The time for us to depart came too quickly and we kissed Teddy (now firmly his
name) goodbye and left for home knowing he would be there shortly. When exploring the
barns if we were particularly interested in a horse we would request that the groom
take him out for closer examination and inspection of movement in hand. While we found
many beautiful horses we didn't find our "dream" horse. Various other issues were found on
the other horses on our list. I quickly did my poor Euro to Dollar calculation,
realized I was already way over and decided to jump. We settled on researching the
Oldenburg, Westfalen, and Hanoverian registries. Later that night I learned that he had been their
little daughter's favorite and thus selling him had been difficult for them all. So I
encourage you to search the online fares to save money for the auction.Because we didn't
know anyone in Germany and of course didn't know the city we called the Verband
(they are extremely helpful for their guests) and went with their recommendation of Haags Hotel
NiedersachsenHof. The other horses we investigated included both mares and geldings with ages ranging form
3 to 6 years old and height from 15.2 to well over 17 hh. but
because after several months of searching we decided to alter our methodology which would hopefully
improve our success rate.Growing up I rode at a dressage barn that frequently had German
judges, trainers, apprentices and most importantly German Horses visiting. Thus, our search began by extensively
visiting local stables, exploring local word of mouth and sales ads, and exhaustively researching online.
The groom of the chestnut agreed that he was a very lovely mover and well
balanced for such a young horse and the groom of the black advised that he
had a lovely character. I found to my disappointment, that there were few if any
helpful guides on the internet and basically only brokers offering to find a horse for
you.The first step in our horse search was to find and develop a relationship with
a local dressage trainer. It was crushing and at that moment we wondered if we
would be able to take any one of our picks home. However, he quickly got
to his feet when we greeted him and gave us all a nuzzle. But, he
was definitely on the list.A word on the auction chaos, it is definitely stressful for
these young horses to attend the auction and was actually more stress then I originally
expected. Out of respect for these hard working horses it is recommended that your rides
be kept short with just enough time to get an idea of the way of
going. I was overjoyed that the beautiful black Teddy Bear I had picked the first
night was actually ours. The auction we attended had 142 horses offered for sale and
it took some time to view them all. During this time you can watch the
horse move on a straight line from behind and see how he responds for the
untacking and bathing or grooming.We eventually formed our short list of about 5 horses but
the black and chestnut were top 2 picks and the black my own favorite. Melissa
had advised us that she would not bid until the last moment and to have
patience but this was very difficult. We then visited the black horse that also turned
out to be one of the 2 Hessens in the auction and found him amidst
all the auction chaos laying down for a snooze. Dressage horses are worked in dressage
and jumpers are jumped. We were fortunate to have a contact with a frequent buyer
of auction horses, Melissa Mulchahey of Rose Lane Sporthorses, through our trainer and she offered
her assistance at no charge. Most horses fly 3 per box and the pricing at
that time was approximately 7800.00. Stallions and mares entering the country have to go to
a separate facility called a CEM quarantine facility and have a longer stay.Cost for mare
quarantine is approximately $1950 and stallions are 4500 for the stay and testing. I received
a call from Jet Pets daily regarding his status and on the 3rd day received
a call that he had been picked up and was on his way home. You
may also request a DVD of the horses radiographs or films which the verband will
mail to you shortly after the auction.We now had to contact the transport company to
arrange a flight back to America for Teddy. Each horse was ridden by the trainer
for about 15-20 minutes and there were 4-5 horses present in the arena at any
one time. Teddy Bear, the black, (actually Latin Lover) marched out of the stable doors
and into the arena like he'd been doing this all his life. The auction started
with the auctioneer starting at 5,000 Euros on the first horse and it quickly escalated
from there. I thanked them for breeding and raising such a wonderful horse and for
being willing to part with him. All of their web sites can be found at
horse-gate.com and be sure to select the small British Flag below the menu on the
left for the English version of the page. Once we had our short list we
visited the house veterinarian and requested information about the vet check. For geldings the cost
is much less because they only need the 3 days with Jet Pets and all
testing and paperwork can be completed prior to arrival by the transport company.Teddy arrived in
the U.S early in the morning and we received a call from Jet Pets advising
us that he had arrived safe and sound. We requested a pick up time and
date from our cab driver and he showed up promptly as scheduled. When the card
was raised high a full bid was made when the card was presented horizontally the
buyer was attempting to make a half bid which the auctioneer may or may not
accept.All of this was very new to us but we had a very enjoyable time
watching the active bidders, the horses and the auctioneer. Other horses tried were very anxious
and while perhaps lovely movers had aggressive or frightened characters. We found that the chestnut
has 2 chips and the black no chips but 1 missing molar tooth. We were
overjoyed but had to continue to function as normal and work that day. Therefore, we
consulted extensively with Gintara on our decision to shop in Germany and in short order
we were all very excited and ready to hop on the next plane. Each horse
is assigned one trainer that will be with him through the journey and this individual
will be a valuable asset to you. They also will offer a formal presentation of
all horses under rider at least once or twice prior to the auctions. All of
this allows the buyer to get a good sense of the quality and type offered.
