A Guide through the German Equestrian World EQUESTRIAN SPORTS AND BREEDING IN GERMANY 2 A Guide through the German Equestrian World A Guide through the German Equestrian World 3 One of the world’s most famous show-jumping riders: Ludger Beerbaum. Foto: Jacques Toffi Introduction Germany has long been an attractive challenge remains: the lack of accessibility This brochure aims to destination for anyone affiliated with the to the immense number of equestrian op- provide an overview equestrian sport. It features a diverse and portunities available to non-German nation- of the German vivid number of opportunities in the eques- als. equestrian world. trian world. Therefore, this brochure aims to provide Germany is globally renowned for its an overview and an informative synopsis of high-quality standards in the areas of breed- the German equestrian world and what it ing, selling, training and competition. Yet, has to offer. despite these indisputable advantages, one Foto: Kiki Beelitz 2 A Guide through the German Equestrian World A Guide through the German Equestrian World 3 For riding you need horses. For good riding you need good horses. If you have a lot of good horses, you have the opportunity for a lot of good riding. These three simple sentences describe the breeding sitatuation in Germany in a nutshell. Foto: Marc Rühl 4 A Guide through the German Equestrian World A Guide through the German Equestrian World 5 Table of Contents VI.) Horse and Pony Breeding in Germany .....28 The Structure of Breeding .................28 Distribution of Responsibilities .............28 The Breeding System in Germany ..........29 Breeding Program of the ”German Riding Horse” ..................30 State Studs in Germany – History and Present. .35 VIII.) Buying Horses in Germany ..............39 Auctions ..............................39 Private Breeders, Sellers and Professional Horse Dealers ................41 IX.) Schooling of Riders and Horses ..........42 German Horsemanship ...................42 The Principles of Riding: The Official Training System of the German Equestrian Foto: Marc Rühl Federation – An Insight to its Success .......42 A Short History of the Classical Art of Riding ..43 The German “Scale of Training” ............44 The “Scale of Training” for Horses ..........44 Introduction .................................3 X.) The Education System for I.) Important Facts and Figures of Equestrian Instructors and Coaches .................46 Sports and Breeding in Germany ..........6 Professional Instructors ..................47 People and Horses .......................6 Amateur Instructors .....................47 The Organization of Equestrian Sports in Germany .............................6 XI.) Events ................................48 Competitive Equestrian Sports ..............7 The Federal Championships of Young Horses Success in Olympic Games and and Ponies (DKB-Bundeschampionate) ......48 International Championships ................7 CHIO Aachen ..........................48 Success of German Bred Horses ............7 Other (Inter)-national Horse Shows Horses as an Economic Factor ..............9 and the German Championships ............48 Auctions, Stallion Licensing Events II.) The Organizational Structures of the and Stallion Parades .....................49 German Equestrian Federation (FN) .......10 Fairs .................................49 The Structure ..........................10 Departments, Mission and Tasks of the FN ...11 XII.) Riding Facilities and the Labelling System of the German Equestrian Federation ......50 III.) A Short History of the Development Many Different Options ..................50 of Equestrian Sports and Breeding The Labelling System of the FN ............50 in Germany ...........................14 XIII.) The Horse Industry in Germany ...........50 IV.) The Position of the Horse in German Law and the Role of the German Government XIV.) The Personal Members (PM) of the in Equestrian Sports and Breeding ........17 German Equestrian Federation ...........51 V.) The Organization of XV.) FNverlag: The FN Publishing House .......51 German Equestrian Competitions .........20 Different Competition- and XVI.) Helpful Addresses and Links .............53 Performance Classes ....................20 General ...............................53 Classification and Structure of Amateur German Breeding Associations with and Professional Sports ..................22 Membership in the FN ...................53 The Licensing System for Federal Riding and Driving Schools ..........55 Riders and Horses .......................23 Riding Facilities and Five Star Riding Schools ..56 Age Divisions for Competition Horses .......23 Driving Facilities and Schools ..............57 Entries, Fees and Prize Money .............25 Vaulting Facilities