Posted: 9th February 2015 | Back to news feed
This year’s Society of Master Saddlers’ National Saddlery Competition saw prestigious Fellowships awarded to two leading figures in the industry.
Held at the Saddlers’ Hall in London and supported by The Worshipful Company of Saddlers, the event provided the ideal occasion to present Frank Baines and Steve Marks with their Fellowships.
Society of Master Saddlers’ Chief Executive, Hazel Morley described Frank as a gentleman who had saddlery running through his veins, having had a close involvement with the industry since his younger days with a grandfather who was a skilled bridle and harness maker.
Frank joined Butler and Antil in 1962 and served a six year apprenticeship with saddle maker Harrold Burrows. In 1974 he joined Falcon Saddlery and whilst there designed a range of their saddles winning the Society’s saddle competition in 1979 for the first time.
Frank started Frank Baines Saddlery in 1983 supplying Hansbo Sport in Sweden. Frank Baines Saddlery went on to win the saddle competition seven times with entries from Frank, Keith Richardson, who still works for the company and Pete Lyons.
In 1989 Frank joined the Society’s Executive committee, representing the Master Saddler Trade members for five years.
In 1990 he was presented with the Freedom of the City of London, also in this year being commissioned to make a saddle to be presented to the Princess Royal on behalf of Riding for the Disabled at AlexanderPalace.
In 1991 Frank won an award for Export due to exporting to more than 20 different countries, and was also winner of the National Training Awards for Industry presented by Prince Charles.
1992 was a big year for Frank being made a liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Saddlers and also being the year of his Presidency of the Society of Master Saddlers.
Frank continued to design and manufacture new ranges of saddles for customers including a long standing relationship with Balance International He has worked with many top riders including Lucinda Green, Mary King and Ian Stark.
Hazel said of Steve - this gentleman also has a long history in the saddlery trade, but came at it from a very different angle. Born in Birmingham he moved to Devon in his youth and at 15 went to Sea school. On graduating he went to sea with the Merchant Navy for the next seven years.
Having seen most of the world Steve left the Navy to rejoin 'normality' first becoming a salesman for a swimwear company in the South West before joining the sales team at Courage Brewery. It was whilst working for the brewery that he was approached by GKN engineering and became a director in there northern operations team where he stayed for several years.
A chance meeting with Geoff Fieldhouse whilst on a trip to Germany led him away from GKN and into the world of saddlery.
At this time in his life Steve's expertise was in selling and for several years he worked at Fieldhouse building up the business. During this period Geoff Fieldhouse joined forces with his uncle, Stafford Clark, who had established the Ideal Saddlery some 20 years earlier. Ideal Saddlery manufactured the saddles and Fieldhouse Saddlery was the selling arm but this arrangement did not work out and when the two companies split in August 1985, Steve moved to Ideal Saddlery to be Sales Director for Stafford Clark.
Sadly, times were hard, Stafford Clark was in poor health and forced to call in the receivers. Steve was appointed by the receivers to sell off the stock. It was at this point that he formed a partnership with the Production Manager Roy Hartshorne, purchased the Ideal name from the administrators and formed The Ideal Saddle Company. For a while Steve had been involved in breeding Arab horses and as the company grew and started to major in bespoke saddles, his knowledge proved invaluable enabling the company to design saddles which fitted both the horse and the rider thus placing it at the forefront of the industry.
In 1996 Steve's stepson Rob Lugsdin joined The Ideal Saddle Company and in 2001 Rob became a Director and Steve took retirement in 2002 to pursue other interests but remained involved in the financial running of the Company.
In 2005 Steve purchased Roy's half of the business and re-entered the working world - not that he ever really left it. The management team was joined by Shaun Marsland who took over as Production Director and together they have taken The Ideal Saddle Company from strength to strength. Steve is now semi-retired but remains Chairman of the Company.
Steve has been a member of The Saddlers' Company since 2008, first as a Freeman and in 2011 as a Liveryman.
He has been a very active member of the SMS Executive committee for nearly 15 years. In 2005 he became liaison Officer providing invaluable help to members and in assisting with complaints. In 2009 he became Treasurer, keeping the Society's accounts under his watchful eye and he was President of the Society in 2011/12.
Both recipients said how deeply honoured they were to be granted a Fellowship of the Society.
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