As the use of superior quality materials and more time consuming detail techniques of my work increased, prices for tack necessarily followed. At the time, more than a few people expressed interest in tack constructed more simply either through budgetary demands or for the preference for sliding buckles rather than working tongue versions for instance. I decided to create a secondary line but I had concerns about confusion as to the kind of work to be expected coming from my studio. Hence, the Roko line was born: roko is a type of sliding buckle. It was a simple name, intended to match the very basic tack.
Thereafter any saddles constructed with only minimal detailing but good basics, was stamped only as Roko. I did not advertise this second line, mostly because I was busy completing my more detailed work and so I did not push it. I did sell a quantity of simple Roko saddles to the west coast around 2003 to about 2006, through a vendor working in the California area. These were sold to both hobbiest and non-hobbiests alike, mostly on the US West Coast. I have seen one Roko saddle come up for sale on the secondary model horse market, though just that one so far.
The photo showing the phrase ROKO By Shoebox is a specialty saddle that I had intended to sell but ended up keeping. I think this is the only one marked like this.
A few bridles are also out there marked as Roko rather than Shoebox, because they have sliding buckles and the bit is just glued in (without either stud hook or buckled ends). And I had a series of plain white saddle pads labeled Roko that I had sold in Kentucky around 2008. The pads were just straight fabric, not the nicer shaped versions that fit a horse’s back better and had a binding with no additional piping.
I have not made Roko tack for a few years now, as I find I much prefer creating my best work possible at all times. It did fill a niche at the time, but now there are a good number of additional tackmakers to satisfy that particular demand. |
