People began riding horses thousands of years ago. Saddles for horseback riding were invented soon after. Today, many companies manufacture saddles. But it is rare to find someone who designs and makes these products by hand. American Keith Valley is one of the few. He has been making saddles, one at a time, for more than 20 years at Jackson Hole in the western state of Wyoming.

数千年前人类就已经开始骑马，不久之后骑马用的马鞍就应运而生。今天有很多公司都从事马鞍制造产业，但是很少能找到采用手工方式来设计和制作马鞍。美国人Keith Valley就是这凤毛麟角中的一个。他一开始在怀俄明州西部被称之为“牛仔乡”的杰克逊镇做马鞍制作工作，一做就是二十多年。

The community of Jackson Hole is famous for skiing. But Jackson Hole and all of Wyoming is also known as cowboy country.

杰克逊社区因滑雪而出名，但是杰克逊镇和怀俄明州整个地区也因“牛仔之乡”而出名。

Keith Valley grew up wanting to be a cowboy. He was influenced at a young age by Charlie Russell, an artist of the old American West. He says Russell's paintings and the adventures he wrote about kept him interested in the Western way of life for cowboys.

Keith Valley小时候受美国老西部艺术家查理罗素影响长大之后想当一名牛仔，他说罗素的画作和冒险经历让他对西部牛仔生活产生了浓厚的兴趣。

Keith Valley worked on a ranch for a long time. But after some cold, hard winters, and a few pains, the young man decided to get into saddle making.

Keith Valley在一个牧场曾经工作过很长一段时间，但是经历过冬天的寒冷和艰难，感受到痛苦之后，这个年轻人决定改行做马鞍。

"Back in, like, 94, when I made my first saddle and I was working horses and had ordered a saddle from a gentleman (and) it was just, in my mind, it was just taking him too long so I just made a deal with him that if he gives me the supplies we'd call it good and I would build it myself. So that's how I got started."

大约在94年，当我做第一个马鞍的时候那会我还在驯马，并从一位绅士那里定了一副马鞍，我好像记得那副马鞍他做了很长时间都没有做完，所以我就跟他做交易说如果他能给我做马鞍用的所有货物我就自己来做。于是我就这样开始了做马鞍的生涯。

Mr. Valley has made more than 70 saddles since then. He does the work in Jackson Hole. But his creations go to buyers from California to Florida. He has a website but says the social media site Facebook really helped his marketing efforts.

之后Valley做了70多副马鞍。他虽然在杰克逊镇工作但是他的买家能从加利福尼亚延伸到佛罗里达州。他有一个经营网站但是他说社交媒体脸书才给他真正带来了市场效益。

He says saddle-making was once a guarded craft. He says saddle-makers in the past would throw a cover over their work when people entered their work space. They did not want people to see what they were doing.

他说曾经马鞍制作工作是非常小心谨慎的，他说过去当有人进到工作的地方时做马鞍的人就会拿东西遮住手头工作。他们不想让人们知道自己在做什么。

But things are different in the information age. Keith Valley has videos about saddle-making on his website. His work is on display as is his equipment: hole punches, hammers, leather and rawhide. He enjoys talking about his labor.

但是在信息时代事情就变了。Keith Valley在自己网站上上传了马鞍制作的视频，展示的是他的打孔机，锤子，皮革和牛皮。他非常喜欢和人谈论自己的劳动。

"One of the goals I have in putting a seat in a saddle is to cradle the pin bones and help support the center of the rider."

我在马鞍上安个座子是为了把针状骨罩在里面，还可以帮助骑马者用来控制中心。

There are about 84 pieces of leather used in making a saddle. The final product costs thousands of dollars. In the old days, people would pay 10 times more for a saddle than a horse. Now, horses are the bigger cost.

制作一副马鞍大约需要84块皮革，最终需要花费数千美元。在过去，人们花比买一匹马贵十倍的价钱来买一副马鞍。而现在反过来马比马鞍值钱了。

And Keith Valley says his clients are more than just business to him.

Keith Valley还说他与客户不仅仅只是生意关系。

"I will have to say, most of the owners of the saddles I have built, they've, they've turned into really good friends."

我不得不说大多数买我马鞍的买家都和我成了好朋友。

I'm Bob Doughty.

我是Bob Doughty。

Philip Alexiou reported this story from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Caty Weaver wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Philip Alexiou在怀俄明州杰克逊镇为您报道，Caty Weaver投稿，George Grow编辑。

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Words in This Story

saddle – n. a leather-covered seat that is put on the back of a horse.

adventure – n. an exciting or dangerous experience

ranch – n. a large farm, especially in the U.S., where animals (such as cattle, horses and sheep) are raised

craft – n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands

People began riding horses thousands of years ago. Saddles for horseback riding were invented soon after. Today, many companies manufacture saddles. But it is rare to find someone who designs and makes these products by hand. American Keith Valley is one of the few. He has been making saddles, one at a time, for more than 20 years at Jackson Hole in the western state of Wyoming.

The community of Jackson Hole is famous for skiing. But Jackson Hole and all of Wyoming is also known as cowboy country.

Keith Valley grew up wanting to be a cowboy. He was influenced at a young age by Charlie Russell, an artist of the old American West. He says Russell's paintings and the adventures he wrote about kept him interested in the Western way of life for cowboys.

Keith Valley worked on a ranch for a long time. But after some cold, hard winters, and a few pains, the young man decided to get into saddle making.

"Back in, like, 94, when I made my first saddle and I was working horses and had ordered a saddle from a gentleman (and) it was just, in my mind, it was just taking him too long so I just made a deal with him that if he gives me the supplies we'd call it good and I would build it myself. So that's how I got started."

Mr. Valley has made more than 70 saddles since then. He does the work in Jackson Hole. But his creations go to buyers from California to Florida. He has a website but says the social media site Facebook really helped his marketing efforts.

He says saddle-making was once a guarded craft. He says saddle-makers in the past would throw a cover over their work when people entered their work space. They did not want people to see what they were doing.

But things are different in the information age. Keith Valley has videos about saddle-making on his website. His work is on display as is his equipment: hole punches, hammers, leather and rawhide. He enjoys talking about his labor.

"One of the goals I have in putting a seat in a saddle is to cradle the pin bones and help support the center of the rider."

There are about 84 pieces of leather used in making a saddle. The final product costs thousands of dollars. In the old days, people would pay 10 times more for a saddle than a horse. Now, horses are the bigger cost.

And Keith Valley says his clients are more than just business to him.

"I will have to say, most of the owners of the saddles I have built, they've, they've turned into really good friends."

I'm Bob Doughty.

Philip Alexiou reported this story from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Caty Weaver wrote it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

saddle – n. a leather-covered seat that is put on the back of a horse.

adventure – n. an exciting or dangerous experience

ranch – n. a large farm, especially in the U.S., where animals (such as cattle, horses and sheep) are raised

craft – n. an activity that involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands