ST. CHARLES – A friendly and comfortable shopping experience is set by Ellie at the newly opened Stanbridge Master Saddlers in St. Charles.

“Ellie is our little corgi, and as soon as you say hello she barks,” said Susan Jansson, one of the three owners of the shop. “She doesn’t like to be called a greeter though. She’s more about direction. If you need to find a product, she’ll lead you there. Everyone loves her.”

That friendliness is spurred from the love and passion of three women: Sarah Schmidgall, Katherine "Kate" Ballard and Jansson.

“I’ve been a horse trainer for over 30 years, and Kate has always been in love with horses," said Jansson. "Our third partner, Sarah, also loves horses. All of us have a little different experience in the equestrian industry. We wanted to do something a little different than a regular saddle shop.”

Ballard came to the United States 14 years ago to do work as a master saddler for a saddle store. She’s worked for a few saddle shops, and met Jansson at the last one.

Master saddlers are certified by the Society of Master Saddlers in the United Kingdom. Ballard is only one of four in the United States, the owners said. Her training involved three years at Cordwainers College in London, where she earned a gold medal for being the best student. She also undertook a four-year apprenticeship under a master saddler and then a two-year journeyman program.

During that training, she entered the Prince of Wales contest, where she won the Rural Craft award. She got a trophy and money, which she spent on saddlery tools; and she got to meet Prince Charles.

She described how her love of saddlery began: “I grew up [on] a farm, and I’ve ridden my entire life in Suffolk, [England]. When I was 11, my grandmother took me to see the George Mossman collection at a museum. It has a huge display of driving horses and carriages through history before the car was invented. I was fascinated. Going through, there’s a room where there was a workshop with a harness maker. I fell in love with the craft right there and then. And that’s all I ever wanted to do ever since.”

It was that grandmother who inspired the name Stanbridge Master Saddlers.

“Stanbridge was my grandmother’s maiden name,” Ballard said. “She was a huge influence in my life … . She’s been a huge part of my career. She’s not alive anymore, but she has been my hero.

“I do love what I do – I absolutely love it. When you see a horse that has an ill-fitting saddle or the rider is struggling – when you get the right saddle on the horse, it changes completely. That’s the high. You watch the biomechanics of the horse and the rider and trying to get them as a unit together is the whole lovely picture.”

A master saddler – particularly one in the United States, where it’s a rarity – does more than just saddle fittings. Ballard can do bridlework and supply consumers with proper saddles. Master saddlers also educate people about proper riding equipment and teach others who are interested in learning the trade.

While Ballard is out measuring riders and their horses for saddles all around the Midwest, Stanbridge Master Saddlers is a complete equestrian store.

“We wanted to be something different and offer something other than what you see in other shops," Jansson said. "Everything in our store has a purpose. It’s not just pretty … we wanted to make sure that people got what they needed. There’s a good chance that we’ll have what you need.”

They’re familiar with the products in other equestrian shops, and they try to carry different items – perhaps a different brand or quality. They also made sure that they don’t offer products that people can easily find online for a lower price. Every product in their store has been extensively researched to be the best that consumers can get for that particular price-point. As a result, they have a lot of European equestrian products; however, they carry some American brands also.

“[Customers] like the prices because it’s not just a high-end store – we have great prices on really quality products ... ," Jansson said. "Beginner students can come in, and parents don’t have to dump a lot of money into it. If someone is competing at a world class level, they can find things that are European and athletic that not everyone else is going to have. We have a whole range of things. That was really important to us. There are a variety of price points so that people have options, and they’ll have the best quality possible at each price point.”

For example, Jansson explained, “Kate goes out and measures the rider and the horse and it’s a $5,000-plus saddle. But we also wanted to bring in some well-made saddles from Europe that are $1,200 and $1,400. If we brought in something that was less expensive, we wanted to make sure that it could pass as a high-end product – similar to shopping at T.J.Maxx … . It’s not about making a big sale, it’s about making the right sale.”

They love being in St. Charles.

“One of our owners, Sarah, lived in St. Charles. It just kinda happened that Sarah was driving by this location, and it was for rent.” Jansson said. “[The town] has a good vibe, and there are so many horses. It’s a great location.”

If you go

What: Stanbridge Master Saddlers

Where: 122 W. Main St. in St. Charles

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday (closed major holidays)

More info: 630-945-3956, info@stanbridgesaddlers.com or https://stanbridgesaddlers.com