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Nothing comes from nothing<\/h2>\r\n
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<\/p>\r\nWhen we look back at the past year, 2025, the review is rather mixed. The National Championship was canceled due to a lack of participants, and the ANC had significantly fewer entries than the previous year. Both stallion performance tests (VZAP and ZSAA) were also canceled, and only two Arabian Partbreds started at the 30-day test in Stadl Paura. The two privately organized ECAHO shows are holding their ground, albeit at a modest level. Almost daily, we read about stud farms closing down; while these are largely demographic in nature\u2014because the owners have long since reached retirement age\u2014some are also due to rising costs. Fewer horses are being bred, and consequently, fewer ‘activities’ of any kind are taking place. A silver lining, therefore, was the VZAP Breeding Championship, which drew 29 participants practically out of nowhere, and the tournament in Aachen also saw more starts again than last year. The coming years will show whether this turns into a trend.<\/br>\r\nOverall, however, a retreat ‘into oneself’ is noticeable. People prefer to stay at home rather than travel to an event with a horse, as that means work, effort, stress\u2014and costs. And what do you get out of it? In the best-case scenario, a sash or a title. This ‘cost-benefit ratio’ is often the deciding factor, not only for breeders but also for the associations. A bright spot here was the VZAP’s presence at trade fairs this year. Apparently, there is a realization that the breed must be shown to the public if it is not to disappear from collective awareness entirely. <\/br>\r\nThe breeding associations are thus making an honest effort to offer opportunities to breeders. Awards such as sports horse plaques, titles like Premium, Elite, or Breeding Champion are bestowed, and stallion licensing and performance tests are offered\u2014all to provide breeders with the most objective evaluation possible. But do titles and performance tests ultimately pay off? Here, too, many ask the ‘cost-benefit’ question: does a stallion with a performance test get more mares than one without? And which buyer from the recreational riding sector even knows anything about these awards?<\/br>\r\nAwareness of the importance of performance testing in breeding must be promoted. Unfortunately, today there are only a few breeders for whom this is truly important\u2014and they would presumably make the right breeding decisions even without these awards. Others prefer to immerse themselves in their horses’ pedigrees, raving about the achievements of ancestors five generations ago, the purity of the blood, or the rarity of the bloodline. All of these may be valid breeding criteria, but not on their own; at best, they should be the icing on the cake. Performance testing here and now remains the alpha and omega of breeding.<\/br>\r\nThere is no way around it: anyone who wants to breed riding horses, even if they are ‘just recreational horses’ (which is, after all, the largest market), cannot avoid testing the rideability, temperament, willingness to work, and physical capability of their breeding stock and\/or their offspring. The opportunities are there; it is up to the breeders to use them. Because there is nothing worse for the reputation of the Arabian horse than disappointed buyers who, after one or two years, have to realize that while they have a pretty little horse, it is unfortunately unrideable and only suitable as a companion. That must not be the future of our breed!<\/br>\r\nGudrun Waiditschka<\/em>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Nothing comes from nothing When we look back at the past year, 2025, the review is rather mixed. The National Championship was canceled due to a lack of participants, and the ANC had significantly fewer entries than the previous year. Both stallion performance tests (VZAP and ZSAA) were also canceled, and only two Arabian Partbreds … <\/p>\n