San Fernando Saddlery - Cliff Ketchum

Cliff Ketchum opened the San Fernando Saddlery in the early 50s with Art Hugenberger, off Woodman Ave, in Van Nuys , Calif. They both did many things for the Movie studios in those days , I’m notsure with ones , and later my father bought out his partner .
as i was told by an old timer ,when he was in his teens the saddle shopwas the place to hang out , if you wanted to meet some of Hollywood smovie actors , those where the good old days

Cliff Ketchum apprenticed Saddlemaking at the Porter Saddle Company ,Phoenix Az. while in High Shool , under the watch full eye of LuisRinglero Master Saddlemaker ,,,,
Sometime after WW 2 , pack his bags with his wife and young son andwent to Los Angeles worked for a few saddle shops til the San Fernandovalley saddlery was opened , and sometime during the 50s my fathertrained his horse that was in a few Disney's movies , Darby O'Gill andthe little people and Tonka , then began acting in a few movies ,,,,,,The Young Land , Pork Chop Hill ,,,, made guest appearances on GunSmoke and a few others

A few other Great Saddlemakers worked at the San fernendo ValleySaddlery ,,,, Luis Ringlero . Mervin Ringerlo , Son of Luis . Iremember them , Art Hugenberger , Al Shelton to name a few ,, The waythey made a custom saddle to fit a horse and rider is a lost art thesedays , there are just a hand full of Master Saddlemakers left ,,,, Itsa dieing ART , a rider could ride all day without being saddle sore ,they where the most comfortable saddle made as one movie actor said

Before the San Fernando Valley saddlery closed in 1967 someone said myfather was working on a saddle for the John Wayne ,, How many movieactors had saddles made from the the shop is unknown to me ,, whatfiles my father had where taken by someone after his death in Septemberof 1984 , many of his hand made tools too , sad , but his work lives on,,,, he engcouraged many other s to try there hand at saddle making ,like Don King , Verlane Desgrange , Pedro Pedrini , many other unknownsaddlemakers to me ,,,,, patrick ketchum

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