How a life-changing gift turbo-charged this award-winner’s career.
Stephanie Smith has been named ETN/SMS Bench Saddler of the Month
The award, presented in conjunction with the Society of Master Saddlers (SMS), recognises those who uphold the highest standards of leathercraft skills.
Based in St Austell, Cornwall, Stephanie Smith is a Master Saddler and Qualified Harness Maker - and a winner at the 2025 National Saddlery Competition.
Desperate to ride
From an unlikely beginning, saddlery and traditional craftsmanship have become lifelong passions for Stephanie.
“My parents weren’t horsey at all,” she recalls. “We had a pet cat, and that was it. I loved horses and, as a child, was desperate to learn to ride.”
At the age of ten, Stephanie finally convinced her parents to let her have lessons at her local riding school. This progressed to working at the yard on Saturdays and full embracing the horse-mad lifestyle. Sadly, the riding school closed after a few years, but Stephanie was hooked.
Her first pony was purchased with a Christening fund from her grandparents. Stephanie brought the pony home, where she was lucky enough to have a stable and paddock.
To pay for her his keep, she started buying and selling tack, attending auctions, and refurbishing bridles.
Chance encounter
Stephanie went on to study at Duchy College and then worked as a groom for a professional event rider. However, in a major setback to her career, a road accident left her unable to ride for two years.
During that time, a chance encounter with Master Saddler Maurice Napper in Launceston proved influential. “I had taken a saddle to Maurice for repair, and he took it apart right in front of me. That was it. I was hooked,” she explained.
Stephanie spent several years working and training with Maurice, before enrolling at Cordwainers College in 1999 to formalise her saddlery education.
Changing tack
Having completed her studies, Stephanie wanted to start her own business – but the plan was put on hold by the foot-and-mouth outbreak of 2001. Instead, she continued studying, and that same year completed the SMS foundation saddle fitting course.
Life changed again for Stephanie when she became a mother. Although saddlery took a backseat as she concentrated on raising her son, she found success in the dog showing world, crafting highly sought-after show leads.
“It was something I could do in the evenings when my son was in bed, and it helped support us,” she said.
By 2020, Stephanie had settled into a new phase of life and was ready to return to her first love - saddlery.
Encouraged by Helen Reader, a fellow student from Cordwainers, she attended an eight-week course with Mark Romain at the Saddlery Training Centre to obtain her City & Guilds saddlery skills.
The same year, Stephanie entered the SMS National Saddlery Competition for the first time. She’d made a bridle that, while unplaced, set her on another new path.
Life-changing Christmas gift
“At the National Competition, my husband and I were lucky enough to be introduced to Frances Roche, a leading expert in bridle-making,” Stephanie explained. “Following this, my husband arranged for me to train with Frances as a Christmas gift. She polished me up. She’s become a very dear friend too.”
In 2023, Stephanie added further skills to her CV when she qualified as an SMS Saddle Fitter.
This year got off to a flying start, with Stephanie topping two classes at the SMS National Saddlery Competition. She won the Open Harness class and was awarded the Tony Russell Memorial Trophy for the best harness entry. Stephanie also secured first place in the Special Open class, for which entrants made a pair of bridle cheekpieces.
“Cheekpieces are my nemesis,” she laughs. “There’s a lot going on in a very short strap, and everything has to be perfect.”
Her winning cheekpieces are destined for a bridle for her own horse, Jack, a New Forest x Trakehner who she has owned for nearly a year.
Loving the job
Stephanie remains deeply committed to the craft of saddlery. When asked what she likes most about her job, she says: “That’s really difficult to answer - because I love all of it.”
She is also a qualified bridle fitter, which neatly complements with her bridle-making.
A frustration for Stephanie is that some horse owners don’t realise they can have a bridle made to fit their horse perfectly, rather than buying a mass-produced one. She’s determined to bridge that knowledge gap.
“I want to be a modern, traditional saddler with traditional values and traditional qualities, but with a modern approach,” she says. “That’s the only way we’re going to reach people.”
Stephanie has a diverse client base ranging from grassroots riders to grand prix competitors.
She’s recently worked on an Arabian bridle for an endurance rider. “It’s about comfort and what works well for the horse’s head,” she explained.
Looking ahead, she hopes to delve further into harness-making, though she acknowledges that demand for it is lower than for saddlery.
Stephanie enjoys spending her limited free time with her horse, Jack. “It’s tough finding the time to ride every day, but I just enjoy being around him. He’s a great model for my work, too,”
How to nominate a bench saddler:
Everyone is invited to nominate bench saddlers they feel deserve to be named ETN/SMS Bench Saddler of the Month. Candidates for the award must be a member of the SMS and based in the UK or overseas.
To nominate a bench saddler (or more than one), email editor@equestriantradenews.com and tell us why this person deserves to be put in the spotlight. Please include the bench saddler’s name and business name too.
