ELITE PROGRAMME DEFINITION

Since 1995, the title of Elite Stallion is awarded within the Trakehner breeding programme. The title's function is to showcase and recognise progenitors who, as regards their own as well as their offspring's performance, have demonstrated themselves to rank clearly above average. The Elite title could thus be described as a quality seal, with the title also registered in the horse passport.

The term "Elite" is used within the breeding programme for both sires and dams. For sires, there are the titles "Aspiring Elite-Stallion" and "Elite-Stallion" and for dams the title of "Elite Mare", characterised by a performance far above average, either by the horse itself and/or its offspring.

Since 1995, the Trakehner Verband has distinguished 37 Aspiring Elite Stallions and 44 Elite-Stallions. Of the 37 Aspiring Elite Stallions, 11 progenitors have so far risen to the title of Elite Stallion. The requirements for awarding of these titles are defined by the Board in its function as breeding committee, as follows:

1. Above average exterior breeding values established on the basis of foal assessment

2. an equally excellent performance by the horse itself, for example a 70-day-trial, a 30-day-trial with a placement in the Federal Championships, Generalausgleichsgewicht/GAG or first S-Class placements.

The title of Aspiring Elite Stallion is meant for younger stallions in particular who, because of stallion performance tests completed and because of their first foals are seen as especially hopeful. For this reason, an Aspiring Elite Stallion should have completed no more than six years of breeding at the time of nomination. This should be a sufficient timeframe to deliver enough foals for a sound assessment of the youngstock based on statistic-mathematical methods.

There are two different ways towards the title of Elite Stallion:

A clearly positive tournament performance of the offspring, sufficiently ensured in statistic terms and displayed by a sufficient number of Trakehner horses, to be proven with the help of the Breeding Yearbook and the breeding values determined by the German Equestrian Federation (Deutsche Reiterliche Vereinigung (FN)).

- or -

A performance in sport by the horse itself that includes S-Class and a clearly positive and overall breeding value, sufficiently proven on the basis of exterior assessment of registered daughters.

The Board, in its function as breeding committee, decides once a year on the awarding of the Elite title, upon suggestion of the Breeding Director. Progenitors to be selected must be included in the stallion distribution plan of the year in question. The names of new Aspiring Elite Stallions and Elite Stallions are publicly announced. In 2005, the title of Elite Stallion was awarded to Beg xx, Münchhausen, Monteverdi and Latimer.

The Trakehner Verband's elite programme aspires to recognise performances that combine the requirements of breeding and sport in the best possible way.