Hands: The Saddler

[Music] for racing in showjumping hunting was the popular sporting use for horses and indeed it still is an integral part of the horse world it's here that many people get bitten by the bug the love of the horse [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] beautiful rolling plains of the caracal Kildare known as the hub of our is racing with over 2,000 horses and training there so where better to start a Saturday business kill a color on banks of the River Liffey is that place Bernie brothers were founded about 120 years ago by Peter Bernie just up the road from the present premises and some Tom Bernie now 82 years young still works there looking in the main after the repairing side of the business he started work at the age of 16 and says that he's enjoyed every day of it since one of the things that gives a most pleasure at the moment is that there are three generations of Bernie's now working there this is since his grandsons Jamie Robert and Vincent started to help out the business is now run by his sons Tom who in the main looks after the saddle making end and the well stocked shop comes under the supervision of Jim the shop is frequented by most sections of the equestrian world including people like a dressage expert damage ilknur and Jack Doyle the Terry gold international show jumper while the saddle is the most complex and expensive item the first bit of tack of horse meets is on his head so where better to start than with the bridle ten different pieces are required for the normal bridle these are cut from a sheet of plain leather with a gauge knife various pieces have even cut with a gauge knife then that are marked up for the varying lengths and the round knife is used to trim them and shape the ends of it precision is of course vital and the dividers is used to mark the various points around life here been sharpened on the bench is a vital part of the harness makers equipment the edges are then beveled give a nice clean finish the round knife again just trimming a shape into the end of the reins pieces having been cut and shaped are then taken to be covered with a mixture made from die and blue the actual composition and formula of this is unique to Bernie's [Music] and comes a very vigorous process called robbing up this is just to get a nice clean hard shine on the leather the creasing machine has a heated roller and its sole purpose is to put a nice edge on the reins and so add to the appearance of the finished bridle [Music] how's that you break the deck she's our your sister have you John ox and head cutters yeah Jim then passes the pieces to decked and Clifford whose grandfather Pat Farrell worked for old tongue Bernie for about 70 years Declan deals with the reins first sliding a rubber grip down over the leather and this of course is to give a better grip for the rider particularly in wet conditions like in the hunting field [Music] then on to the machine for sewing these machines have to be started by hand but then can be kept going with a foot travel most of the machines indeed of Bernays are about 50 years old and still work as well today as they did from the one you any self-respecting harness maker will make his own thread he takes the basic linen thread stretches it and twists it he then rubs it with a block of beeswax this will help make the thread waterproof and also give it added strength after the final twisting across the apron the cheek pieces and the nose band are then stitched at this point it's just single stitching because there's not any great strain on these particular points the device used for holding the pieces of leather together while stitching is called a clams it's basically two pieces of wood sprung and held between the needs this particular one here is about 40 years old and it's a very vital piece of equipment in the harness making craft [Music] the pricking wing here sinks holes along the edge of the lever where it's later going to be stitched the stitching will actually lie down in these holes again that nice finish being part of the object of the exercise [Music] I'm points where there's particular strain like here where the rains are being joined to the ring of the snaffle bit double stitching will be used for this two needles are used sewing in ups at directions through holes made by the all holes for the various buckles are then put in the leather using an old-fashioned but most effective punch and managed special chisel is then used to bevel off the edges give that nice clean finish that comes on a handmade brighter touch of the blue and dye mixture just to finish off the edge and a special chisel to round off the ends the buckle at the back of the nose band is fitted in a slightly different way than normally a piece of leather is in fact used and this then placed in the clams is sewn by hand the double stitching been used once more to give extra strength the shape is then put in the keepers using this bit of stick in a hammer the stick has been a long time and Bearnaise in fact no one can remember when it appeared first all the sewing completed the bridle is then assembled first the browband fitted to the headpiece and then the cheek piece with the bit attached buckled on the throat lash checked the buckle fits there and there you have a handmade basic bridle the egg but snaffle so to the saddle the foundation of a saddle is the tree this is made from steel and beechwood and Tom Bernie first checks that it's true and straight he then starts into the first process which is called webbing up flax linen is used and this is fixed first with attack to the high pommel point at the front of the saddle and then fastened at the cantle which is the back this will form the basis of the seat of the saddle it's thought that the first saddles used were in China these were during the Han Dynasty about 200 BC we're told that they were made from a framework of bone or metal with a fabric covering not that far removed from