Page 121 - Sport Horse Sales 2026 - Holger Hetzel

SPORT HORSE SALES 2026

By Holger Hetzel

Since the age of ten, horses have been at the centre of
my life. But what does that really mean, and what does
it mean for the way I live my life?

I became involved with horses and equestrian sport as a young 188 show jumping horses from around the world, 92 dressage
boy. I learned to take care of my horse, to take responsibility and horses, 90 eventing horses, 94 para-dressage horses, around 80
to be reliable. Values such as “responsibility”, “reliability” and “sus- vaulting horses and the horses competing in the international four-
tainability” had a profound influence on my personal development. in-hand driving competitions, more than 800 horses from across
Later, I turned my passion into my profession, and horses took on the globe in total, competed in Aachen. Across every discipline, the
another important role in my life. They became my sporting part- championships demonstrated the many different facets of equest-
ners, and I began training horses both for my own sport and for rian sport and the emotions it can inspire.
other riders and owners. I am grateful for everything I have experienced with my horses so
To this day, I have learned something from every horse. far, and I look forward to everything that is still to come.
They are athletes, partners and individuals and, much like a large With horses at the heart of my life.
company, they require excellent management. Training, competi-
tions, auctions, sales and international sport all need to be care-
fully coordinated. An individual programme for every single horse
is always the priority. A network of specialists, including farriers,
veterinarians, dentists, chiropractors and physiotherapists, works
every day to ensure the horses’ well-being. I probably think about
my horses 24 hours a day and constantly consider how I can im-
prove our partnership and their well-being. This is a philosophy I
also pass on to all my employees every day. My guiding principle is:
Be a horse person, not simply a person who owns horses.
The few critics we encounter today often have little understanding
of the extraordinary level of care that we horse people provide for
our horses. We often do more for our horses than we do
for ourselves. The World Championships in Aachen demonstra-
ted just how wonderful our sport can be. 500,000 enthusiastic
spectators in the grandstands provided a powerful answer to the
few critics.

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