Sustainability is important to us

The Röwer & Rüb horse stalls last a lifetime. Solid workmanship and careful selection of materials are very important to us. When horse owners decide to install Röwer & Rüb stalls, they expect high quality and durability. This drives us to constantly improve our horse stables.

roewer-rueb-Pferdeboxen-Bambusbohlen mit Emblem

Origin of the hardwood

We frequently learned from headlines and critical reports that certified hardwoods can also come from illegal channels. This is something we no longer wanted to support. We were also approached by some customers who asked us about the origin of the hardwood planks and the corresponding certificates. We had received these from our wood supplier and were able to give them to our customers. However, we could not be one hundred percent sure. Softwoods such as spruce were not an option. These boards are not strong enough to withstand the force of a horse that is kicking out.

For this reason we started to look for alternatives. We found a fast-growing, renewable raw material – bamboo. We thought that if bamboo could be made into parquet flooring, then it should also be possible to use if for making planks. A reliable bamboo importer was brought on board who had product samples made with various pressings and thicknesses. These were fitted in a horse stable in the neighbourhood for testing purposes and another part was exposed to the seasons for almost two years. It was taken out, re-produced and subjected to further testing until the results were right. We were also approached by some customers who asked us about the origin of the hardwood planks and the corresponding certificates. We had received these from our wood supplier and were able to give them to our customers. However, we could not be one hundred percent sure. Softwoods such as spruce were not an option. These boards are not strong enough to withstand the force of a horse that is kicking out.

Bamboo convinced

The impact tests were also documented on film and in slow motion it was clearly visible how elastic this material is. We had found the alternative to tropical hardwood.

For over a decade, Röwer & Rüb has almost completely dispensed with the use of tropical woods for the construction of its horse stalls. It took us several years to develop bamboo boards in such a way that they also work for horse stalls. Fortunately, most of the stable designers have followed suit, so that a resource that is so important for our planet – the tropical rainforest – is being conserved.