News

Steel Buckles - Tom's Newest Project In 2012 Lyle Lovett approached Tom about making a very unique buckle for his girlfriend April. Tom took this challenge to heart and developed a steel buckle he could tie into the distinctive look of his bits and spurs. He played with different shapes, finishes, and overlay concepts and came up with a squared buckle in his signature brown finish featuring his stainless dots in a progressively smaller corner orientation. Lyle further customized the buckle with a personal message stamped on the backside and presented it to a very happy April. Since then, Tom has built different orientations of this steel buckle concept for several customers including a guest ranch. This blog is the step by step walk through of the process it takes to complete these beautiful buckles. Please note that these are broad steps that hold many small steps within. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Step one: The name, logo, or initials are determined. Step two: The overlay is hand cut from sterling silver or alternatively chosen material. Step three: The back of the buckle is welded as per the fastening preference.   Step four: Embellishments (dots, etc.) are welded...

Holly Spagnola Silverwork Anytime we share photos of Holly's work we receive overwhelming positive feedback. Her eye for the spectacular and attention to detail lend to mind blowing designs. She crafts many different items including jewelry and buckles using precious metal and stones. We often have people contact us wanting to order the spurs we've shared photos of; however we provide Holly with the spurs and she handles the design and transaction directly with the customer. If you are interested in having Holly design a set of spurs for you or would just like to visit with her about possible projects please contact her at: Phone: 203-219-8457 or contact form. To see more of Holly's design work please visit her   webpage.                                                  

Filming - How It's Made Tom’s reputation for superior craftsmanship has spread worldwide. In 2011  the film crew for Discovery Channels How It’s Made documented the elaborate process of hand-crafting a belt buckle, bit and spurs. Three segments were captured on film and have been aired within the United States. The segments are slowly being released worldwide in a multitude of translations. The segments are currently up on You Tube and can be viewed on our Video Tour page.  After we received confirmation the film crew from Discover Channel would be visiting us, we drew up some designs and started creating 'step' pieces. Since the film crew would only be with us a short time, these pieces would be used to show each step of the process as quickly as possible.     They arrived in a small white van, that was deceivingly spacious, and unloaded a large about of expertly packed equipment. The crew was efficient and extremely professional as they captured each process in HD. Every detail from lighting to angle was skillfully adjusted to perfection. The work spaces were tight so we all became friends fairly quickly. They even humored us taking photos of     them during the whole...

Summer 2014 Events - TBBS - Sheridan Wyoming        

Building a business for half your life...   Tom has been building Tom Balding Bits & Spurs for half his life! It was not always an easy path to forge. You can learn the basic history of the company at COMPANY HISTORY.  This blog entry is dedicated to the little known stories that paint the picture of Tom's journey and background.  Tom's family was full of outdoor enthusiasts and he was raised backpacking, camping, and immersing himself in mother nature. His uncle would take him and his cousins up into the California wilderness for weeks at a time.  His immediate family traveled all over camping from their car, catching fish, and enjoying each new adventure that came their way. This is the base that has created Tom's desire to backpack, hike, mountain bike, and snowboard that to this day is a   center point of his life.    As a young man he delivered papers in Ontario California to raise a little pocket money. He would slowly peddle by while delivering the morning paper to Hooker Headers  (now owned by Holley) and dreamed of the day he could work there. He practiced welding in the family garage, using his fathers work equipment,...

Spur Shank Offset Options Did you know that you can order your spurs with an offset shank? Just mention the degree of offset you are looking for when placing your order with our friendly staff by phone or email. If you are ordering off of our website just follow up with an email indicating you would like an offset shank and the degree of offset you would like. "What are the benefits of an offset spur shank" you ask. Great question! If you have a hard time touching the horse with a straight shank an offset shank will allow a more direct contact with less effort. The harder it is for you to reach the horse with a straight shank the more you will want to increase the degree of the angle on the offset. We recommend not exceeding a 15 degree offset to keep the motion needed to create contact from becoming awkward. We have customers who have injuries that make it hard to turn their foot when riding. We have put the offset on just one spur or both depending on the need to allow them the ability to ride in comfort. If you have any questions about spur shank offsets please let...

WHATS IN YOUR HORSES MOUTH? A Happy Horse starts with a Happy Mouth: Horse pacifiers – rollers, copper, & rust Finding the right bit for your horse is a huge key to how successful you are in getting the most out of your horse’s performance.  A happy horse starts by being happy with what’s in its mouth.  There are many options for bits and not all horses like the same mouthpiece in their bit. Granted, some times it’s not the bit, but whose hands the bit is in, that can ultimately determine if the horse is responsive or accepting.  Generally, good signs that a horse has accepted, or actually approves of, its bit are the way the horse will carry his head and neck as well as relaxing in its jaw. A horse that is “soft”, or accepting of the bit, is flexing at the poll and throat latch, relaxed at the jaw, as well as not mouthing the bit; meaning constantly chewing on the bit or tossing and slinging its head.  If one sees their horse displaying such behavior, it’s always a good idea to have your horse’s teeth checked as well as consider your horse’s equipment such as...