Emma Hamilton Leatherwork (2025)

11/06/2024

And here's the finished bridle from my last post, it turned out just how I had hoped and it fits just right, I'm really pleased with it. Hopefully I will get some photos of it in action soon that I can share.

The handsome highland I made this for is hoping to get out and about with his mum doing some longer distance rides and hacking over the summer. He's fairly young and still learning lots about being a ridden horse but they make a great partnership and I can't wait to see what they get up to. His mum has been so considerate of his needs and has made sure all his equipment fits correctly and he is happy and confident with how she trains and manages him. I love working with such caring owners, it means that what I do is just the icing on the cake to achieving a happy ridden partnership 😊

This boy has quite a prominent TMJ which is the big jaw joint you can see above a horse's eye so I had to make sure the headpiece I made for him kept the side straps back enough to avoid rubbing this sensitive area. I also always make sure that the buckles on the side of the bridle are not too high up, they should be level with the horse's eye as this also means they won't rub the TMJ.

01/06/2024

I'm currently working on an interesting bespoke bridle for a client who is just starting out doing endurance rides. After discussing exactly what they needed and having a good think about how I would make a bridle to fit their needs, I've come up with a design that is part bridle and part headcollar to easily allow for leading/tying during stop offs on rides. It will also have clips on the cheekpieces to easily allow the bit to be removed. I'm including a padded anatomical headpiece shaped to this horses individual shape to ensure he is nice and comfortable on long rides. I can't wait to see it finished 🥰

27/05/2024

A simple wee repair to a keeper on this throatlash, now it's as good as new 🥰

Now the weather is getting so nice, if you're out and about with your horse a bit more it's a good idea to check over your tack to see if there is and torn leather or loose stitching. Your safety is so important and often repairs like this won't cost much at all and will save you having to buy a new part or full new bridle.

If you have some tack that needs repaired, send me a message to see if I'm able to help. I can carry out repairs on bridles, breastplates, stirrup leathers etc. and can accept items in the post. (I don't take in saddles for work)

25/05/2024

I just realised that I haven't posted in almost a month, I've been so busy the last few weeks. Skye is doing AMAZING, I'm so proud of both of us getting to where we are now. Skye is now relaxed about leading up to the gate, being tied outside with some hay to munch and getting her feet picked out. It doesn't sound like much but I was reflecting on how stressful it used to be and how much easier these things are now 😊 She's also picked up the bitless bridle cues so well, I only have to use the slightest cue with the reins to ask her to stop/turn and she seems to be really enjoying it. She's had her saddle on a couple of times too so I think next I'll work on getting her confident with me standing up on a mounting block as when we did used to ride, she was a bit anxious around the mounting block and me getting on board.

I've been doing ok but unfortunately at my recent appointment to check my ADHD medication, my blood pressure was a bit high so my dose has been reduced. I was really upset at first as I felt like I was doing so great and having to reduce my dose felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me. I'm still adjusting to how this feels and what my capacity is but it's going alright so far. Hopefully I can get used to this as my new normal moving forward and I can get settled down into more of a routine and feel more confident to work towards my goals 😊

23/04/2024

I've been busy behind the scenes making some design changes to my business branding and my website to better reflect me as a person and a business. I've also updated some of the info on my website to hopefully make it nice and clear what services I offer and how to go about arranging for me to carry out a piece of work for you. The link to my website is in my page bio or click the link below if you want to check it out and let me know what you think 😊

www.emmahamiltonleatherwork.co.uk

18/04/2024

Skye has been doing so well over the last few months, I've really noticed a change in her behaviour, she is so much calmer and better able to cope with things that she used to find really stressful. She is even able to calm herself down if something spooks her and she is way less reactive. I'm so proud of how far we have both come together. I've learnt so much from her and things I've been learning about myself, my ADHD and my mental health have helped me to better understand her 😊.

