Central Kentucky Tack and Leather (CKTL) is unique in that we have an on-site working leather shop. Our leather shop specializes in hand crafted leather goods for the horse industry. We offer a variety of leather halters and shanks for every class and size of horse. Our leather products are sure to impress whether you’re in the show or sales ring or just working at the farm.
All of our leather products are hand made from premium bridle leather. The process starts with the U.S. steer hides, or “a side of leather”, that is hand cut into strips or “strapped out”. The straps of leather can range anywhere from ½ ” to 1-1/8” wide, depending on what is required for the finished product, and are usually the length of the entire hide. The straps are then cut, folded and formed to a specified length. The folded parts are outfitted with the appropriate hardware and stitched together. We use only high quality solid brass or stainless steel hardware for our leather products. Once the parts are stitched together, they are edged, dyed and hand rubbed to produce an elegant and handsome finish. Each hand made piece is truly a work of art and no two pieces are exactly the same.
While we manufacture top quality, handmade leather halters and lead shanks to outfit your horses, we also offer many specialty items designed for personal use. The ever popular Kentucky Horseman Belts, leather dog collars and leashes, key tags, coasters and checkbook covers are just some of the other custom leather products we offer. Our finished products are fine, high quality American made pieces that complement your wardrobe, home or tack room!
You can customize any of your leather products by choosing the color of leather and type of hardware that best suits your needs. By adding a name plate, you have the ability to further personalize your product. We offer solid brass name plates and nickel-over brass name plates (for those who prefer a silver finish) and give you a choice of engraving fonts. Both types/colors of plates will be installed with copper rivets. Please see product images for reference. You may also be interested in adding a logo to your nameplate. Be sure to check out the Custom Engraving department for more info.
In addition to all the fine, handmade leather pieces that come out of our leather shop, we are also skilled in repairing your existing tack. We invite you to contact us regarding this service. Give us a call (859-299-8225) or email us at
sales@centralkentuckytackandleather.com.