Get the Gallop from Sweden: An all women girl-power business!
If you love great equestrian design products made in a sustainable way, you should check out the Swedish brand Get the Gallop. We wanted to know the secret behind this blooming brand, founded and built by four impressive ladies from our neighbor country. Here is their story and a few tips for your own stable cabinet.
Published:
March 21st, 2022
It all started with an email. Caroline Kanekrans, one of the three future founding partners emailed Lisen Bratt Fredricson, the former Olympic rider, to outline the initial idea for the brand. Her response was short but full of promise.
“Call me, she wrote back, and that was it,” Caroline explains.
Shortly after the third founding partner, Louise Hamilton, came onboard, even though she had no first-hand experience with horses of any kind.
“Louise was also game straight away because she could see the great potential in the idea. What we were missing was an equestrian lifestyle company with focus on e-commerce, design, sustainability, and user experience.”
To start the three mixed their own products, like the Sharktooth browbands which was their first product, with a curated selection of other brands handpicked by the team. However, each year they noticed that customers were mostly buying their own branded products.
“That led us to a decision to go all in doing what we love, and the Get the Gallop brand was cemented.”
So, who is the GTG-team and how do they work together?
“We’re an all women girl-power business (no offence, we love men). We have a very flat organization and are not fans of titles. We have freelancers, employees, and interns in different parts of Sweden but we’re all one company and try to all gather as much as we can in our office in Stockholm.”
The GTG-team in a brief:
Lisen Bratt Fredricson needs no introduction for those who has followed show jumping through the years. She has competed in two Olympics, several Grand Prix wins, Falsterbo Derby win, Swedish Championship titles to mention some merits, but has also been an avid entrepreneur having founded several events and companies within the sport. In the team she is the one with the eyes for design and detail.
Caroline Kanekrans is the one with the focus on business development, PR and marketing. She is also a horse lover and rider, having grown up with more horses and dogs than she can count. Already at the age of 19 she started her first business. Since then, she’s been working in various industries including fashion, interiors, advertising and communication, either running her own businesses or working at nice companies such as Mother London and Dubarry of Ireland.
Louise Hamilton is GTGs Art Director, Web-pro and Digi-everything! Her career in advertising has taken her all over the world, working at some of the top names in advertising and digital communication. She also co-founded an art gallery and one of the first web-shops in Sweden to sell firsthand art online. From art to horses – not as big a leap as you might think!
In 2020 the founding trio was joined by another horse girl and power woman, Anna Axenbjer. Anna is now a partner as well as Head of Production at Get the Gallop.
“Apart from being a kick ass buyer and creative product developer, she’s also got her eyes set on building the Get the Gallop brand and making sure it’s done in a sustainable and long-lasting way.”
Get the Gallop is built on the brand philosophy of designing products with a passion for sustainability, horses, creativity, and fun. When asked what they want to achieve, Caroline knows exactly what they are aiming for:
“To become better at what we do, while building a healthy and fun company full of creative people ready to take on the world! We want to better our products, develop our materials and designs. We also have an exciting new design collaboration coming up later this year which we’re really excited about.
Going all-in on your own designs and products, can you give us an insight into your development process? Who is leading that important part of your business?
“Often one of us has an idea for a new product, something that we are missing in our lives, or that we have a new idea for or a way of improving. Then the four of us all gets involved, it’s a team effort. We all have different areas of expertise and interests so we can be passionate about different products, colors, and patterns. But when it comes to the big things, we’re all in agreement. For example, on environmental issues, equality, longevity in design and quality we have the same point of views.”
“We aren’t perfect (yet) but are working towards having the most environmentally friendly material for each of our products.”
It is easy to understand that sustainability is a key factor for the GTG-team. And also they are not that impressed by the standards of the industry.
“The equestrian world is still very behind in terms of sustainable materials and production. We aren’t perfect (yet) but are working towards having the most environmentally friendly material for each of our products. For some products that’s recycled polyester, for some wool and some vegetable tanned leather. Just mass-producing products at the cost of the planet, shoving new products out in the world without passion and purpose, is not galloping.”
We couldn’t agree more with Caroline’s description of the mass-product-industry and know that the ability to make real change is first and foremost on us as consumers. If we choose the brands and companies with a clear sustainable profile, this will change over time.
And speaking about products, one final question to Caroline that might give us some inspiration: If you had to pick out three products everyone should have in their stable cabinet, what would that be?
“Then I would have to start with must-have for everyone working around horses, a KeepCup filled with coffee to make it through the day. Perfect way to stop using single use plastics! Secondly, I would choose a wool blanket, for you, the horse, and the dog. Wool is a super material that we never tire of. Keep you warm even when wet, breathes, and hardly ever needs any washing. What’s not to like! Finally, I would go for a Hay Bag to shove all your necessities in there and go. A horsey lifestyle requires a few extra layers of clothing, helmets and boots, coffee cups, snacks and more. All carried around from stable to horse show and back in a stylish Hay Bag.”
Thank you, Caroline, for making the time to talk to us, and we wish you and the GTG-team success in your future endeavors! If you want to learn more about Get the Gallop, you can visit their web at Get The Gallop!
