Careers in saddlery

[Hannah1Pie]

I would like to pursue a career in saddlery although do not really know where to start :s

Does anyone know what college i should go to and what course i should take to start off in becoming a saddler?

 

[teddyt]

http://www.saddlerytraining.com/Courses.html

Info on here. This place has a good reputation

 

[Hannah1Pie]

I live in Gravesend in Kent so I kinda want somthing a little closer to home than Wiltshire :/

 

[ThePony]

Hi,
Courses really are few and far between. I have been to this guy... http://www.saddlerycourses.com/default.htm and he is absolutly brilliant! Gets over so much enthusiasm and information and it is so interesting and rewarding. After doing courses there and working on my skills at home I now plan on going to the saddlery school in sailsbury (mentioned in the link teddyt put up). I have wanted to work in this area for ages, but didn't want to take the route of being an apprentice to a saddler and then attending college, but it has been so hard to find any course, let alone such a good one. If this is what you want to do then you really need to decide between being an apprentice to a local saddler (and then taking exams as you go along) or doing it on your own and attending courses and over time building up your business. It is facinating and wonderful work so it really is worth the trouble to travel away to a course. (fwit, I travel for nearly 6 hrs each way and then stay in a b&b for the duration when I go on David May's courses and it is totally worth it - some people fly over from the states and Auz just for his courses so we really are relatively close by!!).

 

[Tharg]

Any courses in Ireland? I would love to do something for myself.

 

[Hannah1Pie]

Any saddlery colleges in London maybe?

 

[geronimostilton]

There is a saddlery course at Capel Manor in Enfield, I read somewhere it is the only college course in the country now.
http://www.capel.ac.uk/animalcare/

The other alternatives seem to be getting a place as an apprentice or paying for courses at independent colleges.

 

[Darkly_Dreaming_Dex]

Any saddlery colleges in London maybe?

You are thinking of Cordwainers in Mare street, Hackney- which is where i (and some other Hho peeps) went. Very sadly, the saddlery dept has moved to Capel in Enfield- someone else has kindly provided the link.

All i can say is its much harder work than you think, horse people will not generally pay a fair price for your hard work and then you also run the risk of being discussed at length/having your work disected on here