I Made A Headcollar!!!

Today has been amazing, I mean totally amazing! 😀

Being the 4th day, most trainees on the Level 2 Bridle Making course are usually at the point of finishing off their leather headcollar or having to complete it at home (or the next training week); some of the trainee’s on my current course have already done their headcollar but have had to either make a second or a third one in order for it to be assessment ready. Not me, somehow I have managed to finish my headcollar a whole day early and it be of assessment submission quality. To say I am over the moon is putting it lightly. These course weeks are not cheap and it depends on me whether this course is going to take 3 or 4 years to complete so I am going to do my utmost to learn quickly, put it into practice immediately and produce top notch items every time; isn’t that what it’s all about from the on start of a business anyway? Nothing but the best being produced? Damn right it is. I intend to start as I mean to go on, this will be my livelihood in the future.

So, Mark my trainer said it was stitched well, put together nicely and it stood on the bench on it’s own which is a sign the stitching is done correctly and in his opinion was good enough to be submitted for assessment. Job done!

With the headcollar done and out the way I was to fill the next 2 x half days with doing something else. The snaffle bridle with a white contrasting stitch and reins is the next assessment piece I am to do. So I cut the required amount of leather strips from the larger hide (black this time)

I started to mark out the headpiece, cutting the cheek straps and the throat lash. Then I cut the browband and cheek pieces to length and marked them for skiving. At this point we ran out of time and it was time to leave.

I came back to the B&B, packed my bag ready for the off tomorrow, paid my bill, booked the next dates and went out and treated myself to a vegetable chow mein take away for one.

Now I’m not in the habit of recommending places or people but I have to say I cannot fault the B&B I’ve stayed in. The service, friendliness and cleanliness has been far more superior than it needed to be for the price I’ve paid. They don’t do evening meals so I asked if I could borrow a fork in order to eat my chow mein and John very kindly said he’d set a table for me in the dining room and provided a plate, fork and spoon. Now he didn’t have to do that as I was all geared up to eating my tea out of the foil packet on their garden bench or in the car but it was so lovely of him to suggest it, how could I refuse? So, there you have it, if you do ever get the chance to stay in Salisbury be sure to look up Websters B&B because John and Ronnie are just fabulous.

Speak to you all tomorrow for my final installment of my training week 🙂 Clair x