As told in an interview with Glenn:

Having grown up in Clovis, California, in the heart of the Central San Joaquin Valley, I was raised in the midst of farmland and ranches. As a young boy, one of the ways I earned spending money was by finding work at local roping arenas, where my brother and I would push steers down the lane and put horn-wraps on—it was during these times that I discovered my passion for horses and for the cowboy way of life.

Then, in the summer of 1968, my love for horses and team roping, my brother’s desire to impress a girl and my need to be better than him at something, led me to the rough stock circuit, where I got the chance to ride my first bull. That first bull sparked my 13 year career as a professional bull rider. Over time, as each rodeo passed, I became more and more aware that my body would eventually not stand up to the beatings it was taking. Not long after this realization took place, I needed to have a stirrup leather repaired on my saddle. After waiting six long months for a local saddle repairman to fix the stirrup leather, I decided that I needed to learn how to make future repairs myself.

In 1975 I went to Eugene, Oregon, where I studied under a friend and long time saddle maker, Tom Hendrickson. When I returned home, I took my first non-agricultural job, but started doing repair work on saddles for other people every night after work. Not long after my return from Oregon, I took on an apprenticeship with local legendary saddle maker, Slim Beaver. I continued to learn more about saddle making and repair from Slim and was just about to start learning the silversmith trade from him when he had a heart attack and passed away. Nearly thirty years passed before I got the opportunity to learn about the silversmith trade again.

In 2003, I spent a month in Napa, Idaho, where Jim Miller taught me the fundamentals of bit making. When I returned home, I took time out to build my bit shop and shortly after, started making bits.

After admiring a Billy Clapper bit, I called Mr. Clapper to get permission to build a bit like his and he told me to go to trainer Benny Guitron’s and copy the pattern from him. Benny agreed, with the stipulation that I bring my own work for him to evaluate. He challenged me to design a specialty bit and in my opinion, that was the project that truly made me a bit maker.

Throughout the years, I have made many valuable friends and mentors, who have helped me mature and grow in my skill level and ability. One such person is fellow saddle maker, Al Gould. Thank you Al, I am forever indebted...And last but certainly not least, my best critics, my family: wife Pam of 30+ years and our daughters, Katie and Kristina.