Saddlery course

The saddler is the professional who prepares horse harness by hand, often also taking care of the direct delivery to the farmers. The craft has been disappearing with the urbanization of the countryside and the disuse of horses as a means of locomotion. The materials used were leather, straw and wood. Payment was frequently made by barter, with eggs, poultry and fruit. This activity was carried out by artisans who worked mainly in the villages where the contact with rural populations was more immediate. Despite the modest size, a selection was made, leaving only the most experienced ones that were handed down from generation to generation. The main job was to make the so-called "necklaces" for horses. Raw materials: leather, sackcloth and hay. A kind of dress was produced by sewing the leather with the sack and filling it with straw. It was then given the shape and attached of the woods of the size of the horse's neck. The part with the canvas constituted the inside of the saddle, in contact with the neck to absorb the sweat of the animal. The leather, on the other hand, was on the outside both for aesthetic reasons, but above all because it was a lasting element in contact with the elements. A saddler's primary job is saddle making, which can include anything from leather tanning to custom fitting and design work. Saddlers also often carry out repairs and restorations of antique pieces. Most of the work is done on an individual basis, to special order and often requires a lot of skill and craftsmanship. There it is a job that a saddler can do more generally, but most of the jobs in the saddle depend at least in part on the clientele. The saddlers measure the animal and the rider and take note of the rider's preferences. The skin color, softness and overall design can almost always be customized. The length and style of the bracket are also malleable.