Hi -I'm Eiren (just pronounced "Erin") the owner of VanHorn Leather LLC
how it started
When I first started leather working - it all started on my dining table in our first rental house as a newlywed. I was so tired of spending money on junk products that would fall apart, rust, or snap in half when my horse spooked at the wind. I told myself "hey... you're an engineer - you can figure out how to make this better" so I did. I started making my own halters, bridles, chaps, and bought my little hand-cranked leather sewing machine and got to work. Once other people at boarding barn started asking me to make stuff for them I thought - I could figure it out as I go and share my high quality leather goods with anyone who needed it.... and several years later here we are!
Nerdy Qualifications
Being raised by my grandparents, I was always heavily involved in crafts/hobbies with both of them- my grandma was an avid scrapbooker and needleworker and my grandpa was a retired chemical engineer and enjoyed hobbies of woodworking, firearm ballistics & reloading, and general "figure it out yourself" mentality which is definitely a huge reason I am who I am today! I went to Penn State and graduated with a degree in Nuclear Engineering. During my Senior year I was also "Queen of the Nerds" as my friends called me because I was VP of the Penn Sate chapter of Alpha Nu Sigma which is the National Honors Society for Nuclear Engineering and Science.
Upon graduation I was immediately hired and moved to South Carolina to start working and getting qualified by the government as a Nuclear Criticality Engineer. I have had to take several different courses at various national laboratories. I have been in underground bunkers and "hot cell" facilities to play with and hand load different nuclear test reactors at our national labs out west. After 3 years of apprenticeship under my mentor I finally earned my qualification as a "Crit" Engineer and have loved my career every day since. I was also named the youngest engineer to earn the George Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence during my first year of engineering.
...long story short - I do applied quantum wave and particle physics for a living - which is why I decided it was time to improve the equine red-light therapy products. Every equine red-light product on the market is designed by salespeople that have little experience/knowledge of how to improve the product and convert the physics to apply from humans to cater towards equines which have a much higher bone and muscle density.
The VanHorn Difference
We don't just make leather goods—we craft functional art. Every breast collar, bridle, and accessory is meticulously constructed using the finest leather sourced from trusted AMERICAN suppliers. Every VanHorn piece will serve you faithfully for years to come if cared for and stored properly. We believe in transparency, quality, and the enduring value of honest craftsmanship made right here in South Carolina.
another passion project in the works
Though I mostly cater to the barrel racing world and their style of tack makes my soul swoon with all the eccentric details and crystal glimmer, my passion will always circle back to my love of heavy working drafts. I married into a competitive pulling horse family and there is just something about those gentle giants that pulls my heart close. I am currently working on developing more red-light therapy items that cater to the "big kids" in the equine industry but they are always so neglected when it comes to properly sized products. My goal by the end of 2026 is to establish a full line of red-light products that caters not only to quarter horse sized equines but also the tallest and heaviest draft breeds in the world.
