Glen Gardiner, originally from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, moved extensively throughout Australia with his family when he was young. His association with horses and leather working commenced during this time as a young child. .

Like a lot of other country kids, Glen participated in pony club and later did stock work and eventually started and trained horses on his family’s Appaloosa Horse Stud and other properties. He played polocrosse and dabbled in camp drafting and rode in several local rodeos.

Glen was first introduced to leather working and carving as part of an after school hours program when his family lived in Perth Western Australia.  This was of particular value when he and his family moved to South East Queensland where he started to get involved with horses at around nine to ten years of age.

He continued developing his leather craft and horsemanship skills and experience throughout his family’s travels and in later life. As a young man Glen put his skills to good use repairing saddles and working with horses on properties that he worked on. 

 

He later joined the Australian Army, serving in regular and reserve units for 18 years. During  that time  for several years Glen was the Supervising Officer of a Regular Army military equestrian team that conducted ceremonial activities for military, government and royal dignitaries. The organisation also conducted military skills demonstrations along the East Coast of Australia.

In addition to military functions and demonstrations, he also supervised the team in support of Australian Light Horse Association events and activities.

For his efforts Glen received an Australia Day Achievement Award in 1993 from the Australia Day Council.

The unit he supervised developed a close association with the Queensland Mounted Infantry Historical Troop (QMI HT), a Light Horse reenactment group. QMI HT has a close association with the Australian Regular Army 2/14 Queensland Mounted Infantry which can trace its origins back to 1860 and is the oldest unit in the Australian Regular Army,

Today he is a member of the QMI HT and and when he returns to Australia he parades with the reenactment troop. Glen is also a member of the Waler Horse Society of Australia (WHSA)

Glen currently resides in Jakarta Indonesia where he and his wife have a business risk solutions and professional services consulting company.

In his spare time he trains horses using Australian natural horsemanship methods and still tent pegs and shares his knowledge on horsemanship, military equitation, mounted ceremonial drill and military skills time and work permitting.

In addition to keeping his equestrian skills maintained Glen also takes the time to build Universal Pattern Military saddles and tack including the 1902 fixed tree and 1912 swivel tree saddles of Australian Light Horse fame.

 

 

Glen actively maintains his leather craft working in association with Trevor and Daniel James in Brisbane, producing high quality leather carving for James Saddlery in addition to building Light Horse saddles and tack.

 

If you are in the Indonesian area and would like to contact Glen for saddle assistance and/or advice, please email him at glen.gardiner@concord-consulting.com