Random Maker

Random Maker - Susan Henning Leather

Susan Henning didn’t start out to make great gun leather. All she wanted to do was save a little money by creating a few holster sets for herself, husband Thom and a couple of friends when they first got into mounted shooting.

 

But you know how things go sometimes.  One thing leads to another, and another. And today, Susan Henning holsters are prized by some of the top riders in the sport.  “I’ve got 10 or 11 Level 6s wearing my stuff right now, and God knows how many Level 5s. It seems to be working.”

 

Susan generally gives other folks the credit for that success.  First came her aunt, who lived in Knoxville, Tennessee and made leather purses.  She showed Susan how to stamp, dye, carve, sew, and generally work with leather.

 

Susan had no intention of following in her aunt’s footsteps, making purses. And it wasn’t going to be a full-time job; she’s worked as a controller in the Shelby County, TN (Memphis) clerk’s office for 26 years, and that’s kept her pretty busy.  But just what she’d do with those leatherworking skills didn’t become apparent—until she attended a Tennessee Mounted Shooters practice more than six years ago, got hooked on the sport, and decided to make her own gun rig. It wasn’t very good, she admits.

 

The holsters hung low on the hip, straight up and down.  That style looks good in the movies, but it’s not really conducive to gun changes and handling while riding a speeding horse through a pattern.

 

So she got some help, mostly from fellow Tennesseans. People like Level 6s Brady Carr and Rock Clark told Susan what they liked and disliked in holsters—the kinds of things that gave them a winning edge.  And Tennesseans by heart (and now address) Amanda Porter and John Clark soon joined in.  “The first holsters I made, the guns sat all the way down in them. And you couldn’t get your hand on them very good.  And John said, ‘You need to cut it down so that I can get my whole hand on the grip, because that’s the way I’m going to be able to get that gun out faster.’”

 

She took ideas like that and quickly began improving her rigs—with the help of husband Thom, who does all of her holster patterns.

 

But she still wasn’t making outfits for other folks.  At least until SM3 shooter—and friend–Marty Luffman put on a full-court press, pushing her to make him some holsters.  She finally gave in.  And the floodgates opened.

 

The same friends who advised Susan on the makings of a good holster became her customers. And the word spread about the top quality of Susan Henning gun leather. She found herself making four or five sets at a time, each taking about 15 hours spread over 10 days (remember that she has a full-time job and competes as a L5 most weekends).

 

And each one is made to fit the needs and wants of the individual customer.  When you contact Susan, whether you’re a world champion or a novice Level 1, she’ll ask you questions about gun rigs you’ve seen and liked. If you’re not sure, she’ll send some pictures of her work for you to check out.  She’ll ask about colors, conchos, measurements, and more.  And in the best of all worlds, you’ll meet at a shoot to really go over things.  “I really do better if I can get to know the personality of the person a bit.  Then I can make a set that is just right for them.”

 

For her part, Susan says those interactions teach her new things all the time.  “For example, now I’m learning things like the pigskin lining will hold the gun in there better than the slick lining. But that’s a preference thing, too.”

 

She’s an innovator, too.  Rock Clark and the Hennings came up with the harness favored by a number of top shooters.  It attaches to the front and back of the gun belt, sort of like suspenders, and holds the holsters up for easier access and gun changes.

 

She plans to continue that learning process in the future.  When she retires in a couple of years, she’s going to do gun leather full time (except for the weekend competitions). It wasn’t something she planned on six years ago. But you know how things go sometimes…

 

Susan Henning can be reached at 901-867-2813.

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