16/05/2023
So very lucky to have Jen here in Scotland ! If you need bridle or biting advice or help please give her a message. 😊 she’s not only incredibly knowledgeable and talented but is really, really nice too! 🥰 xx
Jen Roy is the newest addition to the Bridle Fitting team of Lecturers and Assessors.
She came to saddlery as a mature student of 35 having worked for 10 years in the health service. Saddlery started as a hobby but quickly became her career of choice. After spending a few years in London at Capel Manor College gaining an HND in Saddlery Technology followed by a job with Bill Amberg working on architectural leatherwork, Jen returned to her native Scotland where she set up in business and has been providing leather and saddlery repairs, bespoke bridle work and harness to the communities of Fife and Angus but extending into the rest of Scotland and abroad. She is now building up the bit and bridle fitting consultation part of her business. Jen is a Master Saddler, Master Harness Maker and Master Bridle Maker, SMS Registered Qualified Bridle Fitter and LANTRA Horse Bit Fit Accredited Consultant.
Although Jen has just started as a lecturer/assessor on the QBF course she is thoroughly enjoying being involved in the planning aspects of the course. She can't wait to meet the course attendees and look forward to sharing knowledge with them.
When asked about her main passions Jen said "It has always been bridle fitting having completed my dissertation at college was on that very subject. The research that is ongoing into bridles is fascinating in what it is finding out about pressure points and their relation to horse biomechanics. In studying for the bridle fitting and bit fitting exams I started to question a lot of my long held beliefs regarding horse behaviour and training and my interest in horse welfare and our social license to use horses has grown immensely as a result. Horse welfare and our ability to use horses for pleasure and sport is going to be a huge challenge. I do believe it is possible to find a happy medium between riding or driving horses and ensuring their welfare but the entire industry needs to do some hard and difficult thinking in order to achieve this."