In Good Hands

Berney's Saddles (1981) (1x3)

Data di messa in onda: Giu 14, 2013

David revisits Berney's Saddles at Kilcullen in Kildare, one of the oldest family businesses still going strong in the heartland of Irish equestrianism. In 1981, David came to Kilcullen to document the extraordinary work of Tom Berney and his family - creators and purveyors of, arguably, the finest handmade saddles in Ireland. Three decades on, Tom still plies his trade along with his son Tom Junior, who's now at the reins of the business alongside his cousin Jamie and his father Jim. Situated next to the rolling plains of the Curragh, the Berney family still hand make custom saddles for almost every discipline of horse sport - from hunting to dressage and cross country to show jumping. in 1981 they made five different models - they now make 25 different types of saddles. We observe the meticulous crafting and assembly of a competition-grade saddle from a selection of the finest leathers to the sculpting of the 'tree' and the intricate stitching of skirts, knee rolls, panels and reins. We meet Olympic three-day eventer Joseph Murphy, one of Berney's many professional clients, as he comes to assess one of Tom's newest designs. John Oxx, one of Ireland's leading trainers, tells us how he has been trading with Berneys since he was a child. And we explore the fascinating hand-to-hand system of craftsmanship that not only lies at the heart of a generations-old artisan tradition, but continues to ensure the survival of this family business.