The first training course for self-inventory equine inseminators in Schleswig-Holstein has taken place at the Holsteiner Verband in Elmshorn.
Twelve participants from across the region spent four days hitting the books, listening to lectures, studying theory, attending demonstrations in the stallion stable and the laboratory, and completing numerous practical exercises on the mare phantom. The lecturers Dr Simone Konopka and Gerard Muffels held comprehensive instructional sessions on the subjects of gynaecology, hygiene, mare and stallion management, documentation, and semen dispatch. The theory was complemented by lectures on animal welfare and animal breeding law by Dr Meier-Kriszun and Dr Borchers from the Ministry of Agriculture in Kiel.
The participants were impressed by the comprehensive, highly demanding technical course content. Thanks to the great atmosphere within the group, everyone was highly motivated and felt exceptionally well prepared for the final examination. All candidates passed and receive official authorisation to artificially inseminate their own mares in the future – congratulations!
Great thanks go to everyone who made this premiere possible: the Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH, the Holsteiner Zucht- und Sportförderung e.V. (ZSF) and the Ministry of Agriculture of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, as well as to all lecturers, in particular the veterinarian Dr Simone Konopka from the Hoffeld station, and Gerard Muffels and Johanna Settgast from the stallion keeping division for their tremendous commitment to realising this pilot project.
Work on a continuation of these courses is already underway intensively!
Text and photo: Sabine Verhaagh
