If you’ve stopped scrolling through Facebook because a beautiful pair of spurs caught your eye, there is a good chance you were looking at a picture of Brian Strange’s work. Brian is a true artisan with a focus on metal smithing and producing spurs, buckles, and bits.
Having shod horses for over twenty-two years, Strange understands that taking time to do things the right way and having the proper tools for the job can make all the difference. A team roper and Army veteran, his determination and grit lend well to staying focused during the hours long process of crafting custom pieces for each customer.
His life has centered around horses and cowboy gear for many years. As a young man, time in welding school introduced him to metal, and he furthered his horse knowledge riding at Ft. Riley for the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard. After the Army he blended the two worlds further in farrier school and started on his horse shoeing journey.
Along that journey, he decided to build himself a pair of spurs, and to his surprise people soon began asking for him to make them a pair–and nothing has been the same since.
Today, his family works alongside him, in addition to two outside employees. His daughter has even ventured out on her own, carrying on the legacy with her own business and perspective.
His work is hand drawn and some of his best work is arguably pieces in which the customer gives him some artistic license to imagine and bring to life a unique vision (check out the horse head pendants he makes for necklaces!)
The process begins with flat steel. Parts are shaped by hand and welded together, with the pattern drawn and cut. This is no assembly line, and one pair of spurs can take between 15-20 hours to create.
However, Brian also offers a line of production type base spurs to sell to vendors. These are the same quality as his custom spurs just without any of the decorative finish and are equally popular with ranch hands wanting a stripped-down look. This year alone he has built over 100 pairs of spurs.
Brain understands how metal changes over time and what is needed to help it hold up. He knows the purpose of different rowels and how things will affect a horse. Most importantly, he approaches everything as a constant learning process and wants every piece to be better than the last.
Whether you want to look sharp out on the town or in the saddle, you can’t go wrong with a pair of spurs, a bit, a buckle, or jewelry from the Strange family.
