Important advertising media for Westphalian horse breeding are our particularly successful breeders. On April 16, 2024, the breeders of the year 2023 were honored by chairman Ralf Johanshon at the delegates' meeting.
Last year's prize for stallion raiser went to Stefan Holtwiesche (Gescher/Borken district). Bernd Sabel (Herzlake/Emsland district) received the award in the “Breeder of the Year – Riding Pony” category. Franz-Georg Ottmann (Saerbeck/Steinfurt district) was awarded for his breeding achievements in the riding horses and Andreas Trappe (Altenberge/Steinfurt district) was awarded as an Icelandic horse breeder in the other breeds.
The Westphalian Horse Stud Book remains on course for success in its 120th year of existence. The number of members of the breeding association founded in 1904 rose to 8,752 (8,662) in 2023 compared to the previous year. The horse register also gained almost a hundred new members last year. In 2014, the association still had around 1,300 fewer members.
The number of registered foals in the Westphalian riding horse breed rose to 4,117 (4,097). 33 mare shows presented around 1,400 mares and foals, as breeding director Katrin Tosberg reported. Breeding manager and auctioneer Thomas Münch reported a difficult situation in the auction business.
The economic crisis and global political unrest are obviously not affecting the horse market in Westphalia. Sales fell to 13.9 (18.0) million euros last year; 766 (881) horses were sold. The horse stud book offered 41 auctions as a marketing platform. However, the association did not generate a deficit, but rather the operating result was a “black zero”. New forms of marketing and service, as well as cost and fee adjustments, are intended to provide new economic impetus for a powerful horse breeding and market forum. The proposals from the board and management for the fee schedule that will apply from May 2024 were approved by the 77 voting delegates present with a large majority, with two votes against and six abstentions.
The long-term performance of the Westphalian Horse Stud Book is not in doubt, as chairman Ralf Johanshon and managing director Carsten Rotermund made clear after the resolutions on the fee schedule and the necessary changes to the statutes (“We are preparing for the future”). The renovation work in the Westphalian Horse Center on Sudmühlenstrasse in Münster-Handorf, which has been carried out since 2023, will be completed by a planned further construction phase with an additional riding hall, lunging hall and stables.
