to tool leather while working for Martin Saddles in Greenville, TX. He moved to Vernal, but Martin Saddles continues to use many of the patterns and designs he created.
Patricio has been tooling saddles for around 25 years. He's also made purses, belts, gun holsters, and decorative work. He’s created pieces for players on the Dallas Cowboys, holsters for the state law Texas Rangers, and custom work for George Strait's tour bus.
Stirrup: a device attached to each side of a horse's saddle, in the form of a loop with a flat base to support the rider's foot.
Tooling: the process of cutting into the leather to create shapes and designs.
