Mixture matters!
Composite Horseshoes...
As the name says, the Duplo is a composite horseshoe
- a composite of two materials.
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Both materials have to fit perfectly together in order to create a horseshoe
that is abrasion-resistant, solid and yet shock-absorbing, with convincing (anti-)sliding behavior,
and that is flexible enough not to block the natural function of the hoof mechanism. Quite a challenge!
We are happy that we have solved that problem. The success of our current Standard and Extra models shows that
(with our hard work during the past 20 years) we have created a reliable high-tech product.
However, we don't want to rest on our laurels but "stay on the ball" and react to your feedback as far as possible!
Mixture Matters
Climate change, global warming, throwaway society… these are some of the negative headlines we have to face as a company as well.
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For examle, the climate change creates new challenges for our product. In winter, the periods during which all trails are snow-covered get shorter. And in summer, there are more and more often heat waves during which tarmac roads can quickly reach temperature of 50°C.
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The changes in the surrounding conditions particularly affect endurance riders. Our developing department has therefore started looking for a new material that offers better abrasion resistance under these conditions by means of a slightly changed mixture.
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The worldwide call for a better handling of our resources and the recycling idea which is becoming more and more important in all areas have caused us to check whether the regranulate (which we already use for several by-products such as wedges and modification accessories) might be suitable for our horseshoes as well.
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In this season, we need your help!
Test the new mixtures and tell us your opinion.
The mixture versions will be available from 118mm to 142mm in round and oval shape as Duplo Clipped and Profiled. They are well recognizable by their knob colors:
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„the blue Duplo“ – a slightly softer mixture of the new material that might be particularly interesting for endurance riders
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„the yellow Duplo“ – a slightly harder mixture of the new material that might be particularly interesting for endurance riders
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„the black Duplo“ – made from the regranulate of our established Standard horseshoes
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„the pink Duplo“ – made from the regranulate of our established Extra horseshoes
We are looking forward to your opinion!
Regranulate – what’s that?!
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During the production of our horseshoes, certain sprues drop out. They are cut off our products and collected in large vessels. By means of a special procedure, these sprues are converted into new synthetic granulate – the regranulate. It’s kind of a recycling procedure.
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We already use the regranulate for several by-products, such as our wedges. Our aim for this year is to find out whether the material is also appropriate for our Duplo Horseshoes.
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The "new mixture"
The right mixture of synthetic materials is one of the determining factors for the success of a composite horseshoe. The search for it has kept us quite occupied in the first few years of our company!
We have had several setbacks on our way to the material mixture of our current Standard and Extra horseshoes.
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Your feedback over the years has shown us that our mixtures are successful. Many riders can even use their horseshoes for more than one shoeing period. However, as always, the exception proves the rule. That’s why we have decided to look for a material for those of you who are not yet completely happy with our current mixtures because of their particular requirements concerning abrasion resistance.
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The mixture of synthetic materials for our horseshoes must not only be abrasion-resistant but also shock-absorbing and skid-proof.
Duplo Innovations serves to test new products and, in short, to find out what works and what does not. In the case of the new test materials (which were intended primarily for endurance riders) we unfortunately found that they are comparable to the synthetic material of our regular Duplo horseshoes. The horseshoes with the blue and yellow knob arrays performed well in abrasion but we had clearly hoped for more. For this reason, we have decided to discontinue the "yellow" and "blue" Duplo models. We thank all testers for their feedback!