Like many jobs and professions, saddle fitting over the past nearly two years has been tough. Our particular Perfect Storm has looked like this… 

During lockdowns, our word-leading English saddle making factories, mostly based in Walsall, had to close. Even when they were allowed to open, they were running on half measures (at best) as arranging social distancing in small spaces is simply impossible. The ping-demic further exasperated the situation. Our friends in manufacturing have worked hard to mitigate their problems, with many introducing shifts, recruiting extra people to cover those on sick leave and even moving to larger premises to allow more socially distanced working and improved ventilation. But even these measures have simply served to prevent a worsening of the situation rather than offering a solution and a return to pre-pandemic delivery levels.  

The plight of our UK saddle manufacturing was further deepened by supply chain issues. Leather, trees, metal parts, all proving impossible to get hold of. 

At the same time, everyone bought a horse! And all these horses needed saddles. And people were not able to go away on holiday, so they decided to treat themselves to a new saddle. 

Our heart goes out to our friends in saddle manufacturing in the UK. Whilst production was minimal, demand went crazy. Factories went from a three week turnaround to a 26 week turn around. There are some instances where over 12 months is being quoted as a wait for a new saddle. Even worse, we hear tell of some factories simply not taking new orders. 

We spent half of 2021 sympathising with manufacturers whilst chasing dates for delivery of orders. The other half of the year we spent updating customers whilst hating the position we were having to put them in - a six month wait for a saddle is deeply frustrating. We were in a classically stressful piggy-in-the-middle situation; dealing with customer demands whilst having no control over supply or delivery dates.

We have been so proud that, despite a six month gap from order to fitting, ALL saddle have fit and were considered to be worth waiting for. You (our customers) were fanstaic. You were understanding, tolerant, patient and loyal. We cannot thank you enough. We only had one customer cancel her order, just days before delivery, leaving us with a very expensive and customised saddle in the stock room. And we only had one customer turn nasty. 

To be honest, this nasty customer was the straw that broke our resolve. He finally stripped all joy and satisfaction from the job for both of us. He tipped us over the edge and left us questioning what we are doing and why we are doing it. Ruth’s anxiety deepened and started to look like depression and I became increasingly controlling and negative. As you will know, Ruth is an outgoing and positive person and, you may not believe it, but I am a relaxed and easy going person. We stopped being able to recognise ourselves. 

To protect our mental health, we decided to shift the focus of our business. Ruth is taking a sabbatical until mid February. She is currently working 4 nights a week at CentreParcs where she is rediscovering the joy of simply delivering a service and making customers happy. When she returns to saddle fitting, she will only be taking appointments with friends. We have made many friends over the past seven years and are looking forward to continuing to see them and work with them. 

In the meantime, we have a lot of stuff in stock! So we are trialing an on line store. Our webstore only shows a fraction of what we have in stock and a tiny weeny fraction of what we can access through our suppliers. If there is something you want but can’t see it on line, just give us a shout. 

Anyway, we understand that our sob-story is not unique. Everyone has a tale to tell of the dramas and traumas of Covid, lockdowns and the accompanying physical, mental and emotional pressures. If you fancy a download or a catch up, why not come for a hack with us? We’d love to go for a ride with (most of!) you…