The Holstein mare inspections traditionally take place in the spring, either as a station inspection or a so-called field inspection. This year, a station inspection will be held in Elmshorn, where the mares will undergo their final inspection on Thursday 2 May 2024. In addition, there are two dates for one-day field inspections in the Holsteiner calendar. You can still enter your mare(s) for these – the closing date for entries for the first field inspection on 8 May is 24 April 2024!
The Field Test
The one-day field test is organised by the Holsteiner Verband in cooperation with the Schleswig-Holstein/Hamburg Stud Book. It begins with the assessment of free jumping by two judges. The mare is then presented to the jury once more, ridden by her own rider in a group of up to four horses, to assess her basic gaits and rideability. This is followed by the test with an outside rider to assess rideability. The mares should allow their riders to mount them without any difficulty and be ridden in the three basic gaits in a riding school-style manner in the arena. The preparation guidelines are published here. Since 2021, five-year-old mares have also been eligible to take the test. “At the request of some breeders, we are happy to make this possible,” explains breeding manager Stephan Haarhoff, “for those mares that still have some time before the start of their training or have already had a foal.”
In order to assess each mare’s suitability even more effectively, the evaluation can be weighted towards dressage or show jumping – depending on what the mare’s entrant has specified on the entry form. For mares assessed with a focus on dressage, for example, greater weight is given to the basic gaits and rideability, whilst for those assessed with a focus on show jumping, greater weight is given to free jumping. The final mark for the field test is derived from the weighted scores for the individual characteristics.
The Holsteiner Verband in Kiel is accepting entries for the field test (see PFERD+SPORT 03/2024 or online registration). If you have any questions regarding the field test, please feel free to contact Marja-Liisa Solterbeck (Kiel office) at any time: Telephone: 0431-305996 2, Email: solterbeck@holsteiner-verband.de
Dates
8 May 2024 Elmshorn
19 June 2024 Elmshorn
Registration
: Only during the first field test in Elmshorn (8 May) is it possible to enter the tested mares into the Holsteiner Verband’s stud book. Please indicate when registering whether your mare is to be entered into the stud book.
