Germany - Holsteiner Stallion Approvals and Elite Riding Horse Sales

Dates: First weekend of November

2007 Dates:   October 28 - November 4

The typical Holsteiner is an athletic, big lined and expressive riding horse gifted for jumping, but also talented for dressage and eventing. Their powerful jumping shows capacity as well as quality. Holsteiners are uncomplicated and reliable horses with strong nerves. The well balanced temperament and the outstanding character are of great importance.  The Holsteiner Verband's special attention is mainly given to raising, discovering talents and schooling horse prospects, focusing mainly on modern Holsteiner sport horses for jumping, dressage and eventing.

The Annual fall Holsteiner Stallion Approval and Elite Riding Horse Auction of Holsteiner horses is followed with great interest all over the world! This event showcases the Holsteiner horses and outstanding breeding program.  The most exciting thing - like every year - will be watching the new crop of hopeful young stallions be campaigned for approval.

For those interested in buying a horse, the Holsteiner verband offers 30 young riding horses (age 3 - 6) for sale.  You can watch professionals showcase these horses and you will have the opportunity to ride and review x-rays with the on-site vet.  We also visit a number of farms where you can try out many different horses as well.

Today five sire lines dominate Holsteiner breeding leading back to Ladykiller xx, Cor de la Bryère, Cottage Son xx, Almé Z and Ramzes. Especially Landgraf I and his half-brother Lord, got exceptional influence. From the beginning the idea of the Holsteiner Verband to have their sires tested in competitions has been a success. Numerous stallions who competed successfully in International Horse Shows, have already sired excellent descendants like Calando I, Caletto I, Carthago, Cassini I, Corrado I, Caretino, Coriander, Corofino I or La Zarras

Holsteiner Stallion Approvals & Elite Sales Show Information

• Notice: This is a trip we do every year and please remember that we do this for fun and to further our own education Holsteiners.  You are welcome to join us on our holiday.  If you want to be able to make your own schedule apart from the group you can easily rent a car and meet up with us at key points.
• Elite Riding Horses: The elite sales horses range from 3 year olds to 6 year olds and are selected by a committee to be presented in the elite auction on the final Sunday.  The riding horses are sent to the Verband 8 weeks prior to the show for training by the Verband riders. They typically try to have a range of horses from expensive to inexpensive.  At the Verband and the show, you will be able to walk through the stalls and see the horses at any time.  Most of the riders speak English and you can also ask them about the horse.  As an example of the quality of the horses offered, Goldika, who jumped in the World Cup with Toni Hassman and is now ridden by McLain Ward was sold in the Elite Sales.
• 2 Year old Stallions: There are over 2000 two year old Holsteiner stallions each year and of the group, they inspect and select the top 80-90 prospects to be shown at the 2 year old Stallion approvals.  After watching them on the hard ground and free jump, 20-25 get approved for breeding.  Some of the approved stallions are sold in auction on Saturday and non-approved stallions are sold on Sunday.    
• Trying out the auction horses:  the weekend before the show is the calmest time to try out horses in Elmshorn at the Verband.  You can also roll the dice and try out the auction horses during the Neumünster show in the riding hall.  It is a little overwhelming at times with the number of people watching and the number of horses being ridden and jumped in the arena BUT it is great fun to watch.  Every year you can count on seeing an Italian flying through the air and subsequently sampling the German dirt (falling off!).  There are a number of riders with more confidence than skill, so it can be quite a circus. 
• Vet Checks of the Auction Horses:: The Auction Riding horses have been through multiple vet checks.  You can go to the vet office and meet with the vet to get the results and x-rays.  The vet is the best in Germany and he and his team do thousands of vet checks a year.  It is difficult to sometimes get his time or the other vets time.  The best thing to do is to narrow your selection down and see if they will just tell you if it is class 1 or class 2 or class 3.  Class 1 is the best, cleanest x-rays.  The Verband will not take horses with horrible vet reports but you should get detail so that you know all the facts if you are buying. 
• Buying a Horse at the show:  It is an auction so it is difficult to predict prices. You should also know there is a published commission added on to the final auction price that goes to the Holsteiner Verband for their 8+ weeks of work and effort in organizing the event.
• Shopping:  They have a hall for shopping and booths.  Lots of horse stuff!  Saddles, boots, blankets, saddle pads, etc.  Most typically take Euro or Credit cards.
•  Food at the Show: A variety of food is served at the Show – there are small booths where you can buy “Pomme Frittes” (French Fries) and Bratwurst (sausage).  They also serve coffee, coke, etc.  There is a restaurant on the property as well.   If you like to drink lots of water as I do, remember to buy bottles at the gas station and take them with you because it is difficult to find at the show. In the picture to the right we are enjoying ice cream sundaes after a busy day of looking at horses.

