You would like to register your foal with the Holsteiner Verband and you are wondering what options are available? Would you like to know what requirements a foal needs to meet in order to receive a coveted premium status? The Holsteiner Guide series gives answers to these and other questions about Holsteiner horse breeding.

In order to register a foal with the Holsteiner Verband, the dam must be approved in the Holsteiner Verband studbook (information on mare inspection). After the birth of your foal, it must first be properly registered at the Holsteiner Verband office in Kiel: The birth must be reported by the mare owner within 28 days with the Foal Report (Abfohlmeldung) by mail, e-mail (wessel@holsteiner-verband.de) or foal online report.

Instructions for the online foal report

After receiving of the Foal Report, the registration cards (German: Prämierungskarte) with the identification card (mark diagram) will be created and sent to the mare owners. The documents for a pedigree check/DNA vertification (hair sample) and the microchip needed for identification will also be sent with the registration documents. 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.

Open inspection sites
Starting at the end of June, foal registrations in Schleswig-Holstein take place at various places in the respective breeding districts. Outside of Schleswig-Holstein, foal registration is combined with the possibility of mare inspection. 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 winning foals qualify for the R+V/VTV Foal Championships in the fall during the Holsteiner Foal Days on August 20, 2023 in Elmshorn.

Breeders outside of Schleswig-Holstein are asked to sign their foal(s) up for inspection online in the members' area, using the registration form or using the yellow form (enclosed with the registration documents). Click here for the dates.

Instructions for Online Registration

In Germany, the tour with the well-known foal shows/championships and mare inspections will take place from mid-June to September at the known venues.
The opportunity to register foals at the same time and present them for selection for the foal auction on 6 September 2024 in Warendorf is only possible on the dates on 30.06.2024 and from 16.07. to 21.07.2024. Immediate photo and video recordings will be made during the slots from 16.07. to 21.07.2024.

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

Breeders of the North American breeding district: The entry form and more information about annual approvals can be found on the breeding district website.

The foal premium (Fohlenprämie)
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.

Entry for the main catalog until May 27, 2024.
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 2024. All foal reports arriving later than that are printed in an addendum of the foal catalogue.

You can find all foal inspection dates here:

Insepction and Registration Sites

Digital registration
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). Digital registration means that all the necessary procedures are carried out digitally, so there is no need to transport the mare and foal. Optimal presentation conditions, breeder exchange and comparison with other foals are not guaranteed in this case.

If all information (Foal Report, result of the DNA parentage check, confirmation of microchip identification) is available at the office in Kiel, the equine passport and Certificate of Ownership can be printed.

We are happy to help! If you have any questions regarding the registration and inspection of foals, please do not hesitate to contact the staff at the office in Kiel:

Götz Hartmann: Phone: 0431-305996 1, Mail: hartmann@holsteiner-verband.de

Breeders outside Schleswig-Holstein please contact Dr. Stefanie Bergmann: Phone: 0431-305996 51, Mail: bergmann@holsteiner-verband.de

Katarzyna Wolf: Phone: +49 431 305996 51, Mail: wolf@holsteiner-verband.de

Breeders of the North American breeding district please contact Marja Solterbeck: Phone: 0431-305996 2, Mail: solterbeck@holsteiner-verband.de

Photo: Janne Bugtrup