We are raising money to benefit Bootstraps Saddle Academy, which is about more than saddles

The Saddle Academy is a specialised training initiative developed by Bootstraps, focused on preserving traditional saddle-making skills while creating real pathways into skilled trade work.

Participants learn through hands-on experience, mentorship and real production work — not theory alone.

The program is designed to: Teach practical, transferable skills, Create pride in craftsmanship and support sustainable, long-term outcomes.

The Saddle Academy operates as a paid traineeship. Participants work toward a formal qualification — Certificate III in Leather Production (Saddlery) — ensuring the skills gained are recognised, transferable and meaningful beyond the program itself.

Across Australia, hands-on trades are disappearing – along with the pathways they create for people who don’t thrive in traditional classroom settings.

By teaching traditional saddle-making skills, the Saddle Academy creates real opportunities for learning, employment and connection to meaningful work. This is education with a purpose.

As a DGR1-registered charity, donations to Bootstraps are tax-deductible and help build a sustainable Australian industry while supporting our veterans.

Your support helps turn this from an idea into a working program.

Our goal is to raise $1.5 million to establish and operate the Saddle Academy as a sustainable, long-term training program.

Reaching this goal enables: A fully fitted, dedicated workshop; Ongoing program delivery; Long-term investment in equipment and facilities and Broader access to training opportunities

More information about Bootstraps: Located in the beautiful Lockyer Valley town of Gatton, we are a registered DGR 1 Charity, offering creative therapy classes in leather work to assist veterans and the community in dealing with their mental and physical injuries in a relaxed environment, so they can create a network and reconnect with the community and their families and help deter suicidal thoughts that come from dealing with those mental and physical injuries.

See more here: https://bootstraps.org.au/