Ian “Stretch” Halstead always had a strong interest in leatherwork and made his first saddle at 16 years of age. Whilst always having the intent to build a saddlery business, he wanted to build real life experience in working horses and gear. He went and worked for S. Kidman & Co at Anna Creek Station in 1989, working in the stock camp where 90% of stock work was still carried out horseback, camping out, bronco branding, cutting out fats and walking mobs of cattle into trucking yards. This led to a career that spanned for approximately 30 years, working his way up through the ranks to manage large scale cattle properties in Queensland’s South West Channel Country and the Northern Territory.