and Schools .............57 4 A Guide through the German Equestrian World A Guide through the German Equestrian World 5 Foto: Julia Wentscher Presently, around 1,200,000 people partake actively in I. Important Facts and Figures equestrian activities. of Equestrian Sports in Germany 1. People and Horses substantial number is especially notable, as the horse and pony population has increased The statistics speak for themselves in fourfold over the course of the last 40 years. the demonstration of the significance of Currently, of these horses and ponies, more equestrian activities in Germany. Presently, than 100,000 are registered with the FN for around 1,200,000 people, age fourteen and breeding purposes and another 500,000 for older, participate actively in equestrian activ- sport purposes. ities. The number soars to 1,700,000 people when those under the age of fourteen are The German Equestrian added into the calculation. Furthermore, ex- 2. The Organization of Federation is the umbrella tensive research of the German Equestrian Equestrian Sports in Germany organization of approxi- Federation (Fédération Equestre Nationale/ mately 7,700 commercial Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung, FN) de- (All subsequent figures refer to the year riding and driving schools termines that another 1,000,000 Germans 2012) and clubs and 4,000 com- hold an interest to take up equestrian sports, mercial equestrian centres. while yet another 11,000,000 generally claim These account for 720,000 a keen interest in horses. The German Equestrian Federation is members in total. the umbrella organization of approximately Synonymous to the large number of peo- 7,700 commercial riding and driving schools ple associated with equestrian activities, the and clubs and 4,000 commercial equestrian population of horses and ponies in Germany centres. These account for 720,000 mem- amounts to approximately 1,200,000. This bers in total. The FN is the largest national 6 A Guide through the German Equestrian World A Guide through the German Equestrian World 7 equestrian federation in the world. More- over, within the German Olympic Sports As- sociation (DOSB), it ranks as Germany’s 9th largest sports association. The equestrian sport is practiced with particular enthusiasm by women. They Foto: K. H. Frieler amount to 75% (more than 544,000) of the membership of the FN, leaving the male rep- resentation at around 170,000 members or 25%. The high share of young riders is also noticeable. DOSB statistics reveal that, in the group of females aged 15 to 26, equestrian sports rank third in the popularity of sports. It is therefore not surprising that nearly half of the FN’s membership (335,000) includes people aged 26 and younger. Nonethe- less, and despite statistical age and gender variations, the equestrian sport is popular amongst the old and the young alike. 3. Competitive Equestrian Sports In 2012, approximately 3,600 eques- trian events were held in Germany. These included 69,000 different competitions and 1,480,000 starts. In order to compete in these shows, each rider has to obtain an FN annual horse show licence. 80,000 of these were issued to German nationals in 2012, while 1,350 were issued to non-national riders competing in German national events. Additionally, the FN issued over 137,000 In 2012, approximately horse licences for their participation in com- garnered a staggering total of 85 medals: 39 3,600 equestrian petitions, as well as over 2,400 FEI horse gold, 21 silver and 25 bronze medals. events were held in passports needed for participation in inter- Germany, including 1,480,000 starts at national events. 25,000 horses were newly German riders were no less successful 69,000 different registered for competition purposes. during World Equestrian Games (WEG). To competitions. date they have won a total of 180 medals However, in order to do so, the riders in all of the official disciplines, including 73 must have obtained an FN riding qualification gold, 52 silver and 55 bronze medals. The (called “German Riding Badge” or “Perfor- latest additions were another 14 medals at mance Medal”), granting them the permis- the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in sion to participate in classes of a certain per- 2010, where Germany won five gold, five sil- formance category. These qualification tests ver and four bronze medals. consist of a dressage, jumping and theory test, ascending in the degree of difficulty at In line with these international success- each level. In 2012, around 53,000 German es, Germany also holds a leading position in In 2012, around 53,000 Riding Badge tests were done, and a further the European- and Young Riders Champion- German Riding Badge tests 35,000 tests for leisure riding were passed. ships, in