M AT E R I A L WO R L D D E P T.
hours to create. It’s a labor-intensive process involving tools, bare hands, and at times, sheer resolve to shape all the pieces of leather into a saddle. In this age of machine-made saddles and assembly-line production, the paraphernalia of their trade is unfamiliar to most. Tools, mostly vintage and irreplaceable, are as cherished as their heavily-callused and scarred hands. A staggering number of awls, cutters, skivers, trimmers, and hammers are lined up in handmade racks or strewn across their workbenches, ready for the next assignment. But each assignment, like the one before it, takes a skill called fitting that traditionally is not taught to saddlers. It’s a process of correctly measuring the horse and rider, ensuring the saddle fits properly. “It’s what this business is all about. You need to understand the purpose of all the parts. Perfect balance is achieved by combining the fit with a properly constructed seat,” David explains. Perfect balance is a condition sought by most riders, but rarely achieved due to poorly fitting saddles. It is essential to effective riding because the center balance of the rider directly affects the horse’s balance. Without balance the saddle will cause pressure on the horse, creating discomfort and inhibiting movement. “Perfect balance is what we strive for, so the saddle is tailored to each rider or horse,” he says. Armed with a page of the measurements and notes from a recent fitting, he traces the patterns for each flap of the saddle onto heavy brown paper, then swiftly cuts them with a relic of a razor-sharp blade. The patterns are transferred to their extensive inventory of richly-colored hides that are stacked in tall racks in the workshop. Each flap is hand-cut from buffalo and calf hides imported from England and France. Then, the craftsmanship begins. The leather is placed onto the selected saddle tree, the form used for the saddle. They favor hand-made beech wood and steel saddle trees imported from England, which offer a high standard of quality and strength. Once the fitting measurements are verified, each component of the saddle is meticulously prepared and shaped. As the play-by-play action of a cricket match spills from a BBC broadcast in the background, David begins scraping a long piece of hide. It will become a tissue-thin leather welt that enhances a seam. Every few minutes, he holds up the welt and gently creases its length to confirm a uniform thickness and then, once satisfied, sets it aside for Lesley. In a process called seaming, she attaches the welt to the skirt of the saddle and then the skirt to the seat. She’ll make approximately 580 stitches using different types of needles and spend another three hours at the workbench. The saddle-making process moves along with sustained efficiency and discipline. It’s the commitment to a task they love, but both admit, they enjoy pursuing some down time, too. The duo often share a cup of black tea and toast, or a lunch of oxtail soup under the watchful eyes of their beloved, four-legged companions — two King Charles Spaniels, Tetley and Abbey, and a perky Jack Russell terrier named Bea.