spoga horse spring came to a successful close, drawing about 4,000 trade visitors from 53 countries.

February 7, 2013

4 Min Read
Spring edition of the spoga horse closes with good results

On February 5, spoga horse spring came to a successful close. With about 4,000 trade visitors from 53 countries, the international trade fair for equestrian sports was able to confirm its previous year's result, recording an increase in the number of countries trade visitors' were travelling from.

"This year, the spoga horse spring once more presented itself at a stable level. The trade fair was again well-received as a business platform by the market. Almost half the visitors were from abroad. Thus, the spoga horse spring again fulfilled its role as the leading international trade fair for the industry," said Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer at Koelnmesse GmbH. About 200 exhibitors used the spoga horse spring to present their new products and the trends of the next season.   

The visitors' survey confirmed the significance of the spoga horse spring as the number one platform for the specialized trade: 80% of the visitors have a decisive influence on buying or procurement decisions or have a say in them. Almost 82% of the respondents were, on the whole, satisfied with what they had achieved with their visit.   

According to BSI, the German equestrian sports industry is at a gratifyingly stable level. Despite the turmoil on the European market in 2012, the German equestrian sports industry continues to present itself stabilized and consolidated. The moderate upward tendency of the year 2011 was able to be retained at a very satisfying level over the past 12 months. The export markets are showing a positive trend as well: the Northern and Eastern European countries are recording growth rates while the global sales market is steadily gaining importance. In this context, the BSI relies on the international character of the spoga horse and is expecting a positive effect on 2013's trade results.  

Trends at the fair: fashion and function
Practical equipment and clothing that is not only highly functional, but also a real eye-catcher outside the stable: today, equestrian clothing is expected to be repellent to wind, water and animal hair, as well as breathable and light. At the same time, looks are becoming more and more important, as equestrian wear must be fashionable enough to be worn outside the stable, too. In the autumn/winter collection for 2013/14, this is ensured by trendy details such as hoods with fur applications. Regarding colours, blue made its appearance either in vibrant, radiant colours or as a maritime ensemble with white and grey. The natural colours not only boasted the classics brown and black, but also the appetising shades cream, caramel and nougat, as well as silver. One of the most striking materials was leather that is coated with carbon. It is both stylish and functional. Boots, mini-chaps and ankle boots were presented in this waterproof, extremely wear-resistant and easy to clean leather, which is at the same time conspicuously beautiful. Regarding saddles, it was again the inner values that counted, particularly the saddle trees. Made adaptable by features such as exchangeable gullet plates, they are supposed to fit all kinds of horses.  

New: shopfitting 2020  
For the first time at the spoga horse spring a joint stand took up shopfitting as a topic: from the right lighting and flooring and the emotional and perfectly staged presentation of goods within the shop right to the concept of "temptation through appealing to the senses" – this stand demonstrated how shopping can be turned into an extraordinary experience.   

Retailer Award 2013: the winners  
For the sixth time the trade magazine REITSPORT-MARKT and Koelnmesse honoured the Best Equestrian Retailer 2013 . This year, the coveted prize was awarded to Reitsport Bentele from Ravensburg. Kubens Reitsport from Weimar took first place in the category "best small tack shop with a sales area of up to 200 square metres". In the "pro craftsmanship" category it was Reit- und Fahrsport Simon from Schlüchtern that made the running. This year was the first time that the jury awarded a further prize, in the category "shopfitting". The winner of this category was Horsemax from Norderstedt. In total, 52 equestrian retailers competed across all categories.    

spoga horse spring 2013 in numbers:
spoga horse spring recorded 197 (spring 2012: 209) companies from 27 (25) countries, with 65 % (64 %) being from abroad. Among them were 66 (69) exhibitors and 3 (6) additional companies from Germany as well as 127 (127) exhibitors and 1 (7) additional company from abroad.  

spoga horse autumn is scheduled from September 8th to 10th, parallel to "spoga+gafa."   

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