About RS Saddles
The Story of RS Saddles
Ruth's passion for horses started as a toddler. Living around the corner from a local riding school and walking by on the way home from kindergarten was where her love began. Her mum tells the story of getting dragged to the fence to pat “Fudge” in the closest stable!
Coming from a non-horsey family she tirelessly worked on her parents until they gave in and at 14 bought her first pony Ted. Ted was where her love for Eventing started with them competing at several Pony Club Area Eventing competitions and hunting.
Leaving school she went on to gain valuable experience in Dressage, rehab, backing, and Eventing yards. Including Olympic Gold medalist Leslie Law where she travelled to many International Events including the European Championships at Blenheim and Kentucky, USA.
“At RS Saddles we are proud to be part of your equine team, helping you achieve your goals.”
After a brief break from working with horses (but still Eventing!) Ruth went trucking for 2 years! It soon became obvious that a draw back to a career with horses was too strong. It was at this point that Ruth embarked on her Saddlery journey. RS Saddles was born in 2007! After 5 years Ruth Qualified with the Society of Master Saddlers as a Qualified Saddler and then soon after a Qualified Saddle Fitter (2012). Ruth has also now achieved the highest current qualification in Saddle Fitting “Master Saddle Fitter” and also is on the board of Assessors for the SMS.
Ruth has worked tirelessly over the last 17yrs to build the business from 15 saddles to 150! With now 2 saddle Fitters and a fantastic facility where clients can come to have Saddle Fittings. Ruth also works closely with Erreplus Italian Saddlery as their UK technical advisor.
Ruth has produced and Evented several horses up to Intermediate and 2*. The most special of which her horse of a lifetime “Libby” who, now retired, has bred the gorgeous, cheeky 2yr old Connemara x “Spout” who will hopefully fill his mother's shoes!
At home Ruth has the loving support of her husband Joel (also tech support for RS Saddles!) and daughter, Ettie. Who are ever patient with her hectic lifestyle!
Vicky Stacey
Saddle Fitter
Vicky's love of horses started at the age of 9. On leaving school she worked at various yards from riding schools to competition yards. After taking a step back from horses to start a family Vicky worked an office based job dealing with all things accounts for a local retailer. After purchasing a pony for my daughter, I soon realised how in depth and sometimes tricky saddle fitting could be and this had her wanting to learn more.
After over 3 years of training to become a saddle fitter around her full time office job, Vicky made the huge decision to change careers and join RS Saddles as a saddle fitter, qualified through The Society of Master Saddlers.
Beth Kerslake
Admin Assistant
Keeping a steady hand on RS Saddles' administration is Beth Kerslake. With on-the-ground experience running and managing riding club entries for BRC affiliated competitions, her approach can be summarised in one attitude: community. As a keen amateur competitor, she loves nothing more than exploring different disciplines and seeing her horses flourish.
A genuine passion for equine behaviour and saddlery has seen her train and rehabilitate ex-race horses for the last decade, culminating in her and Vic's performance at the RoR championships in 2022 at Aintree. At home, her ever-expanding skillset keeps the family farm flourishing - from calving and haymaking, to driving tractors and submitting paperwork.
If you've spoken to anyone on the phone, it's probably Beth. Managing bookings, handling invoices, and keeping everyone in the loop, Beth keeps everyone at RS Saddles on the bit.
