Horseperson Trenton Ryder Smith-Worthington

In 1794, during George Washington’s fifth year as president, Normand Smith opened a saddlery in Hartford, Connecticut, that would become known as the Smith-Worthington Company. He was an enterprising business owner, and that entrepreneurial spirit has been a driving force behind each of SmithWorthington’s leaders for 229 years — it’s the reason the Smith-Worthington name in new ways. Trenton Ryder is the young visionary at the helm of the SmithWorthington Company today, and his story starts with a trail ride and a saddle.

CH: How have horses been part of your life? Did you grow up riding?

Trenton: I did not grow up in a horse family; however, we did go on a family trail ride roughly 17 years ago and since lives on today. Throughout the centuries, leaders have ushered the business through times of booming growth and times of global challenges — they’ve taken risks and embraced new ideas, and through it all they’ve remained dedicated to their customers and their craft.

This year is the beginning of a new era, with a new leader who embodies all these time-tested qualities. He’s also passionate about horses and history, he thinks big, and he’s excited to rebuild the Smith-Worthington Company. He wants to honor the heritage and legacy of the business; he wants to compete with modern high-end brands; and he wants to test how equine businesses can support riders that moment, I was hooked! Because we couldn’t afford regular lessons, I began working at different barns mucking stalls and cleaning horses in exchange for ride time. I would ride any horse I could get my hands on. When I first started riding, I had no formal training but as time went on opportunities presented themselves, and I was able to work at facilities that allowed me to gain more formal instruction. I now specialize in three-day eventing and dressage.

CH: How did you first connect with Smith-Worthington?

Trenton: I first got in contact with the previous owners of the company, Curtis and Ruth Hanks, back in 2012. I had purchased a dressage saddle in Georgia. Knowing nothing about the brand I returned home to Massachusetts and did some research. I discovered that my saddle was a Smith-Worthington brand. I scheduled a time to drive to Hartford, Connecticut, and spent the better part of the day talking with Curtis and Ruth. They showed me around the warehouse, told me about the company’s immense history, and showed me the craftsmanship of my newly purchased saddle. This was fascinating to me. I kept the saddle for several years and then sold it to a friend.

When I was attending university, I remember discussing the company with my accounting professor in my freshman year. I said, “Someday I’m going to buy that business and make it great again.” But life moved on, and to be honest, I forgot about the company and had plans for other ventures.

It wasn’t until 2021 that I was reminded of Smith-Worthington, after a conversa- tion regarding the reasons why certain businesses did or did not survive the global pandemic. It was at this time that I discovered the state of the business. Curtis Hanks had passed away and Ruth was in the process of closing the company. I wrote her a letter and expressed my interest in purchasing the company. She invited me over for lunch and we spent several hours discussing life and the state of the company. We had a wonderful conversation. She then asked me, “Why do you want to buy Smith-Worthington?” I expressed my desire to preserve the company’s great heritage and the desire to pave a way for myself in this world, which so often puts roadblocks in your path. It was time for me to do something different and combine my passions and my interests by taking this business and carrying it on for the future. I’m honored to have the ability to steward this business. After this conversation with Ruth, we began the negotiation process and ended up closing on the business this past March.

CH: What are you working on now and what is your vision for the future?

Trenton: When I purchased the business, the building had been sold and the inventory was gone. I purchased mainly the intangibles, which include the name, website, and trademarks. There were some historical items I was able to secure upon the sale but ultimately it has been up to me to establish a new entity. I’m in the design and manufacturing stage. That is accompanied by immense legal processes, which come with forming a company of this scale. I have a very specific vision of what I want my products to look like and I’m finding the tradespeople to fulfill my visions. Smith-Worthington previously carried a full range of products to completely outfit equestrians. However, because I’m basically starting from scratch, we will begin with a handful of products and grow over the coming years to reestablish ourselves as a premier saddlery in the global market. The goal is to get Smith-Worthington back to a place where we compete with the higher-end saddlery brands. We will start with bridles, girths, breastplates, and other leather goods and grow to produce saddles in the coming years.

CH: How do you feel about taking this historic business into the future?

Trenton: I’m excited! When I was in university, I worked at a house museum. I gave tours and worked in the collections and interiors department, which was responsible for furnishing the rooms and acquiring original items back into the collection. I recall stating that “this was one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.” It’s human nature to look for something to steward that is greater than ourselves. For this small moment in history, I get to be the one who stewards Smith-Worthington forward and preserves it for future generations. When Smith-Worthington was founded in 1794, Normand Smith was in his twenties. He probably never thought that the business would still exist over 200 years later, or that another young man would purchase his company and desire to preserve it for the future, but here we are. I love history and I love horses; what better way to combine my two passions? The question then becomes, how do I preserve a company like this and yet ensure it for the future? The answer comes with a desire to preserve its tangible past in the form of objects, documents, and past products, but in a very real sense it also means preserving its legacy and reputation by producing high-quality products and maintaining high standards for the future. It would be very easy for a company this old to get stuck in a certain way of doing something or to disregard its past all together. There’s a marriage between that and I’m honored to be the one to carry this flag for as long as I’m given. I’m very humbled.

CH: What’s your goal for getting the business reestablished and seeing some items become available?

Trenton: The goal is to have products in the market by the end of the year — that’s a very ambitious goal for sure. While at business school we discussed issues of this nature but there are a lot of obstacles you just don’t know about until you encounter them. When forming a business there are a tremendous number of details the public will never see. This includes the legality of trademarks and patents, formation of the entity, as well as designing products and specifications. All of these elements must be in place before any products hit the market. I had been working on these things before I made the announcement of the purchase of the company, so I am hopeful that we will have exciting product announcements in the coming months.

CH: You also have a vision for SmithWorthington being involved more directly with riding. How do you see that developing?

Trenton: As much as the horse industry has advanced throughout the decades, there can be a lot of other advancements in the way in which companies interact with riders. This extends beyond traditional sponsorships. The vision for Smith-Worthington is to become a multifaceted business — making horse equipment but continuing to mold and shape equestrian sports in other ways. That could include being involved in owning horses, sponsoring riders, breeding, providing grants for competitors all the while providing the best equipment on the market to allow riders to compete and ride to their very best. It’s more than just making and selling horse equipment, although that’s the core. The conversation must be around preserving the sport.

CH: What else would you like people to know about your vision and plans going forward?

Trenton: There’s a great photo of an old New York showroom where you can see saddles lined up for sale and the back door open, which reveals people standing with their horses waiting to be fit for equipment. I want to bring that back! As the company grows, a goal would be to set up a showroom accessible for people to bring their horses.

With my experience working in the museum collections department, and considering Smith-Worthington’s rich history, I want to start a company museum. I’m currently on the hunt to acquire historical items back for that very purpose. As the company establishes a more permanent location, my vision is to have horses, riding rings, testing facilities, warehouses, showrooms, and a museum where people can learn about this company’s rich and exciting history.

Sara Esthus is a brand strategist and designer, and she loves working on creative projects with farms and small businesses. Sara also enjoys serving on the Granby, Connecticut agricultural commission to help support local farms. She and her family have a small home farm in Granby, and she tries to ride her offthe-track Thoroughbred Red as much as possible.