At just 22 years old, Sophia Stratford has already travelled halfway around the world, multiple times, in pursuit of her chosen career. What began as a teenager reading an article in a New Zealand Horse and Pony magazine, has become a journey of craftsmanship, community and a commitment to learning from some of the finest names in the saddlery industry.
Sophia was just 14 when she read an article about someone locally in New Zealand making saddles. Having since struggled to find the right saddle for her own horse, she became fascinated by the idea of being able to understand, fit and eventually make saddles herself. Whilst many childhood ambitions fade with time, this one kept returning.
“I decided I wanted to be a saddler when I was 14,” she explains. “I kept coming back to it.”
At 19, Sophia headed to England to study at Capel Manor College, completing its two-year Level 2, Saddle, Harness and Bridle Making course. The decision marked the beginning of a significant personal investment in her future and provided the foundations upon which she continues to build today.
Training in the UK introduced her to people who would help shape the next stage of her journey. Sophia speaks warmly of Frances Roche, whose encouragement proved instrumental in her decision to continue her studies and help her gain additional qualifications, especially the support of Frances and Catrien Coppens at Walsall Leather Skills Centre.
“I was quite lucky in the connections I made because I managed to befriend Frances. She was a huge help for me and I think she was a big reason in me continuing to train.”
Whilst Frances provided the encouragement, there was one tutor Sophia was determined to learn from.
“I just wanted to learn from Catrien. Wherever she was, that’s where I would have gone!”
That determination brought her again to the UK, to Walsall Leather Skills Centre, where she has successfully completed both Level 3 Advanced Bridle and Advanced Harness training. What was initially intended to be an opportunity to learn advanced technical skills soon became something much more.
Patrick Burns and Catrien Coppens worked with Sophia to fit an ambitious programme of study around her existing commitments, including her Society of Master Saddlers bridle fitting training for qualification. Before returning home, Sophia was busy in the Walsall Leather Skills Centre workshop prepping work to take home to New Zealand to stitch and finish. Plans to return to the UK are already in place for the National Saddlery Competition in February.
The commitment has been considerable. Returning to England has involved significant financial and personal sacrifices, including temporary accommodation arrangements whilst studying. Yet Sophia speaks overwhelmingly about what she has gained from the experience.
“I have just been completely blown away by the community and how welcoming and accommodating and just how incredible everyone is at the Centre. I really didn’t expect it.”
For Sophia, one of the greatest surprises has been discovering that studying at Walsall Leather Skills Centre is about far more than technical training.
The Centre brings together tutors, artisan craftspeople and students from across the world who share a passion for traditional craftsmanship and a commitment to helping others succeed. It is something she believes sets the training experience apart.
“Everyone wants everyone else to succeed. It’s just so incredibly supportive.”
Looking back, Sophia laughs that people at home still struggle to understand exactly what she has been doing in England.
“They’re just like, ‘Oh, you were somewhere in Europe for a bit? That’s cool.’ And I go, ‘No, no, no, you don’t get it. I’ve been training with the best people, in the world of leatherwork and saddlery, to bring those skills home to use for the future.'”
Her ambitions are far from complete. Sophia will return for the next Society of Master Saddlers National Saddlery Competition and, she hopes, to continue her Advanced Saddle training. She has already spent time at the centre training with Keith Bryan, whose early assessment of her work was simply that she is “very good”.
Having completed two advanced courses in a relatively short period of time, it would be easy to focus solely on the qualifications gained. Yet speaking with Sophia, it quickly becomes clear that her story is equally about the people she has learnt from and the community she has become part of.
From a teenager reading a magazine article in New Zealand to training alongside internationally respected tutors in England, Sophia’s journey is still very much unfolding.
It is, perhaps, a reminder that traditional crafts continue to attract extraordinary people willing to travel extraordinary distances in pursuit of excellence.
Everyone at the Walsall Leather Skills Centre looks forward to supporting Sophia throughout her career and seeing where her skills, determination and laser focus on tack fit, for comfort of horse, takes her.
