By Ann Daum Kustar

Why travel to Munich in January? As a breeder, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience the evaluation and licensing of such a variety of bloodlines and types at the South German Stallion Approvals. This cooperative stallion approvals, held January 27th-29th, 2011 in Munich (it happens every year around the same time), gives breeders, riders and trainers an unparalleled opportunity to shop for young stallion and competition prospects early in the season, as well as learn more about the bloodlines and selection process in Europe. And while the weather in southern Germany at the end of January isn’t southern to say the least, the learning opportunities (and horse shopping) together with the ambiance, makes this approvals and auction a must-see.

One of my first impressions on stepping into the former Olympic stadium in north Munich, was – how can so many people get time off of work on a Thursday to watch baby stallions get inspected and licensed? Put on an event like this in America (let’s admit it – anywhere in America) and the stadium would look like a smile with most of its teeth missing. Here in Germany, the bleachers are crowded by mid-morning, and lines at the beer and bratwurst stands are elbow to elbow. Tickets are sold for the stadium seats, ring-side tables, and standing areas (conveniently populated with elbow-high tables perfect for the solid-glass beer mugs and glasses that begin accumulating around 9 a.m.). I learned from the South Germans’ marketing director, Thomas Münch, that so many advance tickets were requested, they had to shorten the arena by 6’ to cram in more seating.

The weather tried hard not to cooperate on Thursday morning for the presentation of the stallions on the hard ground. But regardless of the light snow and near-freezing temperatures, the stallions arrived gleaming and braided, to walk and trot a narrow asphalt lane between lines of spectators 2-3 deep along the rail. The seven-man judging committee (made up of breeding directors from the five participating associations, as well as dressage and jumping experts) evaluated each stallion’s conformation and type, as well as correctness and quality of walk and trot, and a first glimpse of the youngsters’ character and manners.

One stallion begged to differ with the whole plan of trotting through the alley of spectators up to the judging committee, and after three attempts, he was excused. So down to 78! I think most of the spectators (and doubtless the judges too) walked back inside on blocks of wood instead of feet… but still, it was definitely worth the chill to see up close the stallions’ correctness, basic walk and trot, and quality of conformation. Not to mention a first glimpse of the youngsters’ character and manners.

Thursday afternoon the stallions had a chance to practice free jumping in the main arena, while the spectators and judging committee also got a first taste of the variety of talents and types. Early favorites included the mouth-wateringly lovely Quaterback x Paradiesvogel (#22), the impossible to overlook black Dr. Doolittle x Rubin Royal (#40), the golden-bay Captain Fire x Golden Joy J (#75), the Concetto x Contender (#58) who was full brother to last year’s jumping champion, the expressive chestnut Swarovski x Weltmeyer (#4), the fiery chestnut jumping dynamo Peking x Contender (#24), a Contract x Leoni (56) with young bloodlines but a perfect jump for the US hunter market, a powerhouse of a jumper by Contendro x Landwerder (#57), and the beautiful black San Amour x Cabaret (#14) who went on to Siegerhengst (champion stallion) title.

Thursday evening the South Germans offered free soup and beer in the dining hall, primarily for the hard-working breeders, handlers and officials. Suffice it to say that Bavarian beer has its merits. Friday morning would come much too early… Bright and early Friday morning some of the same handlers we saw partying the night away were back in the arena, running stallions. I admit to an infatuation with these handlers. Not only are they athletic gods, light footed and catching air after being pummeled into the arena fence time after time by excited young stallions, but they truly seem to love what they do. It’s important that the stallions trust their handlers, as well as respect them, and from what I could see, the handlers for the most part earned this respect.