The wife advised me that they bred their favorite mare to Latimer and dreamed of
a tall black beautiful stallion with a star. The most common finding of this URI
was slight nasal discharge and any affected horse was examined and treated by the in
house veterinarian.We continued our excursions that day by visiting each stall repeatedly and speaking with
all the grooms and trainers. When he arrived they named him Latin Lover. I rubbed
his tail while thinking this over tn requin and he leaned in for a good long scratch.
They spoke broken English (a good things as I didn't speak any German) and during
our conversation they advised that they mostly raised sport horse ponies and Teddy had been
their first endeavor into the bigger guys. We witnessed a few rider falls and run
aways during this time. It just didn't seem real.After we won the bid the reality
quickly set in as the broker escorted us to the office to sign the sales
agreement. We scheduled his departure for the next Wednesday and we would still be in
Germany for most of this time. The auctions are all a little different in the
field of horses offered and quality/pricing of these horses so I suggest you explore their
web site early to determine what auction is best for you.We opted for the July
Summer auction and were able to monitor the winter and spring auction results. We then
all decided to enjoy the Champagne and learned that Teddy loved to drink out of
a glass but he was only allowed a sip. After finding hose-gate we then explored
all the Verbands we were interested in. He was finally home and was the Teddy
we remembered.Jill M. I encourage you to view these stats and then to remember that
they are not in dollars but in Euros so please convert for your price in
Euros. We also had to determine how high we would go for each pick. We
found it helpful to keep the sales list of the entire selection handy to make
quick notes in the margins as each horse was shown. I recommend meeting with your
equine veterinarian prior to attending the auction and discussing what type, if any, OCD lesion
would be acceptable to you.So we were very disappointed with the 2 chips on the
chestnut but decided to keep him on our list as the chips were low grade
and could be removed later if needed. The job now, was to prioritize the biding
for each horse and determine if we would bid on all of the short list
until one was won. I encourage you to talk to the groom and trainer of
your favorites to get a better feeling for the horse.We arrived the morning of the
formal presentation which began at noon and went well into the night. And anyone could
try the horse regardless of their ability or lack of ability. The bidding took off
again and we were all very worried. Indeed, we had examined all photos and watched
all videos easily 100 times prior to attending and had a short list with the
strengths of each horse, but at the moment of arrival we tossed the list and
stated making a new one based on our live impressions. In the end we decided
to bid on our two favorites and keep those sold at the end of the
list as our back-ups.In the middle of the week Melissa took us for a drive
about the country and on a visit to a beautiful stable (Dressurstall Kubelke) owned and
operated by her trainer. It was nice to see after all the stress of the
day.When trying a horse I recommend that you follow your picks back to the barn.
She actually waited until the hammer was about to fall and then bid for us,
immediately the people sitting behind us also began to bid! We bid back and forth
several times until they hesitated and all went silent for what seemed forever. After he
won he hopped the fence and marched out to give the bay another kiss on
the nose. This was very helpful for determining potential conformation faults and character. Teddy liked
to have his bum scratched! It is a habit that he continues to this day.
The Hanoverian Verband has 12 auctions a year so we had the opportunity to monitor
a few prior to our visit. This was an interesting and sometimes entertaining methodology as
most of these horses were very green and had little if any steering or breaks.
