Dr. Ludwig Christmann Awarded the Adolf Köppe Pin

Breeding

Hanoverian

The German Society for Horse Breeding (DGfZ) honoured Dr. Ludwig Christmann with the Adolf Köppe Pin for his life-time contributions to horse breeding.

The prestigious award was presented by DGfZ Chairman Hans-Willi Warder and laudatory speaker Prof. Harald Sieme.

Dr. Ludwig Christmann

Ludwig Christmann, born in 1956 in Pirmasens in the Palatinate, began working for the Hanoverian Association in 1984 after studying animal breeding in Göttingen and Giessen. Initially as studbook manager and until 2006 as deputy breeding manager, he headed the "International Breeding" department until the beginning of 2022.

His activities focused not only on supporting Hanoverian breeding abroad, but also on seminars and the development of new projects for the Hanoverian Association. For example, the Hanoverian Young Breeders' Activities were launched in 1986 on his initiative. The Hanoverian Show Jumping Horse Breeding program, the marketing campaign "Experience Hanoverians" and the former Hanoverian Stallion Yearbook also bear his signature.

For the German Equestrian Federation (FN), Dr. Christmann joined the Breeding Judge Training Committee and contributed to the development of the training system for breeding judges enshrined in the Training and Examination Regulations (APO) and the necessary training materials. In 2021, Dr. Christmann was awarded the Bronze Gustav Rau Medal by the FN.

Expertise, Passion, and Commitment

Dr. Christmann has always been particularly invovled with the transfer of knowledge between research and practice. In 1996, he received his doctorate from the University of Göttingen on the topic of breeding value estimation and served for many years on the FN's expert committee for breeding value estimation until 2021. He also maintained his connection to science through his involvement in the FN's scientific committee and through his long-standing involvement on the board of the Society for the Promotion of Horse Science (GWP), of which he has been chairman for several years.

In Rostock, Prof. Harald Sieme delivered the laudatory speech for Ludwig Christmann, describing the new recipient of the Adolf Köppe Pin as a man whose expertise, passion, and commitment to horse breeding have had an impact beyond Germany's borders. "His companions and I describe him as loyal, gracious, and extremely competent. He has had a lasting impact on the Hanoverians and international horse breeding with his inventiveness and unmistakable sense of justice," said Sieme.

Adolf Köppe

Since 1956, the German Society for Animal Breeding has established a badge of honor bearing the name of the distinguished animal breeder Dr. hc Adolf Köppe. As director of animal breeding in East Frisia, Adolf Köppe set standards for all German animal breeding. The Adolf Köppe Badge honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to practical animal breeding, breeding hygiene, and animal nutrition.