Hoping you folks can help clear somthing up about Billy Cook saddles for me.

I was ALWAYS under the impression that any Billy Cook saddle with a Greenville badge was not a "real" Billy Cook, however I was told that the original Billy Cook saddles (from before the name was sold to Longhorn) were indeed made in Greenville and have the word "MAKER" in the stamping.

I have a Billy Cook pleasure saddle out on trial, and I was told this was an "original" Billy Cook. The saddle is said to be upwards of 15-20 years old.

Model # 9001. Metal badge says "Custom Made by Billy Cook, Greenville Texas" with the "Billy Cook" being the signature logo. Leather stamping on the fenders and behind the cantel reads "Billy Cook, MAKER, Greenville TX".

Does anyone know how to distinguish an original Billy Cook from before the name was sold to Longhorn? Or is the answer that all real Billy Cooks were and now are again made in Sulphur?

Here;s what i've been told...

billy cook, the real billy cook, has always made in sulphur. all the greenville one's are made by longhorn.

several (more than 20!) mr. cook sold the name to longhorn, to raise some much needed cash....

the easiest way is to call greenville (longhorn i believe) and give your seriel number.

i have a billy cook maker, sulphur for my daughter. I called the Sulphur facility adn they told me how to read the serial number to figuire out the age, etc.

betsey

I recently read something that said that Billy Cook originally made his saddles in texas until he ran into some type of IRS problems and then moved to Oklahoma. I understood that there are original billy cook saddles stamped with greenville tx on them but they must also have a stamp that says original, with a number ...otherwise it is a billy cook now being made by simco/longhorn and they are not allowed to use the "original stamp". Beats me..does anyone really have the low down? I have a Billy Cook roper from Texas and happen to love it..I may call to see if it is an original but I guess it doesn't really matter if I like using it. I have been told that the simco version uses inferior materials/trees, and sell them for the high prices that the true billy cooks go for

Billy Cook started in TX and ran into IRS problems and did some jail time. In an attempt to raise some money, he sold his name and saddle mark. He is currently back in business and any saddle now stamped Billy Cook Sulphur, OK is made by Billy's shop. The ones that are sold through Longhorn and lower end tack vendors are the product of the company that now owns the rights to the name and mark he sold. They are not Billy Cooks, they are just stamped with his name.

Every saddle made by Billy Cook's shops, whether it was pre-jail or post jail, has a number stamped into the saddle. The ones made by the company that bought the rights to his name never stamped a number on the saddles.

I called Billy Cook Harness & Saddlery. So this is from the horses mouth.

Billy Cook made saddles in Greenville until 1981 which is the year the designs and line name were sold to Longhorn. So older Billy Cook saddles (1981 and earlier) will say Greenville, TX --- they are still real Billy Cooks, maybe some of the best ever made.

What I was told by BC Harness & Saddlery ... if the stamping says "MAKER" it is a genuine Billy Cook saddle. Longhorn Billy Cooks do not have "MAKER" in the stamping no matter what year or model, nor will they ever have the Billy Cook signature logo.

Hope that helps.

[ July 16, 2007, 10:59 AM: Message edited by: a.leg.at.each.corner ]

I have one of each in the saddle shed. The Greenville saddle is circa 1983, and while it seems okay and I rode it a bunch of years, the fit on the horses was never great and I was always trying new pads and pad combos. The tree was advertised as the "BC Cowboy Tree", and I see they still have that tree in their line-up. Swell fork, with a 4" dished cantle. The stainless steel double rigging is very stout; roped lots in it, and the overall quality seems okay, but the fit was always the problem.
My wife has a Sulphur OK saddle that is sold as a wade, and the fit is actually very good for a factory saddle. The horn sits a little high for roping, but the overall workmanship is pretty good. Bought it used, probably made in the last few years. Stick with the Sulphur made saddles in my opinion.

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Originally posted by ranchroper:
I have one of each in the saddle shed. The Greenville saddle is circa 1983, and while it seems okay and I rode it a bunch of years, the fit on the horses was never great and I was always trying new pads and pad combos. The tree was advertised as the "BC Cowboy Tree", and I see they still have that tree in their line-up. Swell fork, with a 4" dished cantle. The stainless steel double rigging is very stout; roped lots in it, and the overall quality seems okay, but the fit was always the problem.
My wife has a Sulphur OK saddle that is sold as a wade, and the fit is actually very good for a factory saddle. The horn sits a little high for roping, but the overall workmanship is pretty good. Bought it used, probably made in the last few years. Stick with the Sulphur made saddles in my opinion.

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Just to clarify. Per Jody R from Billy Cook Saddlery; Billy Cook saddles were originally built by Mr. Cook in Greenville until 1981 and can be identified by the word "MAKER" in the stamping. Longhorn CANNOT put the word "MAKER" on their Billy Cook saddles. So a 1983 Billy Cook with a Greenville stamp is likely the Longhorn version. The ORIGINAL Billy Cook (pre 1981) are some of the BEST saddles made ... EVER. I just could never figure out how to distinguish a Longhorn Cook from an pre Longhorn Cook. Now I do. Thank you Jody at Billy Cook Harness and Saddlery for clearing that up!

Photos below are of the saddle I now have. I couldn't possibly be any luckier. This is an ORIGINAL (pre 1981) Billy Cook, Handmade. Someone bought this saddle, used it 2 or 3 times then stored it inside. I called for an estimated value --- it's priceless. It is literally in brand new condition.