When trying these horses it is best to have eyes in the back of your
head to look for the unexpected run away or inattentive rider. We attended 1 week
ahead of the auction but would have appreciated and enjoyed the additional week. Upon arrival
we made the necessary wire transfer and then waited for his arrival to California LAX
airport. Rental cars can also be used but I encourage further research prior to renting.Okay,
so timing of arrival is also important to allow maximum time for viewing and trying
of the horses prior to the actual sales. We all awakened early and were a
mass of nerves. No money was exchanged at this time and I learned that most
people fly home on Sunday and then complete a wire transfer to the Verband for
payment on Monday. He never hesitated or spooked but just floated around the arena. Everything
was about the horse and if a horse was determined to be tired or stressed
a no visiting sign was placed on his stall and he was not take out
or tried during this time. It is helpful to talk first with the trainer of
the horse so you can get an understanding if you should use caution with that
individual mount.For both our top picks (the chestnut and black) the trainers were relaxed and
willingly handed over the reins. An interesting note is that Latin Lover did not have
an online video or picture so he was not originally on our short list. The
missing tooth was not of great concern in the black but did mean that he
would need regular floating of his teeth and good dental care. For all the auctions
the selection of horses are listed and numbered, most of the horses will have still
photos and several will have videos. He was named Latin Lover and for me it
was love at first sight but my trainer and the Melissa did their duty well
and examined all possibilities. For us too, It had been a wonderful night but there
was still work to be done.Our next step was to visit the gentleman in charge
of the filming of the horses during training and the auction. The actual bidding was
done with a yellow card contained in the brochure and decorated with the Hanoverian logo.
He was very helpful and would actually show the digital x-rays for those interested. Caution
is strongly advised. This raised a dilemma because we had to determine if we waited
for our first pick (black) or started biding early. However, mid-way thorough the presentation we
saw a lovely black gelding with 3 white socks, blaze and sabino markings enter and
'float' around the arena. dollars and the equal Euro amount. Guido Klatte was our choice
after researching companies prior to the auction we determined them to be the most reliable
and experienced. Patt, DVMJill M. The Hanoverian Verband and auction house are located in Lower
Saxony Germany in the small town of Verden. The auction houses do offer bidding and
buying by phone but I personally do not recommend buying based on just the web
information as we found that seeing these same horses in real life drastically altered our
favorites. After work I raced to the stable during a freak thunder storm and found
that my trainer had already received him and placed him in his nike pas cher new stall. While
this was a lovely hotel the primary advantage is that it was just a brief
walk from the auction house allowing repeated visits throughout our stay. Any available object makes
a good bum scratcher but he still likes us to do it for him. The
nearest airport is Bremen. At horse-gate these are found under the auction menu item. Our
goal was to find a horse with potential that we could enjoy developing and furthering
to the fullest of his abilities.Living in the Southwest we found that there were few
breeding farms in our areas dedicated solely to developing dressage horses. We chose Gintara Slavinskas
because of her kind nature and desire to not push a young horse but to
encourage that young horse to develop to his best with only positive reinforcement. They would
be taking his temperature daily to ensure he was not spiking a fever and if
all went well they would release him in the expected 3 days. We began our
journey approximately 1 year prior to the purchase of our Hanoverian gelding. Their contact number
is 04231/666-0. The Verband trainers of course make each horse look like an advanced mount
but it was eye opening to see some armature riders on the same mounts. I'd
done my math many times over the night before to determine how high I would
bid in Euros. We found this to be a reasonable priced and lovely hotel with
loads of European charm. When the trainer was done riding he, or she, would take
the horse to the end of the arena and dismount waiting for prospective buyers to
emerge from the audience and request a ride to try the horse. Select this button
and you will find further options for Hannover, Holstein, Oldenburg, Wastfalan, and ESISo once we
chose our breed (Hanoverian) we began watching the online auctions and results for that breed.
Patt, DVMFor readers of my content: Unless stated otherwise, I do not endorse content of
web sites other than the two listed below.http://www.littlecrittersvet.com - Pet Care Information & Photo Gallery
- Visit littlecrittersvet for extensive information on small & exotic pet care with > 1000
photos of animals from informative to just darn cute.[http://www.sensationsporthorses.com] - All Things Horse & Hound
- Horse people - please visit ATHH for unique, beautiful, & functional horse tack, equestrian
supplies, grooming supplies, equine photos, silver sterling jewelry, LED dog collars and books on all
things horse.If you would like to use this article you may, but the entire article
with the above information must be included. At that time we were primarily shopping in
the U.S. At that point we all agreed he was a Teddy Bear but that
we wouldn't make any decision until we had formed out short list and tried several
horses. for a young dressage prospect. The bidding ended with the chestnut going to Italy.The
black was in the last 1/3 of the auction and we had a long anxious
wait until our next attempt. Although, the brokers do get a discount on the auction
fees as well as some other perks from the auction house for their contribution to
the event. We were able to arrange all this through Guido Klatte including reservation and
payment. As I often tell friends, "this was our one crazy moment!" So we were
by no means experts in European horse shopping and certainly not horse brokers. The barns
quickly emptied to the few horses going to the U.S on the same plane out.
