Horses - EQUITANA 2001 - March 2001 - Equiworld - Equestrian Information on the internet

Data, facts and figures on equestrianism in Germany

1.) People and horses:

· In the study entitled "Growth areas in Recreational Sport" (1996), the Institute for Leisure Research counted 2,400,000 riders in Germany; 2,200,000 lived in the west of the country. 200,000 of them in the eastern provinces.
· Of these, 1,400,000 west Germans and 90,000 east Germans regularly mounted a horse.
· According to another study, at least another 1,500,000 people in Germany would like to ride if they had an opportunity.
· The "General Livestock Census" of 1996 found more than 652,000 horses and ponies living in Germany. Since the statisticians themselves assume that at least 15 per cent go unrecorded, then in fact there are at least more than 750,000 horses and ponies living here in this country (experts go so far as to estimate 800,000 to 1,000,000 horses in Germany). This means the equine population has tripled over the past 35 years. From 1984 to 19994 alone, the number of horses and ponies rose by 62 per cent.

According to World Conservation Monitoring, an international database for nature conservation under the aegis of the United Nations, there are more than 60 million horses living in the world at present.

2.) Organised equestrianism in Germany:

· Germany's 6,933 riding and coaching clubs have 746,259 members.*
This means the German Equestrian Federation (Fédération Equestre Nationale, FN), the national umbrella organisation for equestrian sport, is the world's biggest equestrian association. Within the German Sport Federation (DSB) the FN is the seventh-largest organisation, and in 2000 reported a growth rate of 1.37 per cent.
Of the FN's 746,359 members, 511,398 are female and 230,861 male.
· 368,717 members are 26 or younger; 317,395 are female and 51,322 male.

* (Reporting date 1 January 2000; the membership figures are recorded by the state sport associations, and the FN is notified only at the beginning of the following year. They are always dated to the 1 January of the preceding year.)

2.1) The FN's organisational structure

· The 6,933 riding and coaching clubs are grouped together in 403 district associations, which in turn are organised in 17 state associations. These are member associations of the FN. To them must be added about 1,200 equestrian enterprises affiliated to the FN or its member associations.
· Besides these 17 state associations and their state commissions for horse performance tests, 27 breeding organisations are member associations of the FN.
· These are supplemented by 9 further member and affiliate associations of the FN, plus the FN's Personal Member category, which numbers about 31,000 people.

3.) Show sport:

In 1999*, at:
· 3,897 show events (Categories A, B and C)
· 88,701 tests and competitions
· 1,936,710 starts were carried out.
· At these events, 55,052,562 marks were paid out in money prizes and breeder bonuses.
· Last year, the FN issued 97,991 riding licences (entitling their holders to participate in show events of Categories A and B). In addition, an estimated 45,000 riders, most of them young people, started in competitions of Category C (beginners class for show sport).
· Last year, the FN issued 137,499 entry cheque-books for show horses and 1,509 FEI passports for show horses participating in events abroad. In addition, 27,678 new horses were registered as show horses, and a total of around 3,000,000 entries processed.

(* The figures for 2000 will be available as from mid-March 2001)

4. German horse-breeding:

· Germany's horse-breeders make a crucial contribution to the country's equestrian sport.
· In the year 2000, 8,948 inspected stallions, 119,544 brood mares and 44,715 foals of all equine races were registered in Germany.
· At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney alone, 54 of the 204 horses taking part (more than 40 per cent) were from German breeders (Diese Zahlen können nicht stimmen, Anmerkung des Übersetzers). And 17 medals went to horses from German breeders too.

5. The horse as an economic factor:

· According to an academic study, approximately three horses create one horse-related job. So equestrian sports and hobbies, horse-breeding and stabling in Germany accounts for approximately 250,000 jobs. Of these, between 7,000 and 10,000 people earn their living as riding instructors, and from training rider and horse.
· Around 3,000 firms in Germany horse-related topics as their main line of business.
· 3 billion DM alone are accounted for by basic fodder and litter. Hardly surprising, since every year the approximately 750,000 horses and ponies in Germany "gobble up" more than 1,500,000 tons of fodder cereals, about 1,645,000 tons of hay, and use up over 800,000 tons of straw.
· In horse-keeping alone (fodder, stabling, equipment for horses and riders) the annual turnover is estimated at 7 billion DM.
· Total turnover figures involving equestrian sport are extremely difficult to ascertain, but according to conservative extrapolations and estimates are probably well above 10 billion DM.
· Reading is educational. That's why there are currently over 1,300 books in print in German alone with horses as their subject.

You will find more facts and figures in the annual report of the German Equestrian Federation (FN). The FN's Internet website provides the latest information and tips of interest to horse-lovers. The FN's address on the Internet is: http://www.pferd-aktuell.de/

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