Circle Y Saddles is a western saddle and tack manufacturer based in Yoakum, Texas, building saddles for riders across barrel racing, roping, trail, ranch work, reining and mounted shooting since the company was founded there in 1960 by Leland Tucker. Circle Y saddles are still made in Yoakum today, more than 65 years after the brand’s founding, with a workforce that the company says carries more than 1500 combined years of saddle making experience passed down through generations of craftsmen in the same town.
Circle Y’s ownership has changed hands twice in ways tied directly to Yoakum’s saddle making history. Steve Tucker, founder of sister brand Tucker Trail Saddles, and business partner Darrell Nephew acquired Circle Y in 2003, and in 2023 the company became part of Kaspar Companies, a fifth generation family business run by descendants of the Welhausen family, who founded the historic Tex Tan saddlery brand in Yoakum back in 1919. Circle Y reacquired the Tex Tan name itself in 2024, reuniting two long running local saddle brands under one company.
Beyond saddles built for specific disciplines like versatility, breakaway and youth riding, Circle Y produces tack including headstalls, breast collars, cinches and reins, and its saddles incorporate the Flex2 tree design built to move with the horse’s motion rather than sitting rigid against its back. The brand also works with a roster of endorsed competitors across rodeo and horsemanship disciplines and sells through an authorized dealer network across the country.
