Who is behind Reiten & Leder?

Irene – The Creative Shoe Lover with a Passion for Horses

I’m Irene, a Spanish native with a love for great food, traveling, and—of course—shoes! My academic journey took me through a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Journalism, followed by a Master’s in Translation and Interpreting. Along the way, I also trained as a sommelier and gained experience in hotel management and service. But my true passion? Boots! Since 2011, I have been a dedicated and passionate boot seller.

One thing was always clear to me: I wanted to ride! But growing up in a city family with no connection to animals, that dream seemed out of reach for a long time. It wasn’t until I became financially independent that I could finally make it happen. And how did I start? In my mid-20s—pretty unconventionally—by buying a (green) horse with absolutely no riding lessons or experience. I couldn’t afford lessons, so I had to figure things out on my own. My loyal companion moved with me first to Switzerland, then to Germany, and he is still happily living here today.

Now, I am living my dream—working surrounded by horses and horse people. My job includes everything related to our business, from office work, orders, and shipping to managing our webshop. But the best part? Buying shoes, designing boots, and discovering new products! Isn’t it amazing to make a living by doing what you love?

Stefan – The Pragmatist on the Team

Stefan comes from a family with a horse background, although he only rode briefly as a child. Today, he is our all-rounder—taking care of everything related to our horses at home while keeping us organized and on track.

Despite having a full-time job of his own, he helps just as much in the store and at trade fairs. Small repairs? He handles those himself, so we don’t have to send them all the way to Portugal. And when it comes to logistics—whether in the shop or at events—he is the man with the plan. He’s the one who keeps our feet firmly on the ground.

Lotta – Our Youngest Team Member with Big Equestrian Dreams

Lotta was born in 2013 and has practically grown up among boots. As a baby, she spent every weekend in a stroller at horse shows with our sales trailer—and of course, she was present at all the trade fairs. And today? She’s still right in the middle of it all!

She has since become a passionate eventing pony rider, working hard every day to chase her dreams with dedication and determination.

How It All Began

Like so many things in life—completely by chance. The best things happen unexpectedly, and that’s exactly how Reiten & Leder started.

In 2011, while traveling in Portugal, I bought a pair of handcrafted riding boots. The quality impressed me so much that many of my friends and acquaintances in Germany admired them, too. So, I thought: Why not import a few boots and sell them within my circle? And so, in mid-2012, I started selling my first pairs as a hobby while still working full-time as a translator. Back then, my entire inventory fit into a VW bus, which I used to travel to competitions.

After our daughter was born in 2013, my hobby gradually turned into a real business. Since I was home, I decided to focus on it full-time, built a webshop, and used my Spanish roots to find unique products in Spain and Portugal for my customers. Selling custom boots online? That’s impossible! – That’s what everyone told me. But I believed in it. I still remember my very first webshop order—and that customer still shops with us today!

My first “office” was our living room—where I also welcomed my first customers for custom boot fittings. In the beginning, I attended small rural competitions with just a simple tent. Later, we bought a used sales trailer, and over time, we started attending larger events and trade fairs. A few years later, the office moved into what used to be our child’s bedroom, and the inventory was stored in the basement—by then, we had four fully stocked shelves of boots.

At first, I sold various boot brands, including many well-known names. But at some point, I realized that I almost always recommended Celeris to my customers. The price-performance ratio was simply unbeatable—boots of this quality usually cost twice as much. So, I made a clear decision: to focus entirely on Celeris. As a result, we now hold the exclusive rights to sell Celeris boots in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Poland, and we are the sole agents. Our offering is further complemented by our own Spanish boot line, which is made exclusively for us, as well as handcrafted leather accessories.

As our customer base grew, one thing became clear: We needed a proper space to welcome our clients. After a long search, we finally found the perfect location in 2018—an old nightclub! The first major renovation project was, of course, the showroom, which we quickly spruced up. It served us well until 2024, when we gave it a complete makeover.

And the property? We are still working on it—bit by bit. A stable, a home… we are building it all step by step. Today, our horses live here, our office is here, and our house is here. We are truly living our pony-farm dream.

The Future – Bigger, Better, More?

“Don’t you want to grow more?” – Why don’t you open other stores? Why don’t you hire more employees to increase your sales? We get asked these questions all the time. And our answer is always the same: No.

We love knowing our customers personally—and they know us. When someone calls us, they know exactly who they’re talking to. It’s always just the two of us—the same faces, at trade fairs, on the phone, in the office. After all these years of attending countless events, we have friends and customers all over Germany.

When COVID hit, we introduced boot fitting tours—an idea born out of necessity that quickly became a real passion project. We travel directly to our customers, offer personalized fittings, and get to experience amazing encounters along the way. This personal connection is what we love, and it’s exactly why we don’t want to “grow” in the traditional sense.

We stay flexible, offering showroom appointments—even on Sundays or at unusual hours. Because that’s what makes us special: no impersonal mass production, just honest, individual consultation with heart.

Growth? Yes—but not in numbers. In quality, connection, and passion.