what we use today in the webbing up some pieces are left long unto which the girth straps will be affixed later Tom then trims away the surplus material glue is then used to fasten the flax webbing to the back of the saddle is pressed down by hand and again the surplus trimmed away the saddle now begins to take shape and the master Sadler knows just how much he has to leave to ensure a firm seat these pieces are called bellies they are tacked to the beechwood on the side of the seat of the saddle to give shape the bellies will then be covered with a cork and a tease of compound this will ensure a good firm sides the seat of the saddle more adhesive is then used because the next process is the final one before the leather is eventually fitted for this Serge used to be used but in these days a high density foam material has we've found more satisfactory Tom then trims away the surplus and here it's just the eye and the steady hand of the master Sadler let's used next its marked for where the skirt will be fitted later on the surface is then roughed up and this is to give a better contact with a lever which will be introduced next Tom then checks the leather for any flaws doing this just by feed the pattern is then laid down these patterns are all Bernie's own special shapes any material will do even a donkey derby poster the leather is then soaked to make it soft and pliable when wet it's fitted to the seat tag to the back and then strained and stretched this must be done very precisely and carefully for if it's not done absolutely straight the whole shape of the Sabbath will twist later on the basic shape having been stretched into the leather Tom then marks the centerline which you'll need for a later stage the pattern for the skirts is then affixed to the saddle and here he'll mark this to know exactly where to cut at the next stage the seizures then removed and even still you can see the shape that was stretched into it Brandon Willis takes over then to make the skirts these are cut to the same pattern as we saw tom using to mark on the side of the seat leather is then skived along the edge it's further treated then with a special chisel to make for a better fit and finish when the pieces are sewn together the special tool he also marks it for sewing [Music] the skirt is then tucked to the lining [Music] he then turns it over and using a different stitch prepares it for sewing to the actual seat of the saddle you amaze another Clifford this is Jared he's a cousin of the man we saw earlier making the bridles his job is to sew the skirt to the seat of the SAP and using small hand stitches gets that nice fine smooth edge [Music] the skirt and the seat are then ready for fitting to the actual tree with tax he secures her to the pommel the high point of the front of the saddle some more trimming underneath and then it's stretched and once more tacked to the underneath of the tree a nickel-plated screw is used to anchor it at the pommel this is a bobbin for the sewing machines suede knee rolls are then sewn to the front of the side panels this protective saddle being a general purpose or showjumping sabbith once more the chisel for skiving is used again to achieve that close fit and finish Tom then fits the side panels to the tree they are pinned to the beechwood and tacked further back the saddle now is taking very definite shape and the famous Bernie label is then fixed on yet another Clifford here this is Brendan he's going to make the girth straps he first cuts them for length and then with the special chisel rounds off the ends these of course must be particularly strong and for them buffalo leather is used they're fixed then by hand to the webbing which we saw fitted at the very early stage across the top of the tree the linings are then marked using in this case an old lining as a pattern holes for the various places to stitch it to the saddle itself are marked and then with a straight knife he cuts the piece of leather Potter is then stitched in where the tree will actually sit into the lining and hold it secure to the saddle we're now reaching the final stages of making the saddle the linings are pinned down to the workbench then they'll be trimmed and blued together [Music] [Music] [Music] now the lining is fitted into the Saturn this dubs off the tree fitting exactly into those pockets and will be tacked to the back of the seat [Music] then comes a process called stuffing the synthetic Wallace used and this is to fill the underneath of the Sadler and the side panels war must be put in in reasonably small quantities to stop it getting lumpy and a stuffing iron is the tool used for this you it's pushed right up into the various areas it's required to fill [Music] and then tool called a masher is used to spread it and make sure it's firm and even [Music] so the saddle is complete and Tom checks that the finished saddle is right up to standard he tells us that they produced about 1500 bridles and 1000 handmade saddles every year their biggest seller is called the Dublin showjumper spring seat so there it is Bernie's handmade saddle bridles etc all that's required for the horse Bernie's have been making them for over 120 years and looked like continuing to do so and hands returned next Monday at 7:30 but stay with us to find out how cat and Alfie's conflict unfolds in EastEnders [Music]

Channel: snadhghus

Views: 85,641

Rating: 4.8442822 out of 5

Keywords: Hands, RTÉ, documentary, Ireland, Irish, Éire, saddles, horses, bridle, saddle, leather, Berney, Kilcullen, Kildare, saddle making, sewing, tradition, craft

Id: 3jre_rfhkhI

Length: 24min 47sec (1487 seconds)

Published: Wed Nov 16 2016

Reddit Comments

[u/Trash_panda_]

Jesus, I wonder if they are still makin’ ‘em. I am sure they are. I wonder is it hard to find people who still want to make them.

[u/subterraniac]

It's always amazing to me how poorly lit these workshops seem to be. Although maybe it's just the age of the footage...