On this serious day of judging, the young stallions were presented in hand to the judging committee, which sat at a table placed on the long side of the arena, before being turned loose to perform at liberty. The stallions were again caught, and brought to the jumping lane by a handler. The announcer (Otto Schalter, known by many Americans for his work with the RPSI registry in North America) introduced each young stallion and his pedigree to a background of high-blood-pressure-inducing music. No wonder the bleachers’ floor space soon became a clinking-game of empty beer mugs. And where in America would you find beer in a stadium served in heavy glass mugs anyway? Loved it! The young stallions were led back into the arena after the free jumping in groups of eight for the official results of their licensing -- Gekört (approved) or Nicht Gekört (not approved). The crowd cheered, hissed or whistled, depending on the pronouncement of the judges’ panel. While some crowd favorites, like the San Amour x Caberet (#14), Quaterback x Paradiesvogel (#22), Dr. DooLittle x Rubin Royal (#40), Captain Fire x Golden Joy J (#75) and Fürst Grandios x Weltmeyer (#34) made the cut, others, like the dark gray Calico x Jouan de Frely (AA) were axed, and the crowd whistled its disappointment. I strained to understand the judges explanations of their choices, and for the most part, failed miserably, relying on my next-seat neighbors for translation. Luckily, I was able to interview one of the judges after the licensing and get his comments on the top stallions – but certainly a good working knowledge of German will come in handy for next year’s approval.

The crowd was left hanging as to which stallions would earn premium and which would be crowned champions until the next morning. Actually, this was an improvement on last year, when all of the licensing announcements were made Saturday morning, before the auction.

Friday evening the South Germans held a gala event to celebrate the horses and riders from the region. Highlights were the region’s WEG competitors, the 66-child vaulting team(which astonishingly all fit into a two-horse trailer), a four-in-hand driving demonstration, a border collie/police-officer-impersonator dance routine, a table-dancing snake-woman routine (I think you had to be male to appreciate that – it gave me a back-ache just looking at it), the presentation of the stallion Lingh, by Jürgen Casper of Gestüt Bifkhof, and the presentation of the charity-auction Shetland pony stallion. Then, of course, the drinking and dancing (to Abba none-the-less), which went on until almost five in the morning…

Saturday morning came much too early (have I said this somewhere before?). The important thing about Saturday morning was the lunging of the stallions at 8:30 a.m. Almost everyone looked quite properly put together -- almost cheerful, I must admit. One of the important criteria for selecting the premium stallions (I heard) was in how they ‘connected’ with their handler, and in the balance they showed on the lunge line in all three gaits, but in the canter particularly, on Saturday morning. So I watched with interest. My balance was not being judged, luckily.

Premium awards were given to the San Amour x Cabaret (overall #1), the Captain Fire x Golden Joy J (Jumping #1), the Dr. DooLittle x Rubin Royal (Reserve Champion #1), the Quaterback x Paradiesvogel (Reserve Champion #2), the Peking x Contender, Sir Donnerhall x Rubiloh, Quaterback x Flash de Prissey, Quaterback x Montesquieu, Quaterback x Sunny-Boy (enough Quaterbacks already!!), Lancelot Quainton x Carpalo, Don Diamond x Damon Hill, Diamond Star x Quick Dancer I, Contendro I x Landwerder, Clooney x Peter Pan, Chacco-Blue x Goldwing, and the Casall x Coriano.

The auction, while not as exciting as it would have been had I bought a stallion, was still entertaining and exciting. The high selling stallion, Dr. Doolittle x Rubin Royal, sold for $150,000 Euro (about $210,000 US). Pocket change, right? I would have liked to buy the Colman x Con Air (#61) near the end of the auction, for 21,000 Euro, and especially the super-hot hunter stallion Contract x Leoni (#56) for 36,000 Euro. There were some real bargains on non-approved stallions, including the Sommertraum x Rohdiamont for 7,000 Euro (about $9,500 US).

Overall, the experience was super fun and educational. The South Germans seemed friendlier than organizations farther north, and I really appreciated the variety of bloodlines and talents in the young stallions. The stallions were affordable, even with the weak dollar, and very professionally presented. I’ve decided to help organize a breeder’s tour for the 2012 approval and auction. The educational experience (and horse shopping!) will definitely not be outdone by the Bavarian beer and sites of interest. Anyone interested?