News
Richard will be at the Kentucky Horse park until October and then will return to Wellington where he will remain until April 30th 2009.
Article
Northeast Farm & Ranch Volume 1
Pages 14-16
A Truly Masterful Saddler, Richard Castelow builds some of the best saddles in the world, starting with one simple concept - the saddle must not just fit the rider, it must also fit the horse. A well-balanced saddle, he will tell you, is as comfortable for the horse as for the rider, and will help the rider maintain "body weight in a symmetrically balanced position aligned with the center of the horses' movement." Further, an improperly balanced saddle not only puts the rider off balance, making for a painful and miserable experience, but also will affect the horse's movement, potentially causing misbehavior and physical disabilities.
This may all sound like common sense – if such an important tool does not fit right, no one is going to be comfortable. Yet, implementation of this belief is far from common and quite difficult.
Castelow, however, has the training and experience to create uncommonly good saddles. Hailing from England, Castelow joined the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at the age of 15 and was later selected to join the Household Cavalry shop in Knightsbridge, London.
He served under four master saddlers, all of whom may have held different views on saddles and saddlery, yet they all agreed on how to balance and fit a saddle. Castelow was repeatedly educated on how to create a saddle that fits the rider and horse perfectly, while also diversifying the particular styles of the saddle. Castelow followed in the steps of his mentors, and in 1998, he became a Master Saddler.
Castelow also has the high honor of having been appointed the first ever Master Saddler to Queen Elizabeth II. Based at the Royal Mews in Buckingham Palace, he was charged with refurbishing the Queen’s harness and other fittings regularly seen on occasions of pomp and pageantry, such as royal weddings, trooping of the Color and the opening of Parliament.
After spending four years with the Royal Household in what was truly an exceptional experience, he moved to the United States and has been developing a growing clientele ever since.
It is not uncommon for one rider in a barn to get a Castelow saddle, and for most of the barn’s other riders to follow. In fact, if you look closely at the saddles of some of the top event riders, even those who are sponsored by other saddle makers, you will notice they are riding a Castelow saddle.
Why are these saddles so desired? No matter the design, each Castelow saddle is well balanced, meaning it is level, has as broad a bearing surface as possible to distribute weight most effectively, has an even distribution of flock (padding) throughout the panel and first as closely as possible without any spinal injury to the horse. These simple attributes mean the saddles provide a stable and comfortable ride for beginners, while enabling advanced riders to maximize the abilities of their horse. The saddles also allow the rider to maintain correct position without undue physical effort for himself or the horse, making a day in the saddle a lot more enjoyable.
That said, the saddles are also beautiful, no doubt helping to increase their desirability. However, there is nothing flashy or outspoken about these saddles. They are straightforward displays of unadorned leather. Yet, it is their fine lines, their top-quality components and perfectly tailored seams that command appreciation. In their simplicity, these saddles have a quiet authority – they may be simple in their fashion, yet they are obviously exceptional works of functioning art.
It has been said it is more difficult to make a simple thing perfectly than to make a difficult thing well. Castelow’s saddles are, in essence, simple things – they are a bridge between the horse and rider. Even the slightest fault in design and craftsmanship can make such a simple thing useless, or worse, uncomfortable and dangerous.
Fortunately, for those who own Castelow’s crafts, his saddles seem to have a way of finding the perfect balance between horse and rider, and between art and function.