CB Saddlery

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

26/05/2026

A huge thank you to Russell MacKechnie-Guire from Centaur Biomechanics who presented to our bridle fitting trainees.
If you are interested in becoming a Qualified Bridle and Bit Fitter with The Society of Master Saddlers then you can book onto Cohort 5 of the ACBF beginning in August, here - https://www.mastersaddlers-training.co.uk/course/view.php?id=101

Back from a great evening presenting a session on “evidence based bridle fitting” for the Society of Master Saddlers Bridle Fitting Course. Great group, and questions. It was also good to learn more about the bridle fitting course from the fabulous training team - a thorough and in depth course on bit and bridle fitting.

Massive thank you to the SMS for the invitation. More on the SMS ➡️ https://www.mastersaddlers.co.uk

24/05/2026

Good morning!! another sunny day. Day 3 of The Great British FarmFest at Stoneleigh. We welcomed the Shetland Pony Grand National Team to the stand. They have had a fabulous show and picked up our Fit4Welfare leaflets, a weight tape and a car sticker. Standing in front of Mr Hastie and today we have on our stand.
Catherine Baker CB Saddlery
Aimée J Cayless Southam Saddles Ltd
Charlotte Fountain
Christine McCarthy of Foxhill Leather
And Heather Gelder and Rachel Lewis Middleton from our office here at Stoneleigh

22/05/2026

Are you at FarmFest this weekend? Come along and find me on The Society of Master Saddlers stand where I’m making something pretty special for Jeremy Clarkson!