Meet the Maker!
From a hobby to a lifestyle...
Hello everyone! My name is Kristina and I have spent over 10 years learning and improving my leatherwork skills. I have always been artistic, crafty, and into anything that was DIY. After a few years of college design courses, matched with a diverse horse background, I have now been able to develop and evolve my leatherwork over the past 10+ years into a small side hustle. Mostly to pay for entry fees and spoil my horses!
I wanted to take this moment to personally thank everyone that has followed my journey, from loyal customers over 10+years, to new found friends, this would not be possible without any of ya'll!
Horses that made it happen!
Where it all began...
Romeo
It started with a pony party at the age of 5. That about sums it up! Years to follow, I got my first horse and we called him Romeo! He was a green broke 4yr old when we got him. He was all go and no whoa but, had a heart of gold when it came to taking care of me. We spent our days running in local California gymkhanas and trail riding. After moving to Oregon, Romeo was put to work in the roping pen where he excelled tremendously! At that point, I was competing on the high school equestrian team where I rode and competed in many different events such as barrels, pole bending, key hole, steer penning and more! I then took him with me on my college adventures, only to help him cross the rainbow bridge a few short months later. It was shortly after his passing, that I picked up the leather tools as I realized I never had a sentimental keepsake to remember him by. From there, the rest is history!
Current Status...
Fergalicious
Da Fergs is my heart beat currently! She is a 2015 mare, sired by Freighttrain B, out of a fabulous race bred mare! I actually purchased her spontaneously and to this day, she is still fueling my fire to barrel race and compete! We spent a majority of her 5yr old year hauling to local futurities and managed to be the 2D ANHA futurity average champ! After that, we took a few years off so I could be an adult, so we are just getting back into the game! Ya'll might catch us in the barrel pen this fall, with larger races planned for 2025!
Up & Comer
Lil' Latte
Another impulse buy and I wouldn't have it any other way! Latte comes from an impeccable breeding program by Britany & Issac Diaz and her family! With some NFR bloodlines on papers, I can't help but have high hopes from this up & comer! She is a pint size full of fun and lives with fiery spirit! Latte is hopefully going to be a 2025 Amateur Pink Buckle contender, fingers crossed! I forsee great things to come with this wild soul!
Part of the story...
Cabo
Cabo was a late college addition that I consider my core horse. He ran on the track and was lightly started on barrels before I got him. He taught me an incredible amount of patience and really sparked the fire to get into barrels more competitively. After a few years of tough training, I finally made peace with the fact that he just wasn't my style. After parting ways, he ended up making a jam up high school rodeo and open barrel horse! Taking his youth rider to the top at virtually every race! Saddles, buckles, money, the whole sha-bang! It warmed my heart to see his new rider bring out his fullest potential and eventually carried her to the National High School Finals Rodeo! (side note: we are representing one of the first tack sets I made from 2012-ish!)
Did you know?
Emma
Believe it or not, I did not grow up in a rodeo or horse family. After Romeo, I found a new pursuit in all around disciplines, western pleasure, trail, hunter hack, and more! Emma was a keystone factor in my younger days! We competed at all levels, eventually making our way to the top 5 in the APHA Novice Youth division at the world show!