In 1996, five women came together to start Saddlers Row, an English tack shop dedicated to serving the Midwest's equestrian community out of their store in the northern suburbs of Chicago. The women all shared the same passion for horses and the vision to build a company that serves equestrians of every level, from beginners to Grand Prix riders and everything in between.
Set to celebrate its 30th anniversary in July, Saddlers Row has grown to be one of the largest full-service English tack shops in the country. The store offers a wide selection of apparel, tack, equipment, horse care products, and specialized services for over 1,000 unique in-store shoppers of every level, age, and discipline each month. Hosting over 200 vendors from around the globe and a growing e-commerce platform, Saddlers Row continues to expand its offerings while maintaining the same high standard of customer service and expertise it was established on.
Frances Bowers, one of the founding partners, grew up with horses and has ridden in a variety of disciplines, trying everything from eventing, dressage and hunter/jumper to hotwalking at the racetrack. For a while, her career even took her on the show circuit, traveling across the country and teaching. After starting a family, Bowers decided it was time to pursue a career that would allow her to stay in one place, and she helped start her first saddlery, Grand-Jean Hubbard.
Later, she opened Barrington Saddlery, which Bowers managed for 22 years until eventually moving on after the business changed ownership. For her next venture, Bowers joined forces with Laura Horween, Nancy Whitehead, Ann Klapman and Bowers’ daughter, Laura Robertson, to start a new saddlery in the heart of Northern Illinois horse country. Each of the five women brought a different point of view to the group: for example, Horween’s husband was in the business of leather tanning, and Whitehead was a successful national trainer.
“We moved to the exact center of where our customer base would be,” explained Bowers. “We put all the barns on a big map and pinpointed the middle of the area. That's the building we moved into, on the corner of Lake Cook and Rand.”
That location was the birthplace of Saddlers Row, which opened in 1996 in Palatine, Illinois. What started in a 5,000 square-foot space quickly began to grow. By the end of their first year in business, a wall was knocked down to add an additional 1,000 square feet. Over time, they added blanket cleaning and embroidery services and opened a consignment store, becoming a true “one-stop shop for anything equestrian.”
With the start of an online storefront came a warehouse, and soon the store had expanded to 16,000 square feet—more than triple than its original size. Soon, even that wasn’t enough room to hold all the equestrian treasures held inside. Moving to its current home in Lake Zurich, Illinois, in the summer of 2025, Saddlers Row took over a 32,000 square-foot building in a new location with the same commitment to serving its customers with quality tack, equipment and supplies for all levels of equestrians.
“Our consignment store is double the size it was at the previous store,” Bowers said about how the store has evolved since the move. “We've added a deep-discount area. We've just added Western. We added laser engraving, and we’re in the process of aggressively expanding our website.”
Saddlers Row has also employed a saddler since its inception. Currently holding the job title is Robert “Bob” Johnson, who began working for the company about 10 years ago. In his workshop, he has over a dozen machines to handle almost any leather product, from bridles, halters and saddles to upholstered chairs, suitcases and motorcycle seats. Johnson even crafted a harness from scratch, which hangs in the back of his studio with vintage specialty saddles. On the other wall, Johnson displays an assortment of saddle trees, which give a glimpse into what’s beneath the leather, next to an enormous selection of hardware used for tack and blanket repairs.
Horses are in Johnson’s blood, too: he grew up on a ranch, and later, he started riding at the racetrack. Occasionally, he’d be sidelined due to injuries and would find work fixing race saddles to fill his time until he could ride again. Over the years, he accumulated a variety of certifications in fitting and still evaluates saddles that come into the store for soundness, using presses and other instruments to make necessary adjustments.
“It's the people, definitely, the people you work with,” said Johnson on what he enjoys most about his job. “And I love to see new people get into the business, either just riding or competing at the upper levels.”
In its three decades of operating, Saddlers Row has witnessed changes in the broader equestrian community, as well as within the store’s own walls, and has adjusted to meet participation fluxes in equestrian sports. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, the store noticed a significant uptick in the number of new riders looking to purchase gear, but with social distancing and quarantine restrictions, in-person shopping was replaced by barn deliveries, curbside pickup and online shopping.
