Missed opportunity – on to the next one
Just before going to press, the rumors turned into reality: the German National Championship had to be canceled due to an insufficient number of entries. Certainly a difficult step for the organizer (VZAP), but what would have been the alternative? Begging once again – like last year – for the horses of Swiss breeder Nayla Hayek? Yes, her horses are registered in the German studbook and are therefore eligible to compete, but do we really want to hear the Swiss national anthem at the German National Championship – just like last year?
The fact that hardly any German breeder attends an exhibition or show anymore – and the National Championship is no exception – has many reasons. On the one hand, the junior classes used to be particularly well attended at shows. However, when fewer and fewer horses are bred, there are also fewer and fewer potential participants for these junior classes. On the other hand, there were several technical flaws in the announcement; for instance, this championship was scheduled for Thursday during the ANC weekend. This seems highly unfortunate and has already led to massive criticism in previous years, because who among the ‘working population’ can and wants to take 2-3 days off in the middle of the week to participate in such an event, especially when you feel like you are just an ‘appendix’ to the ANC? And I also do not consider the choice of judges to be fortunate: Who among the German breeders knows Alaa Hammad from Bahrain or Jassim Al Mesbah from Kuwait, and who can assess their professional competence? If you invite (perceived) no-names, you shouldn’t be surprised if they don’t turn out to be crowd-pullers. And then there are the costs: €270 for entry and box fees alone for the horse, with the prospect of potentially winning €300 in prize money – does that add up?
Already a year ago (AP 3/2024 ‘Modern vs. Classical’), I wrote: ‘Breeding associations struggle nowadays to find an event format for all breeders, because interests are often far apart: some want glamorous shows, others want a down-to-earth breeding evaluation.’ And as a conclusion: ‘Therefore, the only solution to this problem, in my view, is to organize two different event formats.’
Now exactly this was implemented in 2025, and following the cancellation of the ‘glamour show’ (aka National Championship) in Aachen, the VZAP’s ‘Arabian Weekend’ in Kranichstein at the end of October will become the touchstone for the breeding community. With the licensing / association stallion show, the senior stallion presentation, the VZAP breeding championship, and various endurance rides, it is a real alternative to the ‘show’ – especially since the judging system is also different and focuses on conformation, gaits, and overall harmony (see p. 20). With this event, the association is making an offer to riding horse breeders, while the show horse breeders had the National Championship in Aachen. Those who do not accept these offers have missed their chance – and for the show horse breeders, this has already happened.
The cancellation is just further proof that ‘glamour shows’ here in Germany – and in large parts of Europe – lost their value a long time ago… The show circus has moved on to the Middle East and will certainly fall on fertile ground in China as well. We here should reflect on our old values and traditions – what Europe has been doing best for 200 years: breeding (Arabian) riding horses.
Gudrun Waiditschka
