Every year we decide what stallions to take for our mares. Not only the bloodlines are important for us, also the build of the stallion, because our broodmares also have areas that can be improved upon. How well have the foals from last year turned out – Should you change or not….Soeren von Roenne is very helpful to our decisions regarding the Holsteiner stallions while he is himself a very successful breeder, and naturally Hans-Juergen Koehnke, one of the best Holsteiner breeders, who also is responsible for many of our Holsteiner broodmares.
Also our Dressage horse breeding is underway. We started this work by bringing both of our Hannoverian broodmares to Charlottenhof and with our work with the Oldenburg Association we have succeeded.
Finally pregnant! What luck, when both mares conceive at approx. the same time it makes it much easier for the group.Hopefully all goes well!

The birth of a foal is such a beautiful moment – the relief when the foal is healthy and the mother is fine. Forget the night watch, which even with video surveillance is stressful. What a relieve is the phone call from our breeding station with the news that the birth has gone well, the foal is healthy, the mother fine. Then the first steps by the side of the mother in the hall – how does it move – careful with young mothers! They’re often not too brave, and the foal not yet agile enough. So for security: first lead in hand, and then let run free under watch.
And the flight to Hamburg with the video camera for those who are left at home. - A big thank you to our North German Breeding Friends, who have taken care of our broodmares for years from the insemination to the weaning of the foal.
How nice, that with artificial insemination, the transport of mare and young foal to a breeding facility is not necessary:
A good vet, a good semen-quality and the chance of a wider pregnancy of the mare without great complication and risk for the foal that is by foot is attainable.
Even the branding station for our foals – our Württemberg station is very near to us – makes no big problem. Our foals will be branded at the appropriate facility.
While we raise our foals by ourselves, it’s not an injury when one of our foals is not premiumed, while sometimes it depends on the day – who is at their best every day? Older foals are often growing at the time, sometimes already too big, that they don’t present the desired mass. But of course we are happy when we have a foal premium – and many pretty awards decorate our stable doors. Also we can already call some of our foals Winning Foals.

How sad is the moment of seperation, but the pain of seperation is quickly forgotten, there’s all your friends that are your own age! Also the transportation from North Germany to the foals’ fields is done in groups in open boxes in transport trucks – two big boxes with lots of straw, so that the foals can lie down if they want during the long drive.
Careful: As soon as the truck ramp is down the nice years in the herd begin.

The mothers, after 6 months of care, are happy to be alone again. Naturally, after the weaning, the mares need more movement and are checked daily in case there is a Uterus infection. But normally the new pregnancy is already started and then nature must take it’s course.
Also horse mothers teach their children – a clean mare gives this trait to her children and naturally the other way round! Also other education is super, while the foals learn to respect people at an early age. But this is not always the case. For example, our Choco Chanell, the mother from Charlottenhof’s Iberio is a closely loving mother, all of her foals are naughty, and we must approach them at the right time. Also, most of her energy is given to her foals and therefore we have to feed her specially so that she manages to keep her strength. Indiana, on the other side, is a very good but strong mother, she would discipline her stallion foals alone and all were easy to work around.

Exciting is the visits of our breeding experts to evaluate the 2 and 3 yr. olds. With two people in the big paddock you can walk/trot/gallop. It’s always an experience to watch how a foal becomes a horse. A little bit sad, but also with interest in the future as they come in to be ridden in. Optimism that the young horses will become something special. But there are also big paddocks at the Charlottenhof, and there is always the possibility to play with their friends in the fields.

Sooner or later a horse will become a new owner and the farewells are hard for all of us. But we have, with all our resources, given our horses a good start, a good education, the best health care and then an appropriate new Partner. Then they have to go their own way – as a partner for the big or small sport or as a leisure comrade.