How can Holsteiner breeding be strengthened in the long term whilst at the same time specifically promoting the sporting careers of its stallions? With a new strategic direction, Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH aims to link sport and breeding even more closely in future. Olaf Rörden, Chairman of the Holsteiner Verband, and Felix Flinzer, Managing Director of Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH, explain in an interview the background to the concept, the economic opportunities and their vision for the future of the Holsteiner Verband’s stallion programme.
Mr Flinzer, Mr Rörden, you wish to link sport and breeding even more closely in future. What was the deciding factor in choosing this strategic direction – and what specific changes is this expected to bring about for Holsteiner Verband Hengsthaltungs GmbH?
Felix Flinzer: We must take a realistic view of the economic and breeding conditions. Declining covering figures pose challenges for the entire horse breeding sector. At the same time, we recognise the importance of sporting success for the perception and marketing of stallions. That is why we intend to link these two areas even more consistently in future. Our aim is to make targeted use of our stallions’ sporting careers to showcase the calibre of Holsteiner breeding on the international stage.
Olaf Rörden: It is crucial that we do not view sport in isolation, but as part of a long-term strategy. We wish to develop selected stallions in top-level international sport under the best possible conditions, raise their profile and reinvest the resulting economic opportunities back into our breeding programme. In this way, we create a link between sporting success, economic viability and the long-term preservation of our genetics.
Selected stallions are to be specifically introduced into top-level international sport and their sporting rights marketed. What criteria do you use to decide which stallions are suitable for this model?
Felix Flinzer: The focus is initially on a stallion’s genetic qualities, sporting potential and breeding prospects. We need to be able to assess whether he possesses the quality to hold his own in this demanding sport over the long term. At the same time, his significance for breeding plays an important role. After all, we do not simply want to sell stallions; rather, we aim to specifically develop those whose sporting careers can also create sustainable added value for our breeders.
Olaf Rörden: Equally important are the individual development opportunities and the conditions under which a stallion can be trained for competition. We therefore rely on partnerships with internationally successful riders who can develop a horse’s potential to the full. Our aim is to take the stallions as far as possible – ideally right up to championships and the Global Champions Tour. This requires a long-term perspective and careful selection.
A key aspect is the separation of sport and breeding rights. What economic opportunities does this model open up for the association – and what specific benefits does it offer Holsteiner breeders?
Felix Flinzer: The separation of competition and breeding rights gives us the opportunity to capitalise financially on a stallion’s sporting development without permanently losing him for breeding purposes. Marketing the sporting rights allows us to generate financial resources whilst retaining a stake in the stallion’s use for breeding. This creates additional scope for action and helps us to strengthen the long-term financial basis of the Stallion Management GmbH.
Olaf Rörden: It is crucial for our breeders that this strategy does not come at the expense of the stallions’ availability for breeding. On the contrary: we want to secure attractive stallions for breeding in the long term whilst at the same time creating the conditions for economically viable arrangements. The revenue from sporting rights is intended to help further develop stallion management, tap into new genetics and continue to provide our breeders with a high-performing range of stallions in the future.
With ‘TG wie frisch’, there is already a model in place to make sport stallions available for breeding even whilst they are still active. How do you intend to expand this scheme in future, and where do you still see challenges in this regard?
Felix Flinzer: We have already had positive experiences with ‘TG wie frisch’. The model makes it possible to utilise sport stallions for breeding even whilst they are still competing. We want to expand this approach further so that sporting success and availability for breeding are even better reconciled in future.
Olaf Rörden: The challenge lies in finding a sensible way to reconcile the demands of sport with the needs of our breeders. An international sporting career requires professional support and careful planning. At the same time, breeders expect reliable availability and high-quality semen. Here, we must establish organisational, veterinary and logistical conditions that do justice to both sides. Our aim is to further develop the possibilities beyond TG and to make the use of our stallions as practical as possible.
The proceeds from the sale of sporting rights are to be invested, amongst other things, in the purchase of foals and young stallions, as well as in bringing back valuable Holstein genetics. That’s not actually anything new, is it?
Felix Flinzer: No, the idea of specifically purchasing promising foals and young stallions and securing valuable genetics for Holstein is not fundamentally new. What is new, above all, is the consistent linking of this with the marketing of sporting rights. In doing so, we are creating an additional economic foundation to implement such investments in a targeted and sustainable manner. It is therefore not a question of replacing tried-and-tested methods, but of sensibly expanding our existing opportunities.
Olaf Rörden: That is precisely where the crucial difference lies. We want to create a cycle in which sporting success generates financial scope, which in turn benefits breeding. If we generate additional funds through the international development of our stallions, we can invest these in promising foals, young stallions and the reintroduction of valuable Holsteiner genetics. In doing so, we strengthen the population and expand our breeding options. It is crucial that these investments are not viewed in isolation, but form part of a long-term strategy for the future of Holsteiner breeding.
Crack HV and Zuccero HV are prime examples of the new strategy. In your view, what would the ideal scenario look like – from the selection of a young stallion through his sporting development to his eventual return to Holsteiner breeding?
Felix Flinzer: The ideal scenario begins with a young stallion who possesses exceptional qualities, both genetically and in terms of his sporting ability, and who is of interest to Holsteiner breeding. We acquire or secure him at an early stage, develop him in a targeted manner and place him in the hands of an internationally successful rider. There, he is given the opportunity to realise his full potential under professional conditions and to compete at the very highest level. When he achieves international success, this not only increases his own value but also raises the profile of Holsteiner breeding as a whole.
Olaf Rörden: In the next step, we capitalise on this sporting development commercially by marketing the sporting rights whilst simultaneously securing the breeding rights. Ideally, through a model such as ‘TG wie frisch’, the stallion remains available to our breeders even during his active sporting career. Following a successful career, he will then return to Elmshorn and once again be fully available to the Holsteiner breeding programme. Crack HV and Zuccero HV demonstrate the opportunities inherent in this approach. Our aim is to facilitate such success stories in the long term and to develop a sustainable cycle from them: from targeted selection, through international sporting success, to the return of valuable genetics to our population.
Photo: Stefan Lafrentz (Zuccero HV by Zirocco Blue)
