WELL on her way to mastering the fascinating, intricate craft of saddlery is Co Down’s Lucy Cushley (27), one of the five winners of this year’s RDS Craft Awards.

Her story and forthright views on the value of keeping traditional trades and crafts are a breath of fresh air and undoubtedly, this talented young woman will play a valuable role in doing just that.

After spending two years studying at London’s Capel Manor College for the Cordwainers Diploma in Bridle, Saddle and Harness-making under the ‘wonderfully talented’ Christer Dahlberg and Line Hansen, Lucy is now an Intermediate Saddler with the Society of Master Saddlers where it takes at least seven years of approved work and training before the title of Master Saddler can be bestowed.

By her own admission, school days do not hold the best memories for her and always obsessed with horses, Lucy decided early on to only work at something that makes her happy. “I worked in Tyrella, and I was always interested in tack, and I thought to myself, ‘I could be a saddler’ so I googled how to do it and found Capel Manor College. I fell through every gap there was for funding; it was hard to live in London financially, I worked three jobs in a year and half but it was the best thing ever for me. I got to the workshop before the tutors and they had to kick me out in the evenings, I just loved it and made a lot of friends and got to know a lot of saddlers over there,” said Lucy.

“The practical element of making something unique is what I love and what keeps me going. I have never woken up and not wanted to do it. Harness has been really big for me, collar-making especially. We have some of the best horses in the world and they are being ridden away in all sorts of ill-fitting tack, bound together with bits of baler twine and what not. For the horses, some are being asked to do a 100 metre sprint in a flip flop basically – we are 20 years plus behind England – we have no innovation and we need competition to drive things forward.

“You can buy a bridle off eBay for 20 quid if you want to. People are buying stuff, not valuing it and binning it. However, I want to be producing something that will last a lifetime and that people can pass on to their grandchildren if they want to. If someone wants me to do a bridle for their horse, pony or donkey, I will call out and do the fitting. It’s a bespoke service, you can pick your buckles, the leather you want, any ornamentation. Yes, you can buy a bridle for €40 in some places but I could not even buy the leather and buckles for that price. It’s all done by hand and for good reason, there can be life-changing injuries or death for a rider or horse with tack that is not fit for purpose and that’s heart-breaking.”

Using Frederick’s Leather where all of their hides come from Irish cattle in Crawford, Newry, Cushley is a passionate advocate for quality, tradition and sustainability.

“Leather is a by product. No cow is killed for its skin. It’s fully environmentally friendly. A well made old saddle will disappear back into the earth after 50 years bar the metal. It’s a privilege to have an animal. A good quality bridle and saddle for that animal is essential.

“I see people putting nylon headcollars on foals. These will not break, the metal will give way first. For a foal slip, you need to make that from a cut of leather from the belly which is weak and will break if the foal gets caught up. Life is precious, we are all saying that now, so don’t risk it. The things I have seen from horses and dogs being caught up and strangled by what was put on them. It keeps me up at night.”

Lucy Cushley describes herself as a bench saddler and harness maker, not a saddle-fitter. “Bridlery and harness is my thing really. Saddles have to be fitted to the horse and to the rider. I will repair girth straps on saddles but to make craft saddles, there is no money in it for me. Yesterday I went to a yard where two French donkeys are working to the plough and I’m making two bridles for them. The Donkey Breed Society in Northern Ireland are some of my best clients. Donkeys are good workers, people still use them for a lot of jobs and donkey harness is nearly impossible to find in Ireland.”

After working in Newry with saddler James Adair, the advent of coronavirus saw Cushley create her own workshop up ‘a wee stone path’ just up from her home. She considering using the RDS bursary for further training in the UK as well as getting in better stock and big ticket items like a good sewing machine.

Lucy Cushley, Co Downm is one of the five winners of the RDS Craft Awards 2020

Future plans

“My dream is to bring a saddlery training centre to Ireland, leatherwork - join in with other trades – a Craft School including blacksmithing and basket-making. Ireland is an ancient place and why are we not celebrating that? Look at America for comparison. We are a very cultured place, we can bring apprentices into the traditional trades. I believe there is plenty of people out there who would like to be able to make something with their own hands. Why are we not training people in heritage crafts?

“I look at the crippled donkeys and horses all over the world, in poorer countries. Their owners can’t do any better for them but we can. We could make a contribution towards passing on our training and our knowledge.

“When I make something in my workshop and I give it to the person. Their eyes pop out of their head when they see it. You can’t pay for that – you give back, you are adding value and I’m teaching people all the time and also always learning my craft from other saddlers.

It is ethical to ride horses in tack that does not fit them – is harming them? Every horse deserves better than that. My gripe in life when you have an animal that can’t talk, I have to be the voice for it, I have to say it because if I don’t what does that say about me? I sell myself as ‘The Saddler Student’ – until I’m fully qualified I’m only going to call myself the student,” concluded Cushley.

(Lucy Cushley is on Facebook and www.saddlerystudent.com).

Lucy Cushley with some of her bespoke saddlery and harness pieces

The other winners of this year’s RDS Craft Awards were Róisín Pierce (Fashion), Dublin; Izzy O’Reilly (Fashion), Dublin; Mark Newman (Jewellery), Birmingham; Éilís Murphy (Bookbinding) Co. Clare

RDS Craft Awards mission

RDS Chief Executive Michael Duffy said: “The RDS has a long tradition in supporting Irish craft makers and we are delighted to contribute to the development and growth of the standards of excellence in Irish craft through enabling these talented people excel in their careers.The craft sector is an integral way in which the RDS fulfils our longstanding mission, to see Ireland thrive culturally and economically.”