David Kempsell is the co-founder and Managing Director of First Thought Equine Ltd, a company that has turned the saddle industry upside down with their ground-breaking concepts and innovative products. 

David's original training had been in telecommunications, where he used to design trading equipment for the financial industry.  His fascination with “how things work” coupled with his ability to think laterally made him look closer at how horse and rider interact. At that time, his partner owned a show jumping horse, which consistently had saddle-related problems.  This motivated David to have a closer look  at saddlery and its effect on the horse’s movement.  David subsequently started to develop saddles which rely on a combination of airbags and foam to dissipate and absorb the pressures caused by the rider.  Coming from the highly regulated telecommunications industry where everything has to be tested and proven to conform to standards of safety and performance, David applied the same philosophy to the development of all First Thought Equine products.  Their saddles and saddle accessories like ‘WOW’, ‘Flair’, ‘Korrector’ and ‘Equiform’ have meanwhile become well established and respected brands in the equine world.

David gives presentations and lectures internationally and  holds regular seminars / training days in the UK for saddle fitters from all over the world.