You would like to register your foal with the Holsteiner Verband and you are wondering what options you have? You want to know which requirements your foal needs to meet in order to obtain the coveted premium status? The new series Holsteiner Guide gives answers to these and many more questions about breeding a Holsteiner.
In order to register a foal with the Holsteiner Verband, the dam has to be approved and accepted into the marebook of the Holsteiner Verband (information on mare approval). The birth of the foal has to be reported duly within 28 days on the original breeding certificate you receive from the stallion owner. Please send the foal report (Breeding Certificate) to the Holsteiner Verband office in Kiel via email, fax or by post. You also have the option to report the birth of the foal online (link).
After receiving the birth certificate, we send you the registration card (German: Prämierungskarte) with the identification diagram as well as the microchip and documents for DNA verification (hair sample). Please arrange for your vet or an authorized person to inject the microchip into your foal’s left side nuchal ligament (3rd to 4th cervical vertebra) some days prior to registration.
There are three different ways to register your foal with the Holsteiner Verband: present the foal at one of our open inspection sites, ask for a yard registration date or choose the digital registration.
In Schleswig-Holstein, the foal registrations take place from the end of June on at the open inspection sites within the various breeding districts. Outside of Schleswig-Holstein, the Holsteiner Verband offers a combination of foal registration and mare approval at the open inspection sites. This kind of public inspection is the traditional way of registering your foal. In the age of digitalization, it is considered very important by the Holsteiner Verband to stay in touch with the breeders and the breeders staying in touch with each other, exchanging information, knowledge and experience. The advantage of presenting your foal at an open inspection site is meeting other Holsteiner breeders and potential buyers as well as members of the foal inspection committee and the Holsteiner Verband team. You have the chance to pose your questions directly to them and receive advice. The foals are presented under optimal conditions and experienced judges assess and comment the foals. This way a comparison between the foals becomes possible so that the judges can select the best foals of each inspection site which then qualify for the foal championships of the respective breeding districts. The winners of these regional championships then again qualify for the R+V / VTV overall foal championship in autumn in Bad Segeberg.
Breeders outside of Schleswig-Holstein are asked to sign their foal(s) up for inspection with the yellow form they find enclosed with the registration documents. Click here for the registration form.
Breeders of the North American breeding district: The entry form and more information about annual approvals can be found on the breeding district website.
In Germany, the main registration tour usually takes place between mid-June and mid-July. An additional registration tour will be arranged between mid-August and October. The schedule is updated and, if necessary, extended on a monthly basis. Other inspection and registration sites outside Germany may be arranged as the need arises until late May. To do so, please call Ms Dr. Stefanie Bergmann at the Holsteiner Verband office (+49-431-305996-51) or send an email to: bergmann@holsteiner-verband.de
Furthermore, you can also choose the digital registration. Detailed information about this process is available on demand at our office in Kiel (bergmann@holsteiner-verband.de or wolf@holsteiner-verband.de). Registering your foal digitally means no contact to other breeders and potential buyers, no comparison to other foals and possibly not the best conditions for presentation.
The foals are presented to the assessment committee at foot with their dams in walk and trot. Two traits are assessed with a mark each: type and movement. The mark for type includes the correctness of conformation and age-appropriate development. The mark for movement is mainly determined by the trot but the walk and canter influence the mark as well. Foals that have scored the mark 7 or above for each trait will be awarded the premium foal status. Since 2010, the Holsteiner Verband additionally uses the linear description to assess foals.
When presenting the foal for inspection it should be at least four weeks old and you need to have the registration card with you. After presenting the foal for inspection, the microchip is read out and compared to the barcode sticker on the registration card. During this process the foals’ markings are also compared to the markings drawn on the identification diagram. The official identification is required by law. The data in the foal catalogue is based on the information declared on the birth certificate. The main foal catalogue includes all foals whose births were reported to the Holsteiner Verband office in Kiel until 27th May 2022. All foal reports arriving later than that are printed in an addendum of the foal catalogue.
You can find all foal inspection dates here:
Inspction and Registration Sites
If you have any questions regarding the foal registration or mare approval you can contact the Holsteiner Verband office in Kiel anytime!