While the boom in participation seen during the pandemic has slowed, the store still sees continued growth, despite an industry facing accessibility and affordability challenges.
Bowers described watching local barns and lesson programs disappear over the years, with land being sold or transitioned for other uses. The last remaining public stables in the area, owned and operated by the Palatine Park District, shut down in November 2024 despite protests from the local equestrian community, which Saddlers Row participated in. Once operations of the farm ceased, the barn was demolished.
Meanwhile, the ever-growing costs associated with running a lesson barn continue to contribute to the downsizing and disappearance of lesson programs for riders without their own horses, while the emergence of large-scale show circuits in Florida and Michigan draw competitive riders away from the area.
Despite this, participation in local associations like the Northern Illinois Hunter Jumper Association (NIHJA) seems to be strong, and Saddlers Row still sees a steady increase in new riders coming into the store week over week.
To encourage this growth, the store hosts a “starter” section, which has all the basic essentials a rider needs to begin their equestrian journey at an affordable price point. Banners promoting barns that still offer school horses hang throughout the building to drive customers to them, and some of these barns are even sponsored by the store.
Saddlers Row’s support of such programs has established the company as a community partner, in addition to its other initiatives that strive to bring local equestrians together. For instance, the store regularly hosts “barn nights,” during which dinner and a private shopping experience are provided to local farms and their clientele. Saddlers Row also donates to equine rescues and therapeutic riding centers, and select services have been offered pro bono or at significant discount to these programs’ horses in the past.
30 Decades of Serving North Illinois Equestrians
For Bowers, sourcing new, innovative products is a fun aspect of her job, but what she enjoys most is connecting with like-minded individuals who love horses just as much as she does.
“What's a real joy is to see the grandchildren of people that I dressed as a child come in,” she said. “To see young children following in their parents' footsteps or getting into the horse industry is really fun.”
Kent Farrington, an Olympic showjumper and name well-known in the industry, was one of those children. Now based in Wellington, Florida, Farrington has led the FEI showjumping world rankings for a significant portion of the past year. This past April, he won the 2026 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, adding to his long list top finishes through the five-star level. His roots are in the Chicago area, though, and Bowers recalled fitting him for his first pair of tall boots and watching him ride with her daughter.
Today, Saddlers Row is a leader in the market of independently-owned tack stores. Visitors can enjoy shopping from one of the largest selections of English tack available in the U.S., taking advantage of the decades of collective experience and knowledge of its sales associates, and seeing Bowers’ two Corgis, 2-year-old Chloe and 8-year-old Lucy.
To commemorate the milestone of the store’s 30th anniversary, Saddlers Row will be hosting a week-long celebration in store from July 11-19 marked by sales and special promotions. Customers can enter product giveaways and raffles, with highlight prizes including a new Henri de Rivel (HDR) saddle, a show coat from R.J. Classics, a basket of essentials from Farnam, and so much more.
Several brand representatives will be in store on Saturday, July 11, and Saturday, July 18, with additional offerings, including Fabbri (July 11) and R.J Classics (July 18). During lunch on these days, provided by Kooker’s Restaurant on the 11th and Simply Delicious Gourmet Catering on the 18th, miniature therapy horses from SOUL Harbor Ranch (July 11) or Mane in Heaven (July 18) will be mingling with guests.
This anniversary is more than just a promotion, though. It’s the celebration of 30 years of serving the North Illinois equestrian community and beyond through quality products, and an expansive array of services, in addition to providing support to riders, owners, trainers, enthusiasts, and the community as a whole.
“I think that we've created something that is self-sustaining, earning a place in the equestrian community and creating tons of friends along the way,” reflected Bowers. “It's nice to be part of this community and feel like in many instances we've made a difference. We’ve provided a go-to source for all levels of equestrians, from the miniature horse owner to the person who travels and shows internationally.
“In the next 10 years, I see a much larger online presence and a closer involvement with our local organizations to make sure that they sustain their growth and continue assisting riders in getting into this sport.”
By: Maggie Markiewicz-Marketing Assistant