EQUITANA Innovation Prize: staying warm throughout the winter

EQUITANA Innovation Prize

Waiting a long time for the farrier or vet in winter can soon get pretty chilly. What about a gilet to warm your back? Would that not be an excellent idea?

You know what it is like in winter, you have hardly got settled in the saddle before first a jacket, then a gilet and finally a fleece successively decorate the arena wall. At the latest during the cooling down phase after the lesson, however, or while lunging or having a brief chat in the stable aisle, the cold starts to creep back up your back again. This is an experience that Karin Kattwinkel also frequently made. The holistic equine therapist works outdoors all-year round and knows what it is like to have to keep out the cold. In fact, it was her chapped feet and goose pimples that first gave her the idea for a heated gilet – initially, only for her personal use and then for members of her team. The positive resonance led to the smart garment not only going into mass production but also convincing the EQUITANA prize jury. The team of experts awarded the gilet an innovation prize in the Riding & Workwear and Safety categories. Above all, they praised the product’s simplicity: while keeping you snug and warm at the touch of a button it can also be popped into the washing machine if it needs cleaning. The only thing that needs to be kept dry is the power bank which delivers the energy to the special membrane inside the garment. All you need to do is disconnect it from its USB socket.