California Riding Magazine • February, 2012

Loddon Horse Stalls
What's "green" about steel and plastic?

by Robert Mooney - Director Marketing and Sales, Loddon US

Loddon is the best-known European Horse Stall manufacturer with over 40 years of experience. But, that was the old Loddon.
In 2010, Loddon was acquired by the Camellia plc group, which employs 75,000 people worldwide with assets approaching $1.5 billion. The name Loddon is the same but the entire management is new, the commitment to unfailing customer support is new, and the results over the past two years verifies the new, fresh approach is gratefully received by our clients.

Happily, what isn't new is our team of real craftsmen, many of whom have worked for Loddon for over 20 years. Nor is the pride they craft into each piece.

What else is really new? Well, rust! Some high-end manufacturers in the U.S. use pre-galvanized steel. "Pre" means that the steel has a thin coat of galvanizing on it. That is OK so long as they don't try to weld two or more pieces together to make their stall component. When you weld pre-galvanized steel you destroy the galvanizing. So, they spray paint over the welds and claim the "galvanizing" spray paint offers the same lasting protection. Really?

Loddon panels are entirely welded before galvanizing.

At Loddon, we weld together the entire panel, chemically remove grease and scaling, and then immerse the entire panel in molten zinc. That means that the welds are galvanized also, and if that wasn't significant enough, the galvanized coating is three times thicker than the coating on the "pre" galvanized steel. Thicker is better! After the hot zinc bath, the whole panel goes through an eight-stage pre-cleaning and etching process to ensure a perfect finish. Only then is it powder coated. Color is then baked on, securing the hot dip protection and long-lasting color.

Loddon is honored to hold the Royal Warrant. It is the highest honor a manufacturer can hold in England. Only one manufacturer in a category is chosen… It is like the Good Housekeeping Seal on steroids!

Every 90 seconds, worldwide, one ton of steel is lost to rust. It stands to reason that Loddon hot dipped stalls manufactured to last 50-plus years without rust is a "greener" alternative to pre-galvanized stalls with a life expectancy of 20-25 years. Half the energy is used if you don't have to make the same stalls twice!

Hot dip galvanising panels at Loddon.

When you buy a Loddon stall, you don't have to pay extra for latches to keep the doors closed, tracks and rollers to slide the door, or wood to put in the panels to finish the stall. I understand some U.S. manufacturers sell barn windows without the glass. Loddon supplies everything needed to complete the installation.

In addition to traditional hardwood, Loddon offers two green alternatives for infills for the stall panels. The organic one is a pressure-molded bamboo - the fastest growing weed on earth. The other is recycled polypropylene. "Ugh," you say. "Plastic!" Well, the material is non-porous and virtually indestructible. Using it as a stall component is a far better alternative to give it a second life instead of dumping it in a landfill.

Anyway, it is the non-porous characteristic that's important. It can be pressure-washed with a disinfectant. With wood, disease organisms can enter the pores of wood and live happily until an opportunity presents itself to infect a horse. I recall horses love to eat wood and rub against it. Did you know that "rain rot" organisms remain infective for up to six months after being scraped off the horse? Did you ever see a horse with rain rot rub against the stall? Plastic makes sense for environmental health.

Loddon's Nelson Stalls.

Part of my role as Director Marketing & Sales is to provide this and other information to prospective clients and to involve myself in each project from concept through installation, insuring each project exceeds the client's high expectations of Loddon in every way. Gone are the days when we built an order and relied on someone else to deal with the client. We're hands-on for keeps!

Another facet of my role is to bring to Loddon dependable, knowledgeable representatives who have continuously demonstrated honesty and integrity in dealings with their clients. At the moment I'm looking for representatives for Northern and Southern California.

Over the years, I've seen ads for "European-style" stalls. Well, we are European, not a copy. The real deal! After all, why kiss a mannequin?

For more information on Loddon horse stalls, call Robert Mooney at 800-799-2276 or e-mail edcmooney@yahoo.com or visit www.loddon.co.uk.