About Us
Showdown Rugs offer quality Australian made products that are built to last. It's been that way for generations and that quality continues today.
Liz O’Halloran was the original owner and one of the founding family members of Showdown Rugs; she started making rugs for outside clients in 1992.
"My father John Smith was a Champion Campdraft competitor and trainer of Showjumpers and Hacks, that competed every year at the Brisbane Exhibition and up and down the eastern seaboard from the 50s to the 70s.
In those times there was no commercial material to make horse rugs and you could only buy a canvas rug from a Saddlery or Upholsterer.
Hessian Corn bags were all that there was other than a canvas rug. Dad used to sew the cornbags together and then the sides together with a bag needle and make them into rugs for the horses. The hessian was the best material for polishing the coat and plucking out dead hair. So when l started making rugs for myself l got new cornbags and used them and when l started commercially, l bought hessian by the bale.
In 1996 my sister and brother-in-law, Janelle and David Miles formed Showdown Rugs. The business was named after the O.H Corral's founding Stallion, Hollywood Showdown. We immediately began wholesale to saddleries and produce stores, and built it into a premier manufacturing business. We added many different fabrics after trialing them on all of our stud horses.
Quality all round was our main aim and we built our reputation on that.”
LIZ O’HALLORAN
Since then Sheree Abotomey and Tiffany Walter have also owned Showdown Rugs, until in 2015 Kelly-Anne Hamann and Benjamin Hamann purchased Showdown and are happily keeping the dream alive, so to speak. Showdown still remains in the Central Qld region, with our main manufacturing hub in Rockhampton, Qld.
The patterns that Liz and her family once traced their wonderful rugs from are still here being used to maintain the strong reputation of quality and service.
Kelly-Anne and Ben Hamann
Liz O’Halloran was the original owner and one of the founding family members of Showdown Rugs; she started making rugs for outside clients in 1992.
"My father John Smith was a Champion Campdraft competitor and trainer of Showjumpers and Hacks, that competed every year at the Brisbane Exhibition and up and down the eastern seaboard from the 50s to the 70s.
In those times there was no commercial material to make horse rugs and you could only buy a canvas rug from a Saddlery or Upholsterer.
Hessian Corn bags were all that there was other than a canvas rug. Dad used to sew the cornbags together and then the sides together with a bag needle and make them into rugs for the horses. The hessian was the best material for polishing the coat and plucking out dead hair. So when l started making rugs for myself l got new cornbags and used them and when l started commercially, l bought hessian by the bale.
In 1996 my sister and brother-in-law, Janelle and David Miles formed Showdown Rugs. The business was named after the O.H Corral's founding Stallion, Hollywood Showdown. We immediately began wholesale to saddleries and produce stores, and built it into a premier manufacturing business. We added many different fabrics after trialing them on all of our stud horses.
Quality all round was our main aim and we built our reputation on that.”
LIZ O’HALLORAN
Since then Sheree Abotomey and Tiffany Walter have also owned Showdown Rugs, until in 2015 Kelly-Anne Hamann and Benjamin Hamann purchased Showdown and are happily keeping the dream alive, so to speak. Showdown still remains in the Central Qld region, with our main manufacturing hub in Rockhampton, Qld.
The patterns that Liz and her family once traced their wonderful rugs from are still here being used to maintain the strong reputation of quality and service.
Kelly-Anne and Ben Hamann