Founder, Designer and Horseman Joel Chauran began his affair with leather goods at a very early age. Growing up he was a “Barn Kid”, spending hours grooming and riding horses. He loved putting together pieces of broken leather creating bridles so he and his friends could go riding on the trail. Those days lead to a successful career in horse training winning several national and regional championships with many great Arabian and Morgan horses. Joel feels so grateful to have learned from some of the leaders in the horse Industry including Bob Battaglia, Jerry Sindt, Sheila Varian, Robert Hughes and Rock Walker.

After several years as professional horse trainer Joel returned to school and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the renowned design school CCAC in San Francisco California specializing in Industrial Design.

He then began his design career traveling the globe developing product for retailers including Williams Sonoma Group, Marshall Fields, Neiman Marcus,Target-Stores, World Market, Pier 1 and many more. Joel feels so fortunate to have been taken under the wing of "Design Giant" Celia Tejada during an internship for Pottery Barn who he sites as "getting the party started" of my international design career.

Driven to create equestrian inspired designs using traditional icons in an understated and elegant fashion with a nod to modern vibes, Joel created URBAN-EQUESTRIAN.

With roots in the stable and an understanding that the power and precision of a performance horse depends heavily on the quality and structure of properly made and fitted saddles and bridles, Joel designs each handbag and fashion accessory with that same sensibility and attention to detail.