The first of its kind – stirrup inserts made of BASF’s ABS/PA blend

The Belgian injection-moulding company Polymar just recently started using Terblend® N, BASF’s ABS/PA blend, to produce toe-cage treads sold under the name Compositi. This marks the first time that this plastic has gone into such an application, where primarily leather or metal had been used up to now. The lightweight, easy-to-install parts prevent the rider’s foot from slipping through the stirrup when the horse is galloping. It really helps children to learn not to put their feet too far into the stirrups. Plastics in these safety-relevant parts for horse-riding have an edge over conventional materials: they are easier to maintain, more dimensionally stable and cheaper.

“We aim to use as much plastic as possible for horseback riding equipment, not only because of its durability and freedom of design, but also because of its cost-efficiency,” explains Polymar’s Jacques Guily. The company also offers spurs made of Terblend N. In contrast to other plastics, Terblend N can be processed without any need for pre-treatment or after-treatment, it is especially impact resistant, it yields attractive surfaces and can be easily coloured. That is why children can now choose stirrups in any colour of the rainbow. A. Schulman, BASF’s sales partner in Belgium, was also involved in the development of this new application.



Terblend N and PlasticsPlus

Stirrup inserts for children made of Terblend® N.
Terblend N, BASF’s ABS/PA blend, belongs to the assortment of specialty plastics bundled under the umbrella of PlasticsPlus™. Whenever exacting requirements have to be met, the experts and products of PlasticsPlus offer a high level of innovative solutions, diversity, partnership and reliability. The PlasticsPlus product line comprises high-performance styrene plastics, biodegradable materials and foams.