So we began our European journey not because we couldn't buy in the U.S. Often
the trainers of these horses would advise a word of caution prior to handing over
the reins. I didn't realize this at the time so Teddy would have to fly
without us. We were all in tears due to the stress and excitement but they
were happy tears and expressed great relief. I was amazed at the close connection they
had with Teddy, they were both crying the entire time. For the flight back the
horses are placed into a box stall while still on the ground. The regular auctions
make the horses available 2 weeks prior to the auction and the Elite 1 month
prior to the auction. We found that immediately after a horse was sold the buyer
was presented with gift from the Verband ranging from a Hanoverian logo mug to bottles
of Champagne depending on how much the horse was sold for.The enjoyment continued until our
first pick arrived in the arena, the chestnut waltzed into the arena like he was
floating and bids seemed to come form everywhere at once. Jet Pets is the receiving
company and have to be paid for caring for the horse during the 3 day
gelding quarantine. The Hessen was a lovely chestnut of average size again with sabino markings
socks and blaze but most importantly free and lovely movement. We placed our bid and
won our Teddy Bear!When the gift bearers came with a few bottles of Champagne I
realized that I'd gone way over budget but was still very glad that I had.
Another unexpected finding was that many of these young horses developed minor upper respiratory infection.
For a nominal fee he collected all the video clips of our horse onto one
DVD for us. Unfortunately our hopes were crushed when another person placed a bid from
across the arena. We had a lovely visit here and were shown a couple of
non-auction horses offered for sale including a beautiful 5 year old grey gelding. We were
looking for not just a fancy mover but a horse that was bred for dressage
with exceptional athletic ability and most importantly intelligence and a desire to work. Basically every
horse will have something identified in the vet check and it is your job to
use your team of veterinarian and trainer to determine what is acceptable to you -
prior to the actual auction.After meeting with the vet we took one horse off our
list for grade 3 chips and added one other, but kept the original 2. We
visited him while he was having breakfast and all agreed that he was lovely and
well put together. By the end of that night we were all asleep on our
feet with jet lag and crawled into bed.The excitement of the auction had us up
early and after a very quick breakfast we walked over to the barns and enjoyed
visiting each horse while he was munching breakfast in his stall. The barn party ended
with our exchanging contact information with the former owners and promising to write and keep
them updated.We returned to the arena to see the last of the auction and saw
the older gentleman who had kissed his mount on the nose, now bidding on and
winning that same horse. Some of the horses were clearly not people horses and would
stand with rear end facing their gate and others would nicker and welcome all new
visitors.Later that day the training began with each trainer riding their group of horses. Also,
many international competitors will attend the first week when it isn't as busy and not
as many eyes are watching their picks.The protocol for the auction is a presentation or
training of each horse in the morning and prospective buyer and training trying in the
afternoon. We found that by shopping online and shopping early we were able to get
first class tickets at an almost coach price. This turned out to be a blessing
as everything went much faster then expected once the bidding began. For online viewing you
can also search the archives and view the after sales reports and learn information such
as how many horses went to each country, the average sales price in addition to
the high and low sales price. I entered the stall completely in awe that I
was actually seeing him there and he turned around and presented his rear end to
us! I wasn't sure what to make of this as this wasn't the Teddy we
know and really he didn't have his ears back or seen angry. Therefore, we had
to become thoroughly educated prior to our visit. In the heat of the auction it
is very helpful to glance down and know how many dollars you're actually spending. Most
people abided by this but a couple didn't and were universally frowned upon.One interesting rider
was an older gentleman who appeared an expert rider and tried a nice bay. And
remember to get tissue out for this experiment because the current conversion rate is definitely
not in our favor.For the best fares we arranged our flight tickets well in advance
and as this was "our crazy adventure" we opted to fly first class. Malte Kanz
@ ++49 42 31/6 73 50 the price for tickets range from 10-25 euros each.Our
bidding protocol was discussed ahead of time with Melissa and she offered to bid for
us. As a side note the Hanoverian Verband recently bought out the Hessen Verband and
now all hessens are registered Hanoverian and offered at the auctions. The box stall is
filled with horses and then the entire stall is lifted and placed into the belly
