The German Equestrian Federation () is an

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

in Germany for

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

sports and breeding. It is the

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ...

for the majority of

sports and their organization in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, including FEI-recognized disciplines of dressage,

eventing Eventing (also known as three day eventing or horse trials) is an equestrian event where a single horse and rider combine and compete against other competitors across the three disciplines of dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This ...

, show jumping, vaulting,

endurance Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from an ...

, reining,

para-equestrian Para-equestrian is an equestrian sport governed by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), and includes two competitive events: One is para-equestrian dressage, which is conducted under the same basic rules as conventional dres ...

, and

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, buses, and bicycles. Permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met and drivers are required to f ...

. It also develops and enforces the rules for other events at

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer ...

s. It is colloquially known as FN, short for the international term ''Fédération Équestre Nationale''. The organisation runs the FNverlag, a publishing house for related books and other media

Description

The organization dates back to 1905, when an association of German half-blood breeders (''Halbblutzüchter'') was founded in Berlin. Its headquarters moved to

Warendorf Warendorf (, Westphalian: ''Warnduorp'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, and capital of Warendorf District. The town is best known today for its well-preserved medieval town centre, for horse-riding, and the opportunities it prov ...

. It currently governs 17 regional equestrian associations with 7,600 ''Reit- und Fahrvereine'' (riding and driving clubs), 55,600 personal members, and 4,000 ''Pferdebetriebe'' (equestrian centers). It is a member of the Fédération Equestre Internationale and of the

Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund The German Olympic Sports Confederation (german: Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund or DOSB) was founded on 20 May 2006 by a merger of the ''Deutscher Sportbund'' (DSB), and the ''Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland'' (NOK) which dates ...

. It is affiliated with the international organisation since 1927. The popularity of equestrian sports in Germany is reflected in the number of competition licences issued by the FN. In 2013, it issued 90,000 annual licences to confirm eligibility for competition events, 142,000 updated licences for competition horses, and 2,000 new passports for horses competing on the international circuit. The FN organises equestrian sports, both in tournaments as for hobby riders, and matters of

horse care There are many aspects to horse management. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life. Living environment Horses require both shelter from natural elements like ...

and horse breeding. It is responsible for the education and counseling of its members. Further fields include

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

, advocacy of equine sports people, related legal matters, and

environment protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

. The FN promotes the status of the horse as a cultural achievement (''Kulturgut Pferd''). The organisation runs the FNverlag, a publishing house for related books and other media around its themes, including the rules governing education and exams (APO), those for tournaments, (LPO), and for breeding (ZVO).

References

External links

* *
Equestrian Sports and Breeding in Germany
euroequestrian.eu
The German Equestrian Federation (FN) – A Worldwide Unique Organization
equestrian-globe.com {{DEFAULTSORT:German Equestrian Federation National members of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

Equestrian sports in Germany 1905 in Germany Para Dressage