When you arrive

• Airport:  If you are arriving ahead of the group, you will find many stores, banks, etc on the level where you exit baggage claim.  You can also take the escalator up to the Check-in level and you will see an upper level where there are a few places to eat. The airport is an open air design so you can just look up and see the restaurants.  At the very top there is a nice restaurant to have a bite to eat. You can typically find English speaking people to help you. Please meet the group at the Terminal 1 meeting point where travelers exist baggage claim and international customs. You will find an arrivals bar on level 0 when you exist baggage claim.
• Please exchange money at the airport or at your bank in the US.  Germany doesn’t have the conveniences of America such as ATMs everywhere.  Also bank hours are very limited.  It may cost a tiny bit more at the airport but it saves time and energy looking for an open bank in the small towns that we will be visiting. 

What to Pack

• Pack Light!
• Dress is casual.  We will be visiting barns and riding so bring what you are comfortable riding in whether it is chaps or breeches/boots. Jeans and half chaps are easy to pack and take around but it really comes down to what you as the rider feel most comfortable wearing.  You can bring a saddle with you to try out horses at the farm but it is not necessary.  Remember to pack your stirrups in your luggage and carry on the saddle so that security doesn’t give you any problems.  Do not feel that it is necessary to bring a saddle.  Depending on the rental car situation, there may not be room for people to bring saddles.  For riding the Verband Elite Auction horses, should not bring your saddle because there are so many people trying the horses usually the Verband saddles are used.
• For the Stallion Approvals/Elite sale weekend, most people wear jeans, pants, or breeches –  Check the weather prior to leaving but the average high is 54 degrees and low of 35 degrees.  It does frequently rain this time of year which makes it feel colder. At the show, it is all indoors so it is nice and warm inside.
• Pack light!  You can wear things more than once!  Rental cars are not as big in Europe as we have in the States.  The trip is very casual and packing light saves a lot of stress!

Potential ideas of items to pack:

 What to Expect

• Time Difference:  Germany is 7 hours ahead of Central US time, 6 hours ahead of Eastern.
• Rental Car – Roughly you can expect at least $700-800 per car for the week.  Depending on the number of people we will determine how many cars to rent and who will be drivers.  If you want freedom to do your own side trips apart from the group feel free to rent your own car.
• Driving:  Expect to do a great deal of driving on the days we are visiting farms.  We have done 300 miles /day in a lot of situations.  Germans drive on the right side of the road.  Also, signs and maps are a bit different in German.  Instead of saying Hwy 10 North, a lot of times they say Hwy 10 direction Keil. So, they communicate in direction of the end town on that road.  It’s tough on those of us that don’t know all their towns and cities.  Even after years of visits to Germany, it still very easy to get lost or to have trouble finding the farms, especially when you are not fluent in the language. Ha-ha.
• Hotels are charming, European style hotels which are more like a bed and breakfast.  The hotels should have a phone and hair dryer in the rooms.  (not 100% sure on the phone).  These are very nice family run hotels but do not expect Westin/Hyatt conveniences.  There is no room service.
• Breakfast is included and is European – Boiled eggs, sliced meats, bread, yogurt, cereal
• Electric Converter & Adaptor: You will need an electric converter and plug adaptor to charge cameras or anything else. You can purchase at the Hamburg airport if needed. Brookstone has a dual wattage converter for $40 that is easy to use and works great (www.brookstone.com)
• Lunch/Dinner varies. Germans are typically meat and potatoes people.  Pork Schnitzels, Bratwurst with Potatoes are typical meals.  In addition, northern Germany, being close to the sea, has a lot of fish entrees.   
• Money: Most places take credit cards but we are not always in major cities.  Cash is faster to pay for small purchases so have both Cash (Euros) and Credit cards.  You can guess about $20 – 30 per day per person for food and snacks.  Travelers Checks are an option but many small towns do not take them in the stores and it can be difficult to find an open bank.  It is often a good idea that you exchange either US Dollars or Travelers Checks at the airport so you have Euros handy.  You always need to be careful but crime is not a huge problem at the hotels or in the small towns we will be visiting but you should always be careful with your belongings.

