Fans of the Hannoveraner from all over the world came to this year’s Hannoveraner Breed Orientation Course: Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Canada, and the USA. Participants enjoyed a week full of lessons, visits to breeders and stallion stations, and the licensing of dressage stallions. Here are a few words from the participants:
Libbie Rogers from Australia: The 2025 Hannoveraner Breed Orientation Course consisted of an immersive week of background information regarding the history of the breed, stud book breeding rules for selection of mare and stallions, a detailed overview of the influential and major stallion lines, interwoven with visits to a range of breeding farms and stallion stations. This intensive week culminated with attendance at the Young Stallion licensing and Auction. Thank you to hosts Maren, Juliana and Bo, who were so generous and happy to share their knowledge. The week was meticulously planned, and we were provided with a broad cross section of breeding farms to visit, from the small family operations to the large commercial businesses. This course was excellent value for money, and well worth the long journey from Melbourne, Australia. I feel like my knowledge and understanding of the hanoverian breed is expanded exponentially, and I hope that I will be able to return again in future!
Lesya Dyk from Canada: The Hannoveraner Breed Orientation Course (Dressage) exceeded my expectations on every level. Involving both in-class and experiential learning experiences, the highlight was being able to visit so many different breeding farms, from large commercial operations to smaller family-run farms. The breeders were so open in sharing their approaches to breeding, and we were able to see examples of the top breeding Hannoveraner stallions and mares. Also, we were able to learn about the criteria that the licensing and approval juries use to evaluate stallions, and begin to appreciate just how special a licensed and approved Hannovarian is. I would highly recommend this course. It was well organized and well run by the Hannoveraner Verband staff. We were made to feel so welcome by the Verband staff and the breeders. Being able to share the experience of the Hannovarian stallion licensing with breeders and enthusiasts from around the world was an added plus.
Satu and Venla Kiviniemi from Finland: We want to say thank you for your organisation and everything. The course was more than we expected. Those places we saw were very important to see. And it was very teaching to hear all breeders. We took many ideas home with us. Now we can tell other Finns how Hannoveraner breeding works. It would be nice if there were a little more time for the lessons. Everyone from the Verband was very professional and we felt very welcome. Thank you all.
Virginia Cooke and Andrew Kielly from Canada: We both enjoyed taking part in the Hannoveraner Breeder’s Course followed by the Stallion Licensing. It was informative, educational and inspiring! We would like to commend everyone involved for a well run, organized course. It more than exceeded our expectations. Attending this course has provided us with unique and additional insights into Hannoveraner breeding, and as a result, we will be making some changes to our breeding strategies and stallion selection. It was very helpful and informative to be able to see stallions and talk to breeders. To share this experience with new friends from around the world made it even more special. As a small breeding farm, it was incredible to have this opportunity to learn more about the Hanoverian horse and its history. We are thrilled and proud to be part of the “Hannoveraner Family”!
Dawn Fradkin from Texas: My experience attending the 2025 Hannoveraner Verband Breed Orientation Course was exceptional and exceeded all expectations on Day 1. Being introduced to our fellow attendees in advance on WhatsApp and receiving regular updates from Juliana was so helpful. The Hannoveraner Verband team did not miss a detail, and efficiently scheduled transportation, lectures, stallion and breeding station tours, lunches, plus behind the scenes VIP attendance at the dressage stallion performance test, licensing, and auction. The Breeding Program and Judging lectures included informative notes and was expertly taught by Maren. Learning about the history of our Hanoverian warmbloods and the various influences on bloodlines dating back to the 17th century was so insightful, and the high standards for horses accepted into the stud books are clear with the ongoing success of Hanoverian performance horses worldwide. The knowledge and insight Bo and Maren shared with us at every point was invaluable, and there is so much to learn!
In addition to learning from the multinational Hanoverian breeding enthusiasts in our Course group, the carefully planned tours of a breadth of various breeding and stallions provided so much history and knowledge. Multigenerational operations like ZG Heemke & Weldt, Poll stud, Hof zur Lage, Brüning Farm, Stall Auffarth, and Sosath Farm epitomized the Hanoverians transition from farming, carriage, and military steeds to the modern sport horse of today. Newer generations of performance horse breeding are also thriving, from aspirational fast trackers like Damil Dressage to the meteoric rise of Shockemöhle Station with over 4,000 horses producing 700-800 foals annually in addition to semen sales of the world’s top performance stallions in just 25 years. Learning that the importance of Hanoverians and other prominent German warmbloods have been protected and preserved by the State Stud since 1735 was awe inspiring. The husbandry, medical care, nutrition, continuous facility upgrades, and attention to both physical and mental wellbeing of State horses was most impressive (especially from my perspective as a veterinarian). We were fortunate enough to visit the historic State Stud Celle plus the stallion testing facility in Aselheidsdorf where premium bloodlines are raised, trained, marketed, and maintained to preserve Germany’s national horse breeding cultural heritage, and support the breeding industry for both state and private horse breeders.
I highly recommend the Hannoveraner Verband Breed Orientation Course for ANYONE interested in breeding warmbloods, learning about Hanoverians, or gaining insight into the careful selections and standards that produce top performance horses. I am more excited than ever about my choice of an imported Hannoveraner mare and have a new understanding and appreciation for her pedigree, history, and breeding options. The connections and friendships made during this course will last a lifetime, and I look forward to attending again!
If you are interested and would like to be informed about upcoming courses, you can pre-register here without obligation.
