Ingrid Wiegmann has passed away at the age of 72. The native of Barmstedt became well known for her nationwide foal emergency service, "Ammenstuten Deutschland" (wet nurse mares Germany), which brings together orphaned foals and wet nurse mares.
Born in Berlin, Ingrid Wiegmann initially came into contact with harness racing as a young girl. Although her parents forbade her from training as a harness racing driver, she instead completed a commercial apprenticeship at the harness racing track in Berlin. While on holiday at a trotter stud in Königslutter, she met her husband, moved from Berlin to Lower Saxony, and worked there at a trotter stud. When this was taken over by a Hanoverian breeder, she came into contact with riding horses. When one of her mares died during the birth of a foal, she turned to a breeding association and immediately received help there. A wet nurse mare was found in Hanover. Following this, she received enquiries from similarly affected breeders and was able to help them and report on her own procedures. Thanks to her understanding of horses and her great empathy for them, the experienced breeder soon became a great supporter for other breeders in their greatest time of need.
For more than 20 years, Ingrid Wiegmann acted on a voluntary and independent basis as a coordination office for wet nurse mares and orphan foals – doing so day and night and nationwide. In the first 15 years alone, she was able to successfully match over 350 mares and orphan foals, and the numbers continued to grow; in the year 2022 alone, the figures stood at 142 foals and 245 mares. Latterly, she received up to 600 enquiries per year from home and abroad.
Ingrid Wiegmann was a member of the Holsteiner Verband, hosted courses at her farm near Elmshorn, for example for young breeders, and supported events with floral decorations from her own garden. In 2023, she was awarded the Gustav Rau Medal in bronze for her life's work by the German Equestrian Federation (FN).
The sincere condolences of the Association of Breeders of the Holstein Horse go out to Ingrid Wiegmann's family, friends, and companions.
