KEN'S COLUMN
buy less - but buy quality
As a Society of Master Saddlers’ qualified saddle fitter specialising in providing saddles for horses competing in all the major disciplines and sports - as well as animals that, for one reason or another, are difficult to fit – it is obvious I am used to working long – often unsocial hours. I am also used to working with the sun beating down, the rain pouring - and in snow and ice. Despite what some might regard as quite challenging conditions, I have rarely had to take to my bed with a virus (I must have a strong constitution and good immune system!). It came as a bit of a shock when I was recently forced, by absolute necessity, to take several days off work as a result of some nasty flu-type bug. Then, when I crawled out of bed to go to work, I had several requests from horse owners wanting to postpone appointments because they, too, had succumbed to a bug. I don’t ever remember so many people being ill at any one time –and the fact that the abundance of bugs coincides with gloomy news on the global economic front is far from helpful!
I like to think of myself as an optimist. Although I am far from dismissive of hard times – liquidation - closures – redundancies and the associated horrors - I do think the media at large is focusing too much on the negative. By doing this we undermine confidence even further and risk spiralling ourselves down, down and ever further down. The atmosphere of out and out gloom is not helpful to anyone and it produces very bad knock-on effects on those areas of business that are currently standing up well.
Most horse owners I meet are reducing their outgoings in one way or another - but they are far from giving up. One less competition a month. Repairing a rug rather than replacing it. Taking extra care of saddles and bridles. Mucking out extra carefully so that usable bedding isn’t consigned to the muck heap. Not buying that stylish but not-really-needed pair of jodhpurs simply on a fashion whim. And, of course, economising has to extend into cutting down on the use of expensive energy for heating and lighting and petrol or diesel for cars.
The developed world became a throwaway society many years ago. At a time when ‘sustainability’ has become one of the most used words in our vocabulary, to have need for economising forced upon us could produce some very beneficial long term results. It could lead to a reduction in landfill. It might result in a more thoughtful use of diminishing resources and materials.
People outside the equestrian world have a strange perception of horse owners and the industry that serves them. Owners are perceived as very wealthy, largely born with silver spoons in their mouths. The industry is seen as producing expensive goods for a tiny well-heeled minority who don’t have to worry about hundreds of pounds - let alone a few pence. Those of us immersed in equestrianism know that such a generalisation just isn’t true. It’s almost undoubtedly a fact that the majority of horses in this country are owned and kept by people on pretty tight budgets. That doesn’t mean to say that a lot of unnecessary waste doesn’t occur and it is perhaps time the old maxim ‘look after the pennies .....’ took precedence.
When the finance markets are gloomy and money is tighter than hitherto, it is easy to fall into traps in attempts to be prudent and frugal. I would always advocate buying quality equipment that will last and hold its resale value really well rather than some cheap versions that wear badly, have little or no resale value – and sometimes have inherent safety problems. It will be no surprise that I am referring specifically to saddles. The vast majority of UK-produced leather saddles employ quality materials and are made by skilled craftsmen. Looked after, they can be expected to outlast the lifetime of the horse. (Of course, it stands to reason that they may require re-flocking/adapting to the horse’s changed shape during that time.) A quality saddle should be regarded as an investment. A poor quality saddle is tantamount to throwing money away. This advice applies equally to bridles and other specialist items. I advocate buy less often – but buy quality.
KEN LNDON DYKES is a Society of Master Saddlers’ qualified saddle fitter who specialises in fitting competition horses. He is also available to give talks and demonstrations for any type of equestrian group. KEN can be contacted on 07973 501873 (mobile) or at SADDLEWORLD’S head office – 01622 844440.
