Saddle Maker

This exhibition presents the traditional profession of the saddle maker
and the saddle maker's shop in Agiasos.

Until the Second World War, the transport of people and products to the estates and settlements of the island was done almost exclusively with animals, since the land road network was substandard and the mountainous morphology of the land made it difficult to move.

The mule and the donkey were the most common means of transport, while even today they are deemed necessary, especially on the steep and inaccessible slopes with the olive groves.

The profession of the saddler

The saddle maker made saddles for the mules, but also for horses which were very few. In agricultural work and in general in daily activities the saddles were simple, with a wooden frame and internal lining of leather or “ketse” (wool).

At festivals and horse races, horse owners decorated the saddles with beads, fabrics and rich colors.

“Kapistrades” (saddle makers) were the craftsmen who undertook the constructions related to the “kapistrias”, as well as the “kaploudetes”. The latter are the straps that pass through the animal’s buttocks and hold the saddle.

This art was also practiced by the saddlers as well as the shoemakers.

The “kapistras” (saddle makers) were found in all the large agro-livestock communities of the island to meet the local needs, even more in Mantamado, Agia Paraskevi and of course in our village, Agiasos. Also in Lesvos the saddles that came from neighboring Chios were highly regarded.

Today

Today this profession has been lost over time.

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