ML Leddy’s — Handmade Cowboy Boots from the Ranch to the White House
Where Work and Legacy Meet
ML Leddy's has built boots for working cowboys who spend their life in the saddle. They also build boots for U.S. presidents, musicians, and public figures whose names carry weight far beyond Texas.
Both leave the shop with the same thing: A pair of boots made entirely by hand.
That dual identity — ranch tool and cultural artifact — is what makes ML Leddy’s elite in the world of Western craftsmanship.
Built for the Saddle
Long before Western boots became collectible objects or fashion statements, they were tools. A proper working boot must, sit securely in a stirrup, withstand dust, heat, brush, long hours on horseback, and hold its shape through years of wear
At Leddy’s, the foundation hasn’t shifted. The boots are cut, shaped, stitched, and finished by hand — not assembly line, not automated.
Leddy’s cares just as much about longevity as they do cosmetics.
Exotic Leathers and Presidential Orders
But there’s another side to the shop.
ML Leddy’s is also known for custom boots made from exotic leathers — ostrich, alligator, elephant — crafted with the same care as a pair destined for ranch work. Over the years, presidents, entertainers, and public figures have commissioned boots here.
The difference is not in the quality of the work.
It’s in the material and design.
A working pair might show dust within a day. A presidential pair may never see a stirrup. But both begin and end the same way — by hand, at a workbench in San Angelo, Texas.
An Analog Craft in a Digital World
One of the most striking things about Leddy’s isn’t the leather, it’s the process.
Measurements, past orders, client details — everything is recorded by hand in large books that sit on shelves in the showroom. No tablets. No cloud storage. Just pages filled with names and numbers accumulated over decades.
Getting a pair of custom boots from Leddy’s starts with getting your name on a list, then you receive a phone call a year later saying your name is up. So you drive into the shop, sit in THE chair, where your foot is outlined and measured every which way, and those numbers are recorded with a pencil in a book. No tablets. No cloud storage. Look around the showroom and you’ll see an unthinkable amount leather records books filling the shelves.
When a returning customer needs a new pair, the staff simply pull a book from the shelf and flip to the page where measurements were first recorded — sometimes decades earlier.
The record-keeping mirrors the boots themselves: tangible, physical, built to last.
Western Craftsmanship Beyond Nostalgia
Bootmaking at ML Leddy’s isn’t preserved for tourism.
It remains relevant because ranchers, riders, and collectors still demand a boot that will last a lifetime.
Like saddle makers and spur makers across the American West, Leddy’s represents a trade where tradition survives because it continues to function.
The culture of the West is sustained not only by working cowboys, but by the craftsmen who build what they rely on.
The tools may differ.
The materials may change.
But the approach remains consistent:
Work done by hand.
Built to be used.
Rooted in place.
Explore More Western Craft & Culture
If you’re interested in traditional Western trades, you may also want to explore:
• My portrait of saddle maker Doug Cox
• The long-term project photographing working cowboys across the American West
Licensing & Editorial Use
These photographs documenting ML Leddy’s and the tradition of handmade Western bootmaking are available for editorial and commercial licensing. The images focus on process, environment, and the people behind the craft — making them well suited for publications/brands covering Western culture, heritage brands, ranch life, and traditional American trades. For licensing inquiries, project collaborations, or publication requests, please get in touch directly.
The iconic neon boot outside ML Leddy’s lights the streets of San Angelo, marking one of the West’s most respected handmade boot shops.
The ML Leddy’s workshop is lined with wooden lasts, each one tied to a customer and a specific fit.
Exotic leathers are carefully selected and cut by hand, each hide destined for a custom pair of cowboy boots.
Leather is stretched and shaped directly over wooden lasts, a physical process that defines the character of each boot.
Decorative stitching is completed on vintage machines, guided by practiced hands and years of experience.
A pair of custom boots waits between stages of construction, surrounded by the quiet rhythm of daily work inside the shop.
Measuring a boot last for handmade cowboy boots in Texas
Every nail is set by hand, reinforcing the sole using techniques passed down through generations of bootmakers.
Handmade cowboy boots in Texas
Custom boot lasts
Old cowboy boot parts
A finished pair of handmade cowboy boots, built start to finish inside the ML Leddy’s workshop in Texas.