We haven't gone for a ride for at least a year and a half, neither of us were ready for riding up till now but with us both doing much better mentally and emotionally I felt I would take the first step to potentially work towards riding. I decided to add extra rings to her noseband so I can use it as a sidepull bitless bridle to see what Skye thinks (I still need to come up with a solution to hold the cheekpiece straps securely). I do have a bit for her that she did find comfortable but I want to take a different approach this time, really take our time and listen to how Skye is doing every step of the way. We may go back to using the bit but I want to try something different for restarting her so she associates riding with feeling happier and more relaxed.

As far as I know, she's never been ridden bitless before so I knew I would need to teach her what the rein signals mean before even thinking about getting on board. For our first session on the ground, she did brilliantly. She really quickly picked up what I was asking her and was turning and stopping with very light rein aids. I've been using clicker training with Skye for a while and it has been working brilliantly for us for all kinds of things. Although we are different species, clicker training is a language that we can both understand. Skye really clearly understands when I tell her she's done something right and I'm sure she has learnt things much more quickly.

14/04/2024

Just received my SMS Qualified Saddler membership renewal certificate for 2024. I'm super proud to be a member of the Society of Master Saddlers and to be part of such an amazing community of talented saddlery makers and fitters. The SMS are such a fantastic organisation promoting a high standard in the quality of handmade saddlery and saddlery fitting as well as educating the public of how working with a highly skilled SMS member will ensure their horse is happy, comfortable and can perform at their best. I'm really proud to have become a Qualified Saddler after working hard during my 3 year apprenticeship with Laura Nickel at Amayzing Saddlery and achieving my saddle and bridle making qualifications. It gives me real confidence to know that my saddlery work meets the high standards required to pass the City & Guilds exams as these are assessed by Master Saddlers with years of experience in the trade. I feel so proud to be able to display the SMS badge for my clients to see 🥰

07/04/2024

I have been having a good think about how my business works for me and how I feel about the different types of work I take on. Since my ADHD diagnosis nearly a year ago, I've learnt so much about how my brain works and have gotten much better at recognising when I am struggling and accepting the things I find difficult or stressful.

I wanted to give you all an update about some of the changes I have decided to make to my business moving forward to help keep it manageable for me now I have a much better understanding of how my ADHD and my mental health affects me.

I will be continuing to do tack repairs and making bespoke bridles and other items of tack

I will continue to offer bridle fitting appointments but will regularly check to make sure that I have enough capacity to book clients for appointments

I will decide on a case-by-case basis if I will accept an item for repair, particularly for larger or more complex repairs

I will no longer be doing any work on saddles or any boot alterations/repairs

My decision to take on pieces of work depends on so many factors that affect how challenging the work will be. I may decide on certain occasions to not accept a certain item that I have accepted previously or I may take on more challenging work depending on how I am feeling or my current workload. My capacity can vary day-to-day due to my ADHD symptoms and so I want to be mindful of this so I can better manage my workload and avoid wearing myself out.

Thank you to all my clients who have been so kind and supportive of me and my work and for your lovely messages and comments on my social media posts. I am feeling really good about the decisions I have made for my business and feel these are the right changes for me to make at this point of my life. I could never completely stop making things, especially leatherworking, and so I hope that taking a little step back means that I can continue to run my business and who knows, maybe in the future I will feel ready to jump back into it head first.

01/04/2024

Hi everyone, that's me back in the workshop after my time off. I'm feeling really rested, rejuvenated and ready to get back to doing some leatherwork. I'm going to do another post in the next few days explaining a few of the small changes I'm going to make to my business moving forward.

Thanks again to everyone who has been so kind and supportive of me and my business over the years, it really means a lot 🥰

04/03/2024

I wanted to let you all know that I've decided to take a wee break until the end of march. This is to allow me to spend time focusing on myself, my future and the future of Emma Hamilton leatherwork. I'm planning to be back to my usual opening hours in April. I will not be responding to any new emails or messages until then, I will still reply to messages from clients regarding ongoing orders. Thanks for your understanding 🥰

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my business since I opened in April 2022. It has been a journey full of ups and downs, I've learnt so much and been able to work on so many exciting and interesting items for you. I'm so grateful that you have put your trust in me to make your horse's new bridle, bring your idea to life or repair your precious item.

