At Aloga Equestrian, we pride ourselves on the attention and detail that goes into the design, development and manufacturing of your horse’s blanket. To ensure that every Aloga blanket meets the highest standards of quality, they are put through rigorous testing before ever being shipped to you. April Allen & Gareth Herr take us behind-the-scenes at how we ensure your Aloga blankets are built to withstand the toughest of challenges while letting horses be horses.
MATERIAL TESTING
The foundation of every Aloga blanket is its fabric. ‘Before we sample a style or go into production, all our materials are subjected to a number of quality assurance tests that are carried out by a third party laboratory,’ Gareth explains. ‘The tests that are carried out include waterproofness, fabric tear strength, breathability, color fastness, pilling, washing and weight. Fabrics are tested against the specifications we have designed to ensure these requirements have been met.’ Once all fabric compounds have been tested and successfully passed, sampling begins. Styles are made up in a variety of sizes and tested firstly at Ballywalter Stud in Co. Wexford in Ireland under April’s supervision.
TEST, TEST AND TEST AGAIN
‘Before we launched the Aloga range we have today, every style underwent three years of testing,’ April arranges for both core and new products to be tested across the one hundred horses that live in Ballywalter Stud. ‘We test across a wide range of our horses. We have various ages of horses with a variety of different body shapes. The turnout styles are tested on the horses that are living out full time so they are on 24/7 and exposed to a whole host of elements. The indoor styles such as our stable and cooler blankets are used on the horses that are competing and in work so they are being used daily both at home and while traveling. Our yard is based on the coast just off the Irish sea so we are subject to severe weather - be it wind, rain or sleet - so it makes for an ideal opportunity to see how blankets hold up. Equally, the sea air makes for a great test for ensuring our anti-rust hardware will withstand moist, salty air. Our horses are turned out in groups so fabrics are put to the test to see how they withstand the group dynamics of horses living out together.’
Aloga blankets, whether they are part of the core range or are new designs, go through a sampling process that requires them to be tested for three full seasons before the decision is made to produce that style into wider testing. Fabrics or styles that might fail during testing are re-developed, re-tested and re-sampled before April begins a new trail on the farm. ‘The test products are checked everyday and any changes are recorded immediately to ensure our design process aligns directly with the real needs of the horse.’
To ensure all climates, weather and environments are considered blankets are sent for further testing in Sweden and Germany during colder winter months allowing for temperature drops to be monitored as well as UV stabilization to ensure straps and bindings don't become brittle when in continuous sunlight.
EXTERNAL FEEDBACK
‘Once the styles have reached a stage where we are happy with their functionality internally we work with our Aloga Team riders and arrange a wider scale test for the products. This allows for real-time feedback from some of the industry’s leading riders and grooms,’ April describes this phase of testing for allowing for the blankets to be used in different climates and scenarios. ‘Their feedback is invaluable in refining every detail—from weight and ease of use to overall fabric performance—so the final product exceeds your expectations,’ Gareth adds, ‘Only when a product has gone through all three phases is it ready for us to sign off for production’.
Even when a style has been added to the range and produced as part of the Aloga collection, there is a wide scale quality control check on bulk production before blankets arrive in our warehouse to ensure they match the approved standards. Styles from each production are sent to April to continue testing ensuring Aloga styles continue to perform when produced as part of bulk production.
The extensive testing process and expert feedback from different riders, locations and disciplines has allowed for Aloga Equestrian to produce an exceptional quality standard across it’s product range that is loved by horses from around the world.