Bespoke saddler
Creative and design
Level 3 -
Making and repairing saddlery products.
Reference: OCC0328
Status:
SOC 2020 sub unit groups:
- 5412/02 Leather workers (excludes leather dressing)
Technical Education Products
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Cirencester Saddlers, Saddlers Den, Windsor and Henley Bridles, Garrett Saddlers, Fitted saddles, Bearhouse Saddlers, Equicraft Saddlery, A E Batchelor & Son, Woolcroft Equine Services, Saddlery & Gun Room, Society of Master Saddlers, UKFT
Summary
This occupation is found in the fashion & textiles sector, an integral part of the equine industry and is fundamental in the saddlery trade. There are 27 million people in Britain with an interest in the equestrian industry.
Bespoke saddlers supply saddlery products for many professional equestrian sports such as horseracing, eventing, dressage and show jumping but also cater for the amateur rider.
Investing in a bespoke saddlery product could serve both horse and rider for many years if regularly maintained and cared for.
Most bespoke saddlers also offer a repair and restoration service as well as having an appreciation of the saddlery fitting process. The ability to assess the condition of leather is very important from a strength and durability perspective, if leather has been well cared for it is a very sustainable material that can last a very long time.
Finished saddlery products are key to equine welfare and must meet health and safety requirements as well as fitting both rider and horse comfortably.
Most employers are based in a rural setting and classified as micro-businesses.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to produce a range of hand-crafted saddlery products such as saddles, bridles or harnesses from leather to specific measurements for both horse and rider. Additional fittings and materials can be used also.
Preparatory duties include confirming customer order requirements to produce a bespoke specification to then produce a standard or bespoke product that is cut and made to a unique pattern or measurement for a horse. The skills involved in producing saddlery products cover a wide area of expertise that includes craft, technical, creative and design.
Bespoke saddlers implement a variety of hand craft practical skills in the manufacture of saddlery products including measuring, pattern construction, cutting, hand and machine stitching and finishing. Based in a workshop, bespoke saddlers may have to sit or stand for long periods of time at a bench whilst working.
A typical working week is around 37 hours a week, from Monday to Friday but could occasionally include work overtime, which could include weekends.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with other work colleagues, customers and end-users. The level of interaction and responsibilities with external organisations would be dependent on whether the bespoke saddler is self-employed or an employee of a company.
In most cases, they will work independently and will be responsible for attaining orders and may also come into contact with external suppliers of leather, fittings, materials and other accessories.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for carrying out hand craft practical skills in order to produce saddlery products that fit precisely to a customer’s requirements. These skills are fundamental to the bespoke saddlery industry and ultimately have to be employed with great precision, to high standards of excellence and within realistic time constraints and are central to the efficiency and effectiveness of manufacture.
As an example, once the leather has been selected, little can be done to rectify mistakes and such errors will lead to problems at the assembly stage. Minimising loss of time and waste is key and contributes towards sustainability. All work must be completed in line with health, safety and environmental regulations and follow workplace safety rules in the workshop at all times.
A bespoke saddler may work alone self-employed or more occasionally work in a larger workshop where the different stages are shared between several saddlers.
Employers involved in creating the standard:
Cirencester Saddlers, Saddlers Den, Windsor and Henley Bridles, Garrett Saddlers, Fitted saddles, Bearhouse Saddlers, Equicraft Saddlery, A E Batchelor & Son, Woolcroft Equine Services, Saddlery & Gun Room, Society of Master Saddlers, UKFT
Typical job titles include:
Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)
Duties
Duty D1
Record customer requirements and convert the information gathered to produce a working specification of cut and made-up measurements. Communicate with customer to agree the bespoke specification.
Duty D2
Assess and evaluate the bespoke specification for the bridle and saddle to be made. As examples, specifications, style, quality, size, colour and timeline.
Duty D3
Source leather, materials and ancillary fittings to confirm availability, provide a quotation and agree final costs with the customer.
Duty D4
Create the necessary patterns.
Duty D5
Throughout the production process, continually identify faults that may lead to saddle and bridle fitting problems and report findings and recommendations to improve them.
Duty D6
Select the appropriate tools and machinery to manufacture bespoke bridle and saddle production activity, to achieve quality within given timescales.
Duty D7
Select leather, materials and ancillary fittings for the Bespoke Bridle and Saddle specification and report any shortages or quality issues.
Duty D8
Prepare and test hand tools, sewing machine, bench splitter and other equipment to enable the formation of the required bespoke components. For example, different types of leathers, threads, fittings and other materials.
Duty D9
Produce and/or repair saddlery products that meet both specification and customer requirements.
Duty D10
Communicate and report issues internally throughout the production process which impact quality, quantity and meeting deadlines.
Duty D11
Inspect finished saddlery product against quality standards and bespoke specification.
Duty D12
Complete work documentation, communicating as needed with colleagues. For example, production sheets and job cards.
Duty D13
Investigate requests for repairs/restoration to used saddlery products to assess sustainability, viability and suggest remedies. For example, component wear, breakage, asymmetry, stretch, poor stitching, adjustments to improve fit.
Duty D14
Identify welfare and safety issues for both horse and rider.
Occupational Progression
This occupational progression map shows technical occupations that have transferable knowledge and skills.
In this map, the focused occupation is highlighted in yellow. The arrows indicate where transferable knowledge and skills exist between two occupations. This map shows some of the strongest progression links between the focused occupation and other occupations.
It is anticipated that individuals would be required to undertake further learning or training to progress to and from occupations. To find out more about an occupation featured in the progression map, including the learning options available, click the occupation.
Progression decisions have been reached by comparing the knowledge and skills statements between occupational standards, combined with individualised learner movement data.
Creative and design