CAREERS
FROM GOOGLE SEARCH TO A
Capel Manor College, never having spent a single minute in a saddlery workshop. Two years at Capel left me feeling that I experience. had finally found an industry I “From this I made the decision could thrive in. I had met some to pursue a career in horses and amazing people and my hard applied to do a degree at Writtle work had been recognised in a College. I had no idea what I placing at the SMS National wanted to do but I had a love for Saddlery Competition at riding and helping problem Saddlers’ Hall. horses. Three years of university “My good friend Charlie Fuller didn't help me find a career so I had been offered an moved to Gloucestershire to apprenticeship with David Dyer work on a after working and volunteering hunting and there on weekends and days off. dealing yard. After my apprenticeship offer at It was hard, a leather goods manufacturer and eye fell through David proposed opening. It taking both myself and Charlie taught me so on. much but it “I was insistent I didn't want to also made it do saddle fitting, the idea of very clear I advising people in a professional couldn't work on yards for the way terrified me. But after a year rest of my life. It was here that I in the workshop I started to go first wondered how saddles were out with David on fits, and the made and thought it may be next thing I knew, I loved it. It is something I could do - I was the perfect balance of customer always creative and felt I had to interaction, skill and equine decide between a creative and maintenance and equine career. rehabilitation.” “I left this job and applied to
CAREER IN SADDLERY
H
ow did you first become interested in saddle fitting and saddlery in general as a career? “I honestly had no idea that saddlery, let alone saddle fitting existed as a career before a random Google search. “As a kid I had ponies, we bought a second-hand saddle from a man that came with a wide selection. Apart from that, the only time I saw a saddler
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was when I had to take my saddle up to Wadswick, our local saddlery, to have the knee rolls stitched back onto the flaps. “After we had to sell my ponies I had very limited contact with the equine world until I worked and could support my own interest in horses. I started back having riding lessons then got a summer job on an international event yard off the back of school work
IN THIS ISSUE WE TALK TO SMS QUALIFIED SADDLER, BRIDLE MAKER AND SADDLE FITTER, FREYA GEMMILL (NEE WELLER) ABOUT HER BUSY LIFE IN THE INDUSTRY AND THE HIGHS AND LOWS ALONG THE WAY.
