Made for a horse, not for a shelf.
Every piece is made individually in our atelier in Hamburg — from wool, merino wool or cotton, in your colour, and to your horse's measurements if you wish.
What goes into one of our rugs
You can't tell a good rug at first glance. You can tell by the feel, the weight, the seams — and by how it looks after the third winter. Here we show you what our rugs and saddle pads are made of, how we choose our fabrics, and what happens after you buy.
Sources: International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO); McQueen et al., Textile Research Journal, 2007.
It's worth checking the label: some rugs with “wool” in the name are actually made largely of polyester. Our fabrics are 100% wool, merino wool or cotton.
Feel, grammage, smell
How we choose our fabrics
Before a fabric reaches our cutting table, it has to pass three tests. We call it our 3G rule.
Feel. We take every fabric in hand. It should lie soft against the skin and still be sturdy enough for the stable, the trailer and everyday life.
Grammage. Our boiled wool weighs 410 grams per square metre, the merino wool of our coolers 550 grams, and the cotton of our coolers 300 to 320 grams. Enough substance to keep warm and hold its shape.
Smell. A fabric should smell of wool or cotton, not of chemicals. If it smells harsh, it doesn't get used in our workshop.
All our wool fabrics come from mulesing-free farming. We source the merino fabric for our coolers from a supplier in Germany, the saddle felt from Austria, the merino felt for our bandage pads from Geesthacht near Hamburg, and the cotton from Italy and Turkey. The wool fleece for our under rug comes from lavalan in Dinkelsbühl, Franconia — made from European virgin wool.
Anatomy of a rug
- Boiled wool at 410 g/m² — or merino wool at 550 g/m²
- Cotton at 300–320 g/m²
- Trim of 100% cotton, all around
- Anatomical cut for freedom of movement at the shoulder and withers
- On request: real lambskin at the withers
- Front closure and detachable tail cord; surcingle, cross surcingles and leg straps of your choice
- Leather patch
And under the saddle
Our saddle pads are sewn from the same boiled wool, with a core of wool felt instead of foam. With the Relief model, the withers stay free — on every horse, not just a high one. We show you what's behind it on a page of its own.
Made to measure, in your colour
Most of our rugs are only made once you order them — in about two weeks. So you can choose: rugs in ten sizes from 75 to 165 cm, or made to your horse's measurements, at no extra cost and with no longer wait. Over 70 colours. Embroidery on request.
If you'd like to see and feel the fabrics and colours first: the Sample Box comes to your home. Or visit us for Private Shopping in Hamburg.
In the atelier
We check every length of fabric before it's cut.
By patterns Catherine developed herself — or to your horse's measurements.
All around with cotton binding, seam by seam.
Front closure, tail cord and the straps you chose.
Before a rug leaves the atelier, it passes through our hands once more.
Catherine was looking for a wool cooler — and couldn't find one. From her grandmother, a seamstress, she had learned what matters in fabrics and seams. That's how an idea began — in the summer of 2021, it became Chevaux Nature.
Care
A wool rug needs little: brush it out, air it, and run it through a wool wash cycle once or twice a year. Our care sheet comes free with it — just add it to your basket.
Wash and care service, repairs
If you'd rather hand off the care: you book the wash and care service in the shop, send your rug to our atelier, and have it back in about two weeks. If a seam ever comes open or a strap tears, write to us — we'll check whether the rug can be repaired.
30-day returns
And if a rug in a standard size and catalogue colour doesn't fit after all: you have 30 days to return it.