of the plane. The rates are good and cab accommodations are clean and new with
courteous drivers. A few seats are present in the plane and arrangements can be made
to fly back with your horse. As often as I reminded my self that we
were bidding in Euros I kept thinking in dollars so keep that paper handy.We were
fortunate that Melissa was able to obtain ring side seats for the auctions at an
excellent line of sight to the action & auctioneer . After dismounting the rider gave
the horse a big kiss on the nose. One of our short list horses was
a Hessen called Russian Fox and he was one of the few we kept on
the list after visiting in person. One thing I recommend having available for the auction
is a printed spread sheet of U.S. A few other hotels are available in the
town of Verden but will require a short car or cab ride to the auction.For
our transport we used a cab from Bremen to Verden because we didn't want the
hassle of driving in a foreign country. I recommend that you book your tickets early
by contacting Mr. Looking back I believe this was to be expected as the auction
mixes many horses of young age from many different farms - much like kindergarten. Several
young people were present around the arena to act as pointers and help direct the
auctioneer's attention to an active bidder. I was also able to get information on a
local hauler from Jet Pets and arranged the hauling from LAX to Arizona. The stall
can be and usually is split into 3 individual stalls allowing for first class, business
class and coach transport. However, all the horses are treated with great care and love
by the verband. This was a nice time to allow us to get to know
Teddy over the next few days when the chaos of the auction had died down.
Melissa turned around and stared at them waiting for their decision; I was near tears
but couldn't take my eyes off this spectacle. The auctioneer did present in German but
a handy scroll board was available above him showing the current bid. Common sense took
over however, and we decided to wait a few more months while we developed some
contacts, chose a Verband or horse auction to attend and basically educated ourselves.In this process
we learned that most of the German warmblood registries offered several auctions throughout the year
and luckily they are all now offering online viewing and information on the selection for
the upcoming auction. They also graded these chips as 1-3 with the highest being the
most problematic. Both horses were well behaved beyond their years, and marvelous movers. So we
met with the Melissa that night and found her to be pleasant, informed and a
valuable asset in learning auction protocol.Initially, we found it very difficult to form a short
list as all the horses looked beautiful on first impression. Like many people shopping for
horses we found it exceptionally difficult to find a horse with the desired movement, as
well as a horse with the desired intelligence and work ethic, to have such a
horse pass a vet test, and finally to keep within our desired budget. Now the
auctions are also offering a live video feed showing a presentation of the entire selection.
We found that the chestnut would be sold and presented early on auction night and
the black later in the night. As a small animal veterinarian I found the vocabulary
of chips interesting as they sound like a benign nothing but in reality chips referred
to OCD lesions or cartilage lesions that could potentially cause lameness later in life based
on the location of the chip. But we had arranged a flight back later in
the week and after advising the office of this found that they were very helpful
and willing to work with us.We returned to the arena and started to watch the
rest of the auction but were advised again by Melissa that the protocol was to
have the groom take the horse out for a photo and then return to the
stable to enjoy the Champagne in the aisle with the former owners - a barn
party of sorts.We took Teddy out to the green for a photo and I could
have stayed there all day but he was too quickly taken back to his stall
where we met the former owners. I had set my max bid on him somewhat
lower then on the black and we were quickly outbid. There is just nothing to
beat seeing and interacting directly with the horses. The site even breaks down how many
horses were sold in each price range. After a few seconds the other bidder withdrew
and we thought we had won our Teddy Bear. It was interesting to watch all
the "brender-up" style trailers pulled by Mercedes come to collect horses for rides to their
new home. While I loved my Thoroughbred I developed an appreciation for the German horse
breeding industry and based on this background we decided that we'd alter our search to
take us to Germany for the dream buying experience of our life. Everyone was waiting
for their decision. The Klatte contact number is 49-4472 94007 - 0 . We decided
to keep this horse as our back-up for after the auction as he was lovely.After
this we continued our daily viewing of the horses, training and presentation until the day
of the auction quickly arrived. Also, I do not authorize embedding any links within my
articles or any claims that I endorse a product or service..
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