On 11 June, 82 voting delegates met for their first of two annual meetings at the Holstenhalle in Neumünster. Alongside the financial statements, elections for two executive board positions and several committee members were central items on the agenda.

President Olaf Rörden opened the delegates' meeting with his welcome address and a commemoration of those who have passed away. Reporting on the first months of his term of office, he mentioned, among other things, that the young stallion licensing will, as previously announced, take place again in the Fritz-Thiedemann-Halle this year, though discussions are also underway regarding whether the event can be held in the Holstenhallen again in the future. Rörden also explained the relocation of the Verband office from Kiel to Elmshorn: “Through this, we not only aim to save costs, but also to achieve synergy effects.” He further described genomic selection and the data derived from it as an “essential topic”. In his view, this information should be utilised much more extensively, particularly with regard to health. Olaf Rörden further announced that Thies Beuck will in future support the Holsteiner Verband as an advisory partner in financial matters. Concluding with the words, “Work on the executive board is demanding, but in this constellation it is enjoyable,” the President closed his report.

Stephan Haarhoff, Breeding Director
Stephan Haarhoff provided an insight into the figures of German horse breeding. In 2024, declines of 9.6 percent in foals, ten percent in coverings, and 3.8 percent in mare registration updates had to be recorded. In contrast to this are the figures for the current season so far. Stephan Haarhoff evaluated the minus of 3.6 percent in foal registrations (as of 11 June) as follows: “The decline was to be expected, but I am glad that the figure does not match the decline in coverings from the previous year.”
Furthermore, the Breeding Director addressed current topics concerning the Holsteiner Verband. “We want to place even more focus on our mares. The modification of the star system, an annual ranking of the broodmares, and the series on Holsteiner heroines in PFERD+SPORT and on the Holsteiner Verband website are parts of this strategy.”
The proposal to centralise the district association meetings in the future sparked lively discussion. Olaf Rörden asked the delegates to consider how the meetings can be made informative, attractive, and engaging.

Felix Flinzer, Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH
Felix Flinzer reported from the Holsteiner Verband stallion stables. The participation of the sires in various shows, their positive presence at national and international competitions, as well as the “very satisfactory” results in sport tests and stallion performance tests, have led to an upswing in covering figures. “Today (11 June, editor's note) we are recording an increase of around 20 percent, and by the end of the season we expect growth of approximately 15 percent in coverings compared to the previous year,” explained the Managing Director. With 171 mares so far, United Way is currently the most popular stallion, followed by Casall (109), Million Dollar (105), Uriko (95), and the only three-year-old reigning licensing champion Conchezz (89).

Felix Flinzer, Holsteiner Verband Vermarktungs- und Auktions GmbH
Felix Flinzer also reported for the management from the perspective of Holsteiner Verband marketing. A review of the year's auctions held so far was followed by an outlook on the remaining marketing opportunities for the current year. He also explained several strategies: through intensive after-sales service and expanded service offerings, among other things, the team around Felix Flinzer has succeeded in expanding the customer base – a development that is to be expanded further.

Financial report and adjustment of fees
“The Holsteiner Verband has been through difficult times. However, looking at the subsidiaries, stable prospects are discernible for the year 2025,” was the conclusion of Thies Beuck, who was brought in by the executive board as an external business consultant. For stallion maintenance, a moderately positive result is expected for the year 2025, though it was clarified that revenue from the stud business alone is no longer sufficient to achieve positive results, but rather sales of sport-successful stallions (with lower breeder demand) are also necessary. “From a capital perspective, stallion maintenance remains strong,” explained Thies Beuck.
Nevertheless, action is required regarding the economic situation of the Verband and the two GmbHs. Alongside numerous cost-saving measures, the revised fee schedule of the studbook office was presented by Stephan Haarhoff. The delegates approved most adjustments following an objective discussion. Only the increase in the fee for the preliminary inspection of stallions was rejected. The registration fee for young breeders (up to 30 years of age), for example, has been waived and their membership fee is set at 50 euros. “We have given a great deal of thought to how we can attract young and new breeders to the Holsteiner Verband. Part of these considerations also includes attractive benefits from our partners such as Ikonic, Equistro, or ehorses for all members. We are still in the process of acquiring further partners for discounts in order to provide our members with even more advantages,” emphasised Stephan Haarhoff.

Elections
Confirmed in office with 81 yes votes was Olaf Rörden as President. The 57-year-old has held this position since December 2024 and runs a farm comprising milk production, tourism, alternative energies, and horse breeding in Witsum on the island of Föhr. He has been breeding Holsteiner horses for over 30 years.
As the new 1st assessor, the delegates elected Matthias Wree. The previous 1st assessor Dieter Feddersen was not available for re-election. Matthias Wree from Hartenholm in the Segeberg district was elected by the delegates' meeting with 60 votes. He was born on an agricultural farm in Angeln in 1978 and is the managing director of an internationally active agricultural commodity trading house. His central objectives for his work on the executive board are firstly the further strengthening of stallion maintenance, the innovative development of the Holstein brand, and a focus on the Elmshorn location as the centre for all activities.
Christian Schröder was elected as the new auditor alongside Jürgen Afflerbach. Routine elections were also on the agenda for the licensing commission. Here, Deike Ahbahs and Carsten Lauck (deputy) as breeder representatives, as well as Lars Nieberg and Lars Bak Andersen (deputy) for the sport sector, were elected and confirmed in office respectively. In the appeals committee, Rasmus Lüneburg and Friedrich Wettberg (deputy) as well as Carsten Otto Nagel and Peter Jacob Thomsen (deputy) were re-elected for the sport sector.