Breeding director and Director of the Verband Dr. Schade, President of the comission Hans-Henning v.d.Decken (breeder, ex-auction team member, rider), Hans-Heinrich Meyer zu Strohen, Heike Kemmer, Peter Teuuwen (Trainer of lower Saxony for jumping and german trainer for jumping - ponies.
As reserve: Jörn Wedermann (Breeder, young horse trainer, ex auction team member) and Martin Klindworth (Breeder, young horse trainer, ex auction team member)
This team is nominated by the Vorstand of the Verband (Vorstand = maybe the directors ?). For the preselections maybe one or the other can ba added and the president or his vize are also included (Mr. Schäfer).
The committe to license older stallions can also be a bit different. Everything is to be found in Satzung of the Verband (the rules, law of the Verband am lacking the engish word for it)
Regarding the Totilas, rumours are floating that Gal/Glock only wanted to buy him as lisenced stallion so I really doubt that he will be gelded. And I was sitting on the other sidfe of the committeee when Dr. Schade gave the judggment licensed and all people whistled. The reactions in the face of the committee were rather interesting to put it mildly !
The crowd gave its clear opinion to that act of licensing this stallion. And we are not talking about a crowd that has just been to level 1 dressge shows as spectators. On friday I saw so many German top riders and also international people, we are really speaking of a crowd that included a lot of real experts !
This is a licensing so I expect stallion material there. And not material that a top rider selects. Do not misunderstand me there. Of course we need breeding stallions to be able to produce horses that topriders want, but the licensing process is more to it, it has to ensure all sorts of qualities stay in the breed. This means they need to look after the fact that walk needs to be present, they need to look after the fact that strong backs are there, so that we do not end up breeding this movement wonders, that are not able to hold up to the collection work - (same accounts for jumpers). They need to take care that we do not have crooked or horses with fundamental issues as multiplies in the breed. etc. etc.
A rider can decide for himself whether he can live with a crooked leg, mediocre walk etc. and can still end up in the top international levels.
But the licensing is not a selling event of great furture horses as such. It ist the main event that ensures the quality of a breed for today and for the future. Hence an animal that is good enough to be selected by a toprider, but has other issues that make the crowd of a licensing whistle, and yelling booh, should not have been licensed. Period.
Sabine and I have a friend that had a stallion in the same ring as the totilas. A colt that was not super super, but all correct cnfirmation correct, pretty and with three equally good gaits. That one got not licensed where quite a few people said well, he could have been licensed. And than as a breeder/owner of that one you see a few horses later the Totilas beeing licensed - that is a slap in the face of that breeder and also others !
I would not put it as hard as Fanniemae though but I have the feeling licensing this Totilas was a matter of generating a higher price. In the end he would also first need to fulfill performance requirements and than breeders need to decide if they can life with the quality. I guess it will be the same as with Totilas himself. In the end not too many breeders will use him, so the damage to the breed maybe rather small…
