Catherine Baker is a Society of Master Saddlers Master Saddler, Master Bridle Maker, Registered Qualified Saddle Fitter and a Registered Qualified Bridle Fitter specialising in making and fitting bespoke bridles and bitting. She has been in the trade for over 20 years and is currently the Vice President of the Society.

Her love of horses began in early childhood and she has dedicated her life to working with them in one capacity or another. She spent much of her teenage years riding across Salisbury Plain and studied equine management at agricultural college in Lincolnshire before taking a ‘proper’ job with a national delivery firm. Her saddlery career began in 2002 and after a break to start a family, she qualified as a saddler in 2013. She qualified as a saddle fitter shortly after and joined the executive committee of the Society in 2017.

Catherine qualified as a bridle fitter in 2019, is a LANTRA Accredited Horse Bit Fit Advanced Consultant and holds a Level 3 Award in Education and Training. This has led to her becoming the bitting lecturer and an assessor for the Society of Master Saddlers and she has recently stepped into the role of Bridle Fitting Course Leader alongside Frances Roche, MVO. Together they are developing the Society’s courses with their team so that future qualified bridle fitters have a broad range and depth of knowledge and understanding. She hasn’t let this get in the way of her love of making bespoke bridles though; Catherine is a regular entrant into the Society of Master Saddlers annual saddlery competition where she is often placed.

Since joining the committee she has been focused on raising the standards of equine welfare through educating the riding public, trainee fitters and other equine paraprofessionals of the importance of correct saddlery fit. She feels that this focus along with her talent for the craft enhances her ability to improve the comfort and welfare of the many horses she meets.