As some of you know, I was finally diagnosed with ADHD in April 2023 after struggling with a whole range of things since starting primary school over 20 years ago. My ADHD diagnosis has been life changing and has massively helped to improve my mental health and my outlook on life. I have also been taking medication which is helping me so much with loads of things in my day-to-day life, even some things I didn't know were a struggle for me before.

Over the past year, I have been coming to terms with my diagnosis and been working through all the emotions that have come with this. The years of life just being one long struggle without knowing why, my low self-esteem, beating myself up over everything I found difficult, feeling like an outsider and not fitting in socially. I also have lots of complex feelings about the years of not being believed or supported by teachers or healthcare professionals. I am so frustrated about how I was let down for so long and how different my life could have been if I'd been able to understand myself earlier and get the support I needed in school, university and work. I am beginning to feel more at peace, as through this process I have learnt so much about myself, my emotions and my outlook on the world. I can't go back and change my past, but I can start to look ahead to what my life can be moving forward.

Continued in comments...

29/02/2024

This wallet was in recently for some much needed TLC. It has lots of sentimental value to the client so they really hoped I'd be able to help so they could continue using it. I replaced the worn leather on the spine and on the side of the inner coin pocket, I also added some new leather binding around the outer edges where this had worn away. A good condition and a little stain really brought it back to life 😊 Luckily most of the leather was in good enough condition so I was able to repair the damaged parts and didn't run the risk of causing further damage as I worked on it.

07/02/2024

A pair of Ariat Torridon men's country boots I recently had in to make narrower for the client. Really pleased with how they turned out, Ariat is one of my favourite brands of boots to work on as they use really strong and sturdy leather and often they are constructed in a way that is simpler to alter. So many manufacturers nowadays don't seem to consider how their products might need to be repaired/altered in the future, they would much prefer the customer to throw away their old boots and pay for brand new ones.

I was really glad to be able to alter these to fit the client much better so they can continue to wear their much loved boots 😊

26/01/2024

I received some lovely feedback from a client who had sent me their handbag to be altered, I'm so pleased that I was able to help 😊

18/01/2024

This lovely handbag was in the workshop to have some alterations done to the straps. The client had received it for Christmas and loved the bag but wasn't a fan of the backpack straps, I altered it so it now has a single cross-body strap. I was really pleased with how it turned out and the client was delighted that I was able to alter it for her.

There are all sorts of things I'm able to alter or repair, I really enjoy the challenge of working out the best way to work on an item to get it how the client would like. Do get in touch if you have an item in need of work to see if I can help

05/01/2024

A simple wee repair I carried out for a client recently, the leather holding this D-ring had torn so I replaced it with some new leather and stitched it in place following the existing holes to keep it as strong as possible.

I really enjoy doing simple repairs like this that fix up something that has become un-usable so it can have many more years of use.

02/01/2024

I hope you all had a lovely festive period and wishing you a happy New year!!! I had a really relaxing time with family with some beautiful snowy walks and lots of knitting. I'm now back in the workshop, thanks to everyone who sent me a message being patient whilst I took some time off.

I've been feeling much better recently as I was finally able to get the dose of my ADHD medication that I need at a local pharmacy, hopefully that will be the shortage starting to be over and I won't need to worry about it anymore. I'm feeling much more peaceful and am feeling in a good place mentally and emotionally to think ahead a bit more at what I want my life to look like moving forward. It's so exciting to finally feel like I'm not just in survival mode, feeling much more recovered from my burnout and to be able to look towards the future 😊 I've got lots of ideas for my business and my leatherwork as well as loads of other ideas. I will keep you all posted if I plan on making any changes but for now I'm going to continue with my business as I enjoy it so much.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy, peaceful and fulfilled 2024

22/12/2023

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, happy holidays and all the best for the new year 🎄🦌☃️🌟 I will reply to any messages when I am back on Tuesday the 2nd of January

Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	12:00 - 17:00
Saturday	09:00 - 17:00

Emma Hamilton Leatherwork