The 120th anniversary of the Westphalian Studbook, which was celebrated together with the 100th anniversary of the Westphalian Equestrian Sports Association in the summer of 2024 in front of a large audience and with many children at the Westphalian Horse Center in Münster-Handorf, has shown the importance of Westphalia as a horse state for the future. “Westphalia's horse breeding and equestrian sport are rooted in the region and have repeatedly achieved great international success,” said Chairman Ralf Johanshon in front of the district chairmen of the Westphalian Studbook on Monday evening (March 24) in Münster. There are more than 100,000 horses in Münsterland alone.
The number of members of the breeding association, which was founded in 1904, rose to just under 8,800 in 2024 compared to the previous year (previous year: 8,752). Ten years earlier, the association had around 1,300 fewer members. The number of broodmares rose to 8,623 (8,591). 3,948 foals were registered with the Studbook 2024. The number of registered mare coverings rose to 4,970. In terms of marketing, the Westphalian Studbook sold 463 foals at auction at an average price of 9,559 euros. 181 riding horses came under the auction hammer at an average price of 32,600 euros. The annual turnover in the auction business amounted to 17.04 (13.9) million euros.
Johanshon and Managing Director Carsten Rotermund emphasized the power of the Westphalian Studbook. The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris demonstrated the importance of Westphalian horse breeding. A total of twelve Westphalian-bred horses were saddled by riders from many nations. Twelve more Westphalians were nominated for the Olympics. The three German show jumpers who qualified for the Olympics all competed with Westphalian horses. Christian Kukuk and his Westphalian Checker secured the individual gold medal in the Palace Park of Versailles. “With this momentum, we are on our way to 2025, in which we will bring our infrastructure at the Westphalian Equestrian Center up to a state-of-the-art level with further renovations and construction measures,” said Rotermund. This includes the construction of a third indoor riding arena.