Currency: Euro

Meals

§         Budget: €4-8

§         Mid-range: €8-16

§         High: €16-30  

Lodging

§         Budget: €16-40

§         Mid-range: €40-85

§         High: €85-220

§         Deluxe: €220+

• Weather Forecast:  Check the www.weather.com for the latest forecast and use Elmshorn as the city.  Currently, it appears that we will have Highs in the mid-50s and lows in the 40s. Also, you can expect partly cloudy to some showers. 
• Tipping:  At restaurants, the service charge is always included in bills and tipping isn't compulsory, though it is appreciated. Germans are used to rounding up prices as tips, but rounding up in euros can be too generous. Taxi drivers expect a small tip of around 10%

• Bathrooms: are clean and attended and it is customary to tip the cleaning lady in the bathroom

• Cell phones:  Guy has an international cell phone with free incoming calls.  If you would also like to make calls we ask that you contribute toward buying the cards that put minutes on the account.  It is very expensive ($2/min)to make calls on the cell phone and we try to make outgoing calls quick and have the person call back and use the free incoming call.  You can check with you US cell phone provider if you phone can be used in Europe. If you have people calling make sure they are aware of the time difference.  You can rent your own at the airport or on-line prior to the trip if desired.

If you wish to have family / friends call please dial one of the two numbers exactly from the USA

Guy’s German Cell phone#:   011 49 163 616 5481

Holsten Halle in Neumünster

Note:  Site of Stallion Approvals Show

For more information on show: http://www.holsteiner-verband.de/  or http://213.239.199.207/index_en.html

Horse Shopping at the Farms

• Trying out horses in Germany is no different than in the US with the exception is that the Germans tend to raise the jumps a lot faster.  The farmer/or agent will bring out candidates and often have their rider show the group the horse or they will free jump the horse. 
• Time is often limited and if we don’t like the horse we don’t waste our time or the farmer’s time.  Priority goes to those on the trip who are buying when trying horses.
• We will see a variety of horses. Some will be not so good, some will be average, and some will be great.  We try to specify to our contacts exactly what we are looking for and have the field narrowed down.
• You do not have to make a decision immediately on the horse. You can take video home and review and make your decision.  There is risk the horse will be bought by someone else but you should not feel rushed into making such a big decision.

Shipping      

• Shipping:  We can help arrange shipping or you can do this on your own. You may want to ask if the farmer will be providing a blanket or if you need to purchase one.  Unfortunately the Air Cargo planes typically do not allow shipping boots.  In the winter, the auction horses are shipped with the signature Holsteiner blue blanket with emblem which they provide.  Due to airline regulations you may or may not end up with your shipping blanket once in the US.
• Thousands of horses ship by plane and arrive safely.  However, you can expect that it can be unsettling to the horse and they often arrive in the US with few scraps and cuts.  Air transport is often less strain for the horse then lengthy transport by road. The companies that specialize in flying horses worldwide and into the U.S. have lots of experience and take very good care of the horses.  Your horse will travel as comfortably as horses that travel to international competition. So, the transport of your horse should not be a great concern. 
• Shipping fees can be arranged a package deal to include shipping and quarantine fees.  It is important that you verify to ensure that shipping includes everything you expect. Shipping is expensive and needs to include:  Transfer fees from the farm to airport in Germany, airplane ticket for your horse, transfer to quarantine station, and then travel to your barn. 
• General prices depends on the value of the US dollar and number of horses shipping together and the sex of the horse.  Stallions are the most expensive, then mares, then gelding.  It can range from 7 – 15,000 for shipping.

Quarantine  

• Time spent in quarantine depends on the age and sex of the horse. 
  • Stallions = 1 month (most expensive to import)
  • Mares = 2 weeks
  • Gelding = 3 days
  • Foals = I believe is also 3 days?
• You will need to select a quarantine station in the US once you pick your horse. It is typical to select one close to where you live.
  • Oklahoma:  Excellent facility and turn out.  Guy and I have visited this facility when we had Albarez, Royal Contender, and Riley shipped to the US. 
  • New York Another very popular facility due to its proximity to the airport
  • California

Flights

• Sunday 10/28, Depart the US
• Monday 10/29, Arrive Hamburg by 5:30pm
  • Kim & Guy Arrive 5:30pm on British Airways Flight #0966
  • Janet Arrives 2:30pm on KLM Flight from Amsterdam (KLM 1781)
• Sunday  11/4, Depart Hamburg around 9am to return to the USA (CO 75)

Schedule

• 10/29:  Monday: Arrive by 5:30pm in Hamburg 
• 10/30:  Tuesday: TBD
• 10/31: Wednesday: Holsteiner Show: 2 year old stallions on hard ground OR Visit Farms
• 11/1: Thursday: Holsteiner Show:  2 year old stallions free jumping (all day) and shopping, look at auction horses, etc
• 11/2: Friday: Holsteiner Show, Announcement of approved stallions, Auction horses presentation.  7pm:  Gala Show
• 11/3: Saturday:  Ride Auction horses in morning.  Lunch: Auction of non-approved stallions and elite riding horses
• 11/4: Sunday:  Return flights to USA