A master saddler from Cambridgeshire has won two titles at the National Shire Horse Show, a feat made more remarkable given she handcrafted every piece of her shire horse’s harness herself.
Carolyn Truss, who is a Society of Master Saddlers’ master saddler and harness maker, won the Agricultural Turnout class and the Pairs Agricultural Turnout class with her seven-year-old shire horse Max, who she has trained herself, and his handmade harness.
The National Shire Horse Show took place at Stafford County Showground last month.
“It was an incredibly proud moment to take Max into the ring wearing a harness that I made with my own hands,” said Carolyn.
“It takes hours to prepare. Cleaning the harness alone can take up to 10 hours because every piece, from the leather to the brasses and buckles, must be spotless. The horse must be immaculately presented, and everything has to be set up safely and correctly.”
Rare skill
As well as handcrafting every piece of Max’s harness, Carolyn also made his traditional straw filled collar, a skill which is on the critically endangered list and is only mastered by around five people in the country.
“I’m still mastering the skills of collar making. It’s such a physically demanding skill that involves a lot of thumping with a very heavy mallet plus other skills that take time to master,” explained Carolyn.
Carolyn trained with Mark Romain to complete her saddlery qualifications and later was awarded a QEST Scholarship, where she completed training with harness and collar maker John McDonald in Somerset, to master the craft of collar making.
Image © Society of Master Saddlers.
