The Saddlery Training Centre was opened by Mark and Dawn Romain in 2000.
We work in close association with The Worshipful Company of Saddlers, The Society of Master Saddlers, UKFT (the saddlery sector skills body) and Haddon Training Ltd.
We also have close links with the City & Guilds of London Institute and the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA).
The Centre is listed on the Government’s Register of Approved Training Providers (RoATP) as an approved supporting training provider. The Centre is also approved for the delivery of the City & Guilds National Saddlery Skill Assessment Scheme.
Mark Romain MBE – Director
Master Saddler Mark Romain has worked in the trade since beginning his saddlery apprenticeship in 1973. Following 13 years working at the bench he became a Saddlery Training Advisor for The Countryside Agency. When that organisation closed in 2000, Mark and his wife Dawn set up The Saddlery Training Centre.
During his career, Mark has contributed to the training of approximately 300 saddlery apprentices and well over 2,000 saddlery short course candidates. In 2014, Mark was awarded an MBE for his ‘services to the saddlery industry and saddlery training in the UK and overseas’ and in 2019 was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by BETA.
Mark is the Society of Master Saddlers Training Officer and has served on their Executive Committee for many years. He was President in 1999/2000. He is also a member of the Saddlers’ Company Saddlery Steering Group, which is the lead body on training and related issues for the Saddlery industry sector.
The Saddlery Training Centre 