Five companies have been awarded the prestigious Spoga Horse Top Innovations award at the massive trade show which took place Feb. 3-5 in Cologne. This year, a top-class international jury of experts examined nearly 60 entries, narrowed them down to 32 nominees and the products were on display in the Boulevard of Innovations throughout the show.
Kevin Maxie, co-founder of Struck Apparel alongside wife Ashley Maxie, accepting the award at Spoga. (Koelnmesse GmbH, Maxi Uellendahl photo)
The winning products were from the following companies: Horseware Ireland, Prestige Italia Spa, Struck Apparel, uvex sports GmbH and WeatherBeeta UK Ltd.
A true revolution in technical show jackets, the Struck Apparel’s Shacket looks like a show jacket, performs like a show jacket, but pulls over like your favourite sports jersey. Struck, a Canadian-owned company, has taken the best in performance textiles and applied them to a new, innovative design that improves the fit, feel and performance of a traditional show jacket.
“We are beyond excited and honoured to receive SPOGA’s Innovation award for 2024,” Ashley Maxie told Horse Sport. “At Struck, we’re always trying to move the sport forward and push the boundaries to help encourage more participation and sponsorship. The Shacket is a pullover design that allows for limitless customizable graphic and logo-ing options, but still provides a beautiful streamlined silhouette. We believe it’s the evolution of equestrian apparel. It’s amazing to be recognized on such a global stage, and we are so thankful to be celebrated for our innovation, on behalf of Canada and Struck.”
The special ‘Best Start-up Product’ award was presented for the first time at spoga horse 2024 to recognize the many start-ups exhibiting and taking part in the competition. This year, the special prize went to Barnery GbR for their magnetic bridle holder ‘Barnery 2’.
The Equine Professional Favourite powered by Barn Net was also awarded for the second year running. The special award for the most promising innovation from the point of view of those who work with horses daily was chosen by a jury of over 50 professionals. This year’s winner of the special prize was Vierkant Software GmbH with its AI-based app “Focus Horse”.
(All winning products and the 32 nominees can be viewed HERE.)
More from News:
