KHSMaster Saddler
Shop hours

Eccleshall, Staffordshire · Since 1987

Master Saddler.
Made by hand in Staffordshire.

Tack, repairs and bespoke leatherwork from Kate Hardt, the 2025 national side saddle champion. Every stitch by hand.

Shop the range Book a repair
  • 5.0 from 44 Google reviews
  • Free UK delivery
  • Society of Master Saddlers

What can Kate do for you?

Buy it, mend it, or have it made.

A black bridle with a crystal browband on a stand 01

Shop

Bridles, browbands, headcollars, belts, gloves and rugs. Made in Britain.

Browse the shop A saddle after repair, with new knee blocks and rub strips 02

Repairs

Saddles to handbags. Drop it in, or post it to the workshop.

How repairs work Two browbands with tiger eye and crystal beads 03

Bespoke

Your idea, made to measure. Design a browband or a belt right here.

Have it made

Ten to the inch

10 stitches to every inch. All by hand.

Two needles, one waxed linen thread, pulled tight from both sides. It is slower than a machine, and it is why Kate's work lasts for decades. If one stitch ever breaks, the rest stay locked in place.

Hand quilting on a side saddle panel
Kate holding the Side Saddle Association Cup beside her winning side saddle
2025National side saddle champion

Meet Kate

From the bench, to the M6, and back again.

  1. 1987Starts as an apprentice saddler in Uttoxeter, trained in saddlery, bridlework and harness.
  2. 20 yearsA police traffic officer on the M6, often the one called when a horsebox overturned.
  3. 2025Back at the bench, made a Master Saddler, then first prize for side saddle making at Saddlers' Hall, London.
Read Kate's story

Customer favourites

The ones people come back for.

See everything
Made by Kate Martingale Attachment Clip by KHS£15.99 Made by Kate KHS Premium Leather Headcollar with buckled noseband and engraved nameplate£95 Made by Kate Customised Crystal BrowbandFrom £90 Made by Kate KHS Showing GlovesFrom £79 Made by Kate Hand-made leather belt, 1 inchFrom £95 Made by Kate KHS by Thermatex Duet RugFrom £169.99 Made by Kate Clip-on folding Hoofpick£27 Made by KateMade to order Made-to-measure leather dog collarPrice on request
The winning side saddle photographed on black Close up of the hand-seamed pigskin and doeskin seat The winning side saddle with the Side Saddle Association Cup and first prize card

Side saddle specialist

Nothing about a side saddle is symmetrical.

Which is why so few saddlers still make and restore them. Kate is one of them.

Pigskin and doeskin, seamed by hand.

Her winning saddle: wool-flocked panels lined with linen, a Walsall-made tree, every inch hand stitched.

First prize, Saddlers' Hall, 2025.

The Side Saddle Association Cup, at the National Saddlery Competition in London.

Side saddle restoration

Repair, don't bin

If you care for it, so will Kate.

Saddles, bridles, headcollars, handbags, briefcases, hat boxes. If it is leather and it matters to you, bring it in. Many small jobs are done while you have a cuppa in the tea room.

Book a repairHow it works
The same saddle before repair, worn and torn at the knee roll A saddle after repair, with new knee blocks and rub strips BeforeAfter

Drag the handle to see the repair.

What customers say

Five stars, forty-four times.

5.0★★★★★
44 Google reviews 98%recommend on
Facebook (53 reviews)

The repair and restoration she carried out on my father's old briefcase was extraordinary. It was tatty, battered and torn and is now beautifully clean, shiny and supple.

Judi · Briefcase restoration

Kate has been a huge game changer for my boy and I. It has changed my horse's way of going dramatically.

Zoe · Saddle fitting

She repaired everything whilst I waited and enjoyed a hot chocolate in the tea room next door. I am thrilled with how my saddle looks.

Emma · Repair while you wait

Took time to discuss the choice of leather and buckles and the resulting collar was custom sized to fit beautifully.

Nick · Collar for a Border Terrier

She always puts the horse first, and will advise what is best for the horse and fit of the saddle.

Mary · Customer for years

The craftsmanship is second to none and the fit is perfect, something I struggle with usually.

Jacqui · Riding gloves
The KHS Master Saddler sign at dusk under festoon lights at Fletchers Garden Village

Come and say hello

A real saddler's workshop you can walk into.

Every town used to have one. Kate's is behind Fletchers Garden Centre in Eccleshall, next to the bakery, with the tea room just next door.

  • Thursday to Saturday
    Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm
  • Fletchers Garden Village, Stone Road,
    Eccleshall, Stafford ST21 6JY
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Kate with master saddler and TV leather expert Suzie Fletcher

Friday 2 April 2027 · Fletchers, Eccleshall

A Tale of Two Saddlers returns.

Kate and master saddler Suzie Fletcher, together again for an evening of stories, leather and laughs. Last time every seat sold, and people watched live from six countries.

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