The Trakehner Association is heading in a new direction by by distributing special grants to Trakehner breeders and owners who will put their young Trakehner sport horses in professional training to prepare them for a competition career.
Part of a unique project in Germany, this grant will support equestrian facilities, where three and four year old Trakehners will be trained for a three month period. These youngsters will be saddle broken and trained in preparation of their first competition or for mare performance testings. The young Trakehner athletes will get their first basic work for the various disciplines with an emphasis on free jumping and cross country as part of their versatile training.
This grant will stimulate breeders to hire professionals to educate their horses. Selected training stables will not be charging more than 500 euro per month. The owners must pay 300 euro and the Trakehner Association will be covering the remaining 200 euro per horse!
Petra Wilm, president of the Trakehner society, explains this new formula: “We are experiencing special circumstances due to the bad economy and the poor market situation. It is at exactly this time that we need to do something positive to help motivate our members for the future. We have worked hard over the past years and are now in a position to support the breeders. We want to see young horses under saddle!”
However there are several criteria which need to be met before one can get a training grant. Trakehners born in the years 2006 and 2007 need to be up for sale and the approximate sale price is required. The youngsters need to be accustomed to bridle, longe and saddle work and have to be at least 161 cm tall. Their health status needs to be proven by 10 x-rays as well as a health certificate so that they are capable to go to auction.
This service is only available to owners who are members of the Trakehner Association. In addition to the training, professional pictures and videos of the horses as well as further marketing strategies will be implemented.
“It is our goal to have more three and four year old horses competing at the federal competition for Trakehners in Hanover so that we have a greater selection of candidates for the Bundeschampionate," said Wilm. " Best case scenario is that we will see Trakehner riding horses in Warendorf in September, which started their carrier with our training grant.”
Alongside the training grant, a new marketing strategy is the second core element of this pilot project. The Trakehner society plans to inspect all two-year olds of all members of the Trakehner Association. Data will then be compiled and examined at the Trakehner headquarters and the marketing division will bring clients to specific Trakehners.
After one year this whole project will be reviewed. “We are calling on everybody to bring their ideas forward about this training grant," said Wilm. "We’re open for everything. This project will only be a success when everybody involved loves and enjoys it!”
For more information: http://www.trakehner-verband.de