On Tuesday 6th February 2024, I attended The Society of Master Saddlers‘ National Saddlery Competition 2024, hosted by The Worshipful Company of Saddlers at Saddlers Hall in London.
Previously I attended in 2020 where I surprisingly won the Trainee Saddle class. You can read all about that day here.
My Competition Entries
This year, I entered a pony show bridle, and a dog collar and lead.
Unfortunately, three weeks into January I became really poorly with what I can only describe as the worst flu EVER. It knocked me off my feet for a good two weeks with another week of getting better but feeling so weak.
In order to receive an invite to the awards presentation evening, you HAVE to enter something into the competition.
Luckily my bridle was about 90% done by the time I became unwell and so I knew I could get that finished and send it in for the 31st January deadline.
However, I did rush to complete it and I wasn’t 100% happy with the final result. Those of you that know me personally, know I’m a bit of a perfectionist and this can hamper my progress sometimes but for competition items, this is a good trait to have.
Having said that, I sent it anyway, along with a very quickly handmade plain collar and lead (I rustled up the day before I needed to send my parcel), as I really wanted to attend the presentation and any submission would get me that ticket.
Arriving in London
My husband and I arrived in London early as we wanted to go visit some sights and have a spot of lunch before the evening event.
Thankfully the rain held off but it was REALLY windy, so much so that a lot of the hire bikes you see in the city were on their side.
Saddlers Hall
Early evening, we made our way to Saddler Hall, where we were able to view all the competition entries and mingle with everyone else.
Despite fewer entries this year, unlike in previous years, the quality of the entries was still AMAZING.
Both of my entries looked very inferior to the others in the same class. You can tell that I have a very long way to go before my skills are anywhere near that of other Qualified and Master Saddlers.
Dog Collar & Lead
I won’t dwell on my dog collar and lead entry (Class 12), it didn’t win a prize or an award. It is plain, well made and fit for purpose but it wasn’t as exquisite as the other entries.
You can really tell that lots of effort has been put into all of them (except mine of course).
Not all is lost, as our Weimaraner, Lincoln, is now the new owner of my dog collar and lead and he doesn’t care if it’s plain, padded or rolled. He’s gorgeous whatever he wears.
Pony Show Bridle
My bridle entry looked lovely hung up amongst the other eight entries. To the untrained eye it didn’t stand out as an inferior piece at all. I was quite proud of myself seeing it there with the others.
Nevertheless to the judges, who know where something could have been better, it was not quite up to scratch and I expected that.
In my defence, those who won a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place are EXTREMELY skilled Master Saddlers. Hence, I am up there playing with the BIG boys and girls and this class is well known for being hugely popular and very difficult to win.
Networking
After the presentation we all mingle together and catch up with old friends and meet new ones. It’s such a wonderful experience, any Saddler will benefit from attending this evening.
Following my appointment onto the Executive Committee Board, it was also a great opportunity to meet my fellow committee members face to face again, as I missed the last meeting due to being poorly.
Other National Saddlery Competition Entries
Below are some more pictures of the National Saddlery Competition 2024 entries, that I took. Sadly my phone camera is cracked so some of them are a little out of focus.
Additionally, there are some much nicer pictures available on the SMS’ Facebook page, you can view.
The Results
Finally, if you are curious to see who won, then you will be able to see a full list of names pictures taken during the night on the Society of Master Saddlers’ website HERE.
You never know, your local Qualified SMS Saddler, may have received an award.
