CB Saddlery

24/10/2026

🇺🇸 I’m now out of the office and will be back on Wednesday 4th November.

I’ll be checking emails when I can while I’m away, but replies will take a little longer than usual. Thanks for your patience! 😊

23/10/2026

🐴 Love horses? Curious about what goes into making your saddle?

Did you know Walsall is the home of UK Saddlery industry and The Society of Master Saddlers’ Walsall Expo is taking place today and tomorrow at Walsall Town Hall. And it’s FREE for everyone!

You don’t need to be a saddler or work in the industry to come along. Perhaps you’re a rider thinking about your next saddle, interested in a career in leatherwork (or fitting), or simply enjoy discovering British history and craftsmanship.

It’s a chance to meet the people behind the saddlery, ask questions and explore the skills that have made Walsall the home of British saddlery. From traditional craftsmanship to new ideas and designs, training providers and of course, the Society, there’s plenty to discover.

📍 Walsall Town Hall
📅 Friday 23 & Saturday 24 October
🕙 10am–4pm both days
🎟️ Free admission — everyone welcome

Bring a horsey friend, come for a look around and help support the skills and businesses keeping British saddlery thriving. Please share with anyone who might enjoy a visit! 🐴

13/10/2026

Look at this handsome boy! 😍

Today’s bridle delivery took me all the way to Devon to fit a handmade bespoke bridle for Jax.

Jax is pretty special. Not only does he have the most amazing eyelashes, he also has some hefty melanomas behind his ears, which meant every bridle sat right against them or on them.

His rider asked whether I could make a bridle to accommodate his unique anatomy — and this is the result!

A specially shaped headpiece, with padding carefully positioned to avoid putting undue pressure on the melanomas, and a whopping 21” browband to give the headpiece enough room to sit behind them.

This is what I love about bespoke work: being able to make something around the individual horse. And what a lovely boy to make it for! 🐴🤎 ᴄᴏʙɪ ʙᴀɪʟʟɪᴇ The Society of Master Saddlers

09/10/2026

Walsall Leather Skills Centre - training the next generation of saddlers in the home of British saddlery.

11/09/2026

Hot off the press!!

We have just listened to a fascinating presentation at BEVA Congress from Cobi Baillie of Hartpury University on the veterinarian’s role in horse owners’ management of saddle fit.

Cobi’s research found that:
• older and more experienced owners were less likely to seek saddle-related advice from their vet or recognise when a saddle-fit check might be needed, and
• leisure riders were also less likely to have regular checks.

The key message was clear:
• vets play an essential role in helping owners manage saddle fit,
• recognising when saddlery may be relevant and
• referring to suitably qualified fitters where appropriate.

A huge thank you to Cobi for carrying out this valuable research and sharing her findings today. Evidence like this helps our industry understand the barriers owners face and strengthens collaboration between vets and saddle, bridle and bit fitters.

If you are attending BEVA Congress, please visit The Society of Master Saddlers on Stand C41 and complete our short survey. Your views on saddlery fitting, equine welfare and performance—and the education vets may find valuable—will help shape our future work.

Come and talk to us and add your voice at Stand C41.

10/09/2026

A great day representing The Society of Master Saddlers at the BEVA Congress in Birmingham, alongside Charlotte Fountain —and lovely to be joined by some familiar faces on the stand!

We are also conducting a survey to learn more about veterinary professionals’ views on saddlery fitting. We are asking:

• To what extent do vets believe saddlery fitting influences equine welfare and performance?
• Could working with Qualified Saddle, Bridle and Bit Fitters compliment their practice?
• Were they aware of the Society and the training we provide before today?
• Would they be interested in future training relating to saddle, bridle and bit fit?

The feedback will help us better understand current awareness and consider how the Society can support veterinary professionals through relevant education and collaborative working.

If you are attending BEVA Congress, please come and see us!

Look who joined us on our stand today at BEVA - The British Equine Veterinary Association Congress at the ICC in Birmingham. Our Veterinary advisor Dr Jane Nixon MA Vet, Russell Mackechnie -Guire Centaur Biomechanics and Cobi Baillie from Hartpury University. Catherine Baker CB Saddlery and Charlotte Fountain hosting.

We are also conducting a survey to learn more about veterinary professionals’ views on saddlery fitting. We are asking:

• To what extent do vets believe saddlery fitting influences equine welfare and performance?
• Could working with Qualified Saddle, Bridle and Bit Fitters compliment their practice?
• Were they aware of the Society and the training we provide before today?
• Would they be interested in future training relating to saddle, bridle and bit fit?

The feedback will help us better understand current awareness and consider how the Society can support veterinary professionals through relevant education and collaborative working.

If you are attending BEVA Congress, please come and see us!

17/08/2026

Nine horses in one day… although only six needed a saddle check! 🐴😆

A busy day saddle fitting around Wiltshire, with a little bonus sightseeing between appointments — three of Wiltshire’s eight famous White Horses. 🤍🐎

Thankfully, no one asked me to fit those three! 😂

Just another day in the office… 🚗🐴
The Society of Master Saddlers

18/06/2026

Meet Liz… our workshop hen! 🐔❤️

A couple of weeks ago, Liz sadly lost her best friend, Foxy. Until then she had always been rather timid and aloof, preferring to keep the company of her own species rather than humans.

Over the last few days though, she’s decided that perhaps she’d quite like some company after all.

And it turns out that whilst most people have a workshop dog or cat… apparently now I have a workshop hen! 😂

She’s taken to climbing the stairs and joining me and Buddy in the workshop while I’m working. She wanders around inspecting everything, supervises proceedings, and generally hangs out with us for a while before heading back downstairs. In the evenings, she now sits outside the living room window, quietly reminding us that she’s part of the family too.

It’s been lovely to see her confidence grow and to watch her seek out company after losing Foxy. She may not say much, but she’s become quite the little companion, and I have to admit I rather enjoy having my feathered supervisor keeping an eye on things.

Who knew that the last surviving hen in the flock would turn out to be such a character? ❤️🐔

08/06/2026

When “anatomical” still isn’t enough…

Meet Wotsit🐴

Wotsit has an unusual swelling on the left side of his jaw, just behind the TMJ. The vets have looked at it - a lot! After extensive tests, scans, prodding and poking, it was concluded that it is historic scar tissue. Most of the time it stays relatively stable and doesn’t cause any problem for Wotsit, but every now and again it grows.

❓The problem? Every bridle his owner tried rubbed the area.

She has worked her way through numerous off-the-peg bridles, including several anatomical designs that sit further back. Unfortunately, when the swelling flared up, they still caused rubbing and discomfort.

That’s when she got in touch about a bespoke bridle.

This one definitely required some thinking outside the box! 🤔

After a thorough consultation, we decided that a traditional bridle design wasn’t the answer. Instead, we created something inspired more by a headcollar, carefully designed around Wotsit’s unique anatomy.

There are still a few tweaks to make (the cheekpieces are currently a little long), but the important things are already right:

✅ No buckles over sensitive areas
✅ No pressure on the swelling
✅ Correct function
✅ A comfortable fit designed specifically for Wotsit

Every horse is different. Whilst many horses can be fitted successfully with off-the-peg bridles, some simply don’t fit the mould. That’s where bespoke saddlery really comes into its own.

Sometimes the best solution isn’t finding a different bridle, it’s making the right one. ❤️

05/06/2026