Article by Stephanie Duquette.  All rights reserved.

The unassailable symbol of excellence, unique to the world of Western performance horses, is the belt buckle. It proclaims the wearer’s champion status for the world to see, serving as a permanent memorial to that winning moment in time.

In today’s world of automation and mass production, one group of cowboy craftsmen still takes pride in creating every buckle by hand.

At Skyline Gold & Silvermiths in Marysville, California, you can’t buy a machine made, die-stamped buckle.

“One of the most important aspects of our business is that everything is 100 percent handmade,” said Skyline owner Ryan Fowler. “Among the companies that operate on our scale, no one else does it. As far as I know, we are the only company operating on a large national scale that does everything by hand.”

Skyline was founded 30 years ago in a shop located, not surprisingly, on Skyline Boulevard in Oakland, California. The high-end custom silversmith shop later moved to Lincoln, California and then, in 1993, settled in its current Marysville location, a 4,500 square foot manufacturing shop with eight full-time silversmiths.

The company serves nearly every imaginable niche of the Western performance industry, providing any type of custom trophy award a client can dream up. The customer service experience is second-to-none, with the 33 year old Fowler serving as the link between the idea and the sparkling reality. He draws on a lifetime of experience in various aspects of the horse industry, spanning high school and college rodeo, reined cow horse, team roping and cutting.

“I have a broad range of horse business background. That’s really helped me. When reined cow horse associations call, they’re not just getting someone who knows belt buckles; they’re getting someone who knows their event. It’s really made a difference in our company. If you call and say you need a buckle for the Open Two-Rein, you’re talking to someone who knows what the Open Two-Rein is. Because of this, we can provide our clients a type of customer service that is unique in our business,” Fowler observed.

Skyline’s best promotional tool has always been its satisfied customers, who spread the word to others about its quality products.

“What we do is absolutely a word of mouth business. We could buy a million dollars’ worth of magazine ads, and not get as much business as we get from one good referral. That’s the way we’ve grown,” confirmed Fowler.

Ten years ago, the company branched out with a second brand name, Vaquero Trophy and Tack, rounding out the business’s identity as a one-stop trophy awards shop. Under Vaquero Trophy and Tack, which operates side-by-side with Skyline, customers can purchase a full range of buckles and other quality prizes, including tack and leather, saddle silver, jewelry, spurs and anything else an awards committee could brainstorm.

“We found that customers were looking for alternative award ideas—things we didn’t manufacture in our shop. So, within our contacts, we found people with, for example, the best quality embroidered horse blankets. We know these are products we are comfortable standing behind and products you can trust,” explained Fowler.

Each side of the company generates about 50% of the total revenue. The reason for the two different brand names is because the demand for buckles comes with a wide range of prices. So, to obtain more of the market share and provide their clients with a choice, Skyline established the more affordable Vaquero brand. Their factory in Old Mexico can produce items more affordably. That allows the company to pass savings on to their customers.

Fowler adds, “it is important to us that you know, when you buy a Skyline buckle, that you know it was made in our shop in Marysville.”

The eight silversmiths who do the detailed custom work in Marysville come from an extremely close-knit community of craftspeople.

“You think the horse training world is small—the silversmith world is unbelievably small. I can’t remember a time when somebody came here and asked for a job that we didn’t know where they worked, and who taught them. Most everybody knows everybody else,” Fowler explained. “It’s amazing how much of the silversmith community is based in central California. Within 100 miles of where I’m sitting is where most of it happens. Most of our silversmiths have been with us for more than 20 years. These guys are true artists; the skills they must have to design and create these buckles takes years to learn. It is still an old world system of master craftsman and apprentice.”

Fowler’s partner in Skyline/Vaquero is someone he’s known his entire life, and a familiar name to many in the performance horse world—Dave Hammond, of Dave Hammond Auctions. The pair is also in partnership in a new venture: Stray Dog Saddles, offering a full line of cutting, reined cow horse, ranch and roping saddles.

Visit Skyline Gold & Silversmiths and Vaquero Trophy and Tack on the web at www.SkylineVaquero.com. Stray Dog Saddles has a home at www.StrayDogSaddles.com.