History of Martin Wilkinson Saddlers

Martins' interest in horses started at an early age when he acquired his first pony, Ginger, at 12 years old.  Ginger was a 13.2hh all-round pony and Martin, like most kids his age spent all the time he had with his pony. 'In those days', said Martin 'we did not stable ponies so Ginger lived out all year round in my uncles' field.  I hunted regularly with the Aldenham Harriers and the Hertfordshire, went to pony club and competed and also discovered that a pony was a greater attraction to girls than a car! The photo shows Martin receiving the Hendon Times Group Challenge Trophy for showjumping with his next pony, a 14.2hh called Marlins Pacemaker so for all those who have wondered if Martin

can ride, here is the proof!

With such a passionate interest in horses, on leaving school Martin had the choice of becoming a jockey or a saddler and fortunately for us he decided on the latter.  He served his apprenticeship firstly at Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, then at Gibsons in Newmarket and finally with David Boot, a bespoke saddler in the East End of London where he worked on a great range of saddlery and harness, including the patent leather fittings for carriages in the Royal Mews. Martin decided to start his own business in 1972 working on his own from his mothers' garage, then moved to his first retail premises in Redbourn High Street in 1973.  'I made all the stock for my shop myself so all the saddles, bridles, martingales, leathers were hand made but I couldn't keep up with demand so had to start buying in stock, which is what we do today'.

Martin's business grew and soon he was expanding into making all the leather work and boots for Magneto-pulse and his own range of Martin Wilkinson horse boots, designed by Martin. “Unfortunately we could not compete with the ever increasing competition from abroad and so eventually concentrated on the saddle fitting and general retail side of the business".  Martin was one of the first group of Master Saddlers to achieve the saddle fitting qualification offered by the Society of Master Saddlers, a qualification which is now recognised world-wide.  Martin went on to become a Master Saddler himself, an assessor for the SMS saddle fitting qualification and is now a member of the Executive Committee of the Society of Master Saddlers.

By 2005, the shop in Redbourn had become too small to contain all the saddles and other stock which the business required and so the search started for new premises which would provide the space but also reflect the rural and traditional feel of the business. “After much searching, we were fortunate enough to find The Flint Barn at Coursers Farm which exactly fitted the bill as far as the business expansion was concerned,' said Martin. 'It was just right in terms of atmosphere but also had the additional bonus of having a manege on site, a cross country course and ample parking for lorries and cars which means that we can encourage customers to bring their horses and ponies to us.  The advantage of this is that they have a greater range of saddles to try on site and any minor alterations can be done either by me, Berry or Charlie Hall, my other saddler, while the customer waits'.