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 in ...
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 ge ...
for the majority of
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 in ...
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
Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...
,
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. Thi ...
,
show jumping
Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...
,
vaulting
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while rin ...
,
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 a ...
,
reining
Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope (a version of the horse gait more commonly known worldwide as the canter), o ...
,
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 dress ...
, 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 fol ...
. 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 fo ...
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
Equestrian sports are sports that use horses as a main part of the sport. This usually takes the form of the rider being on the horse's back, or the horses pulling some sort of horse-drawn vehicle.
General
* 4-H
* Equitation
*Horse show
* Iceland ...
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
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in ...
. 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
Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...
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 Germanyeuroequestrian.eu
The German Equestrian Federation (FN) – A Worldwide Unique Organizationequestrian-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 in ...
Equestrian sports in Germany
1905 in Germany
Para Dressage