Dear Breeders,
Some of you will no doubt already be aware that there will be changes to the licensing events in future. As members of the Association of Holsteiner Private Stallion Owners, we would like to contribute our ideas to the redesign of the ‘Licensing of the Future’ concept at the Holsteiner Verband. Out of our commitment to the Holsteiner horse, we have jointly developed a concept which, in our view, will benefit the young stallions, exhibitors, stallion owners, clients and breeders. Our main focus is on the new guidelines for animal welfare, which are certainly sensible in terms of the physical and mental health of the young stallions. We are convinced that a few extra months’ time for development play an important role for the stallions; given that our sires are also expected to perform in sport these days, we must develop a system that does not compromise the longevity of our stallions. As stallion owners, we would therefore like to see a concept that, taken as a whole, enables the gentle development of our stallions. In concrete terms, this would look as follows
: the pre-selection for licensing should take place in December, with the licensing itself in February. This way, we can be sure that even the later-born stallions will be 30 months old by the time of licensing. This also has the advantage that the stallions can spend an extra summer in the pasture. It also makes the work easier for the trainers, as the stallions are more physically developed and can complete the tasks set for them more easily.
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Stallions aged 3–6 years may take part in the licensing and auction. This also gives older stallions the opportunity to take centre stage at the main licensing event
. We would like to see the licensing event as an occasion featuring jumping demonstrations by stallions that have already been licensed, with mares being honoured for outstanding breeding achievements, and older stallions likewise… - A marketing opportunity should be developed for the stallions that were not selected during the preliminary selection (e.g. as part of the ‘Winter Chance’)
The full concept is available to members of the Holsteiner Verband in the members’ area.
Bienenbüttel, 10 December 2020
On behalf of the Association of Holsteiner Private Stud Owners,
- Chairman Sven Völz
- Chairman Dirk Ahlmann
