The history of the
German state studs

The German Principal and State Studs date back to the time when horses were essential for transport, agriculture and the military. The great European rulers made every effort to support horse breeding because the quality of the horse determined victory or defeat in the war, often even determining life or death. In order to improve state horse breeding, the land owners founded state studs that offered private breeders high-quality stallions at reasonable prices. Unlike these “stallion depots”, the principal studs also have their own herds of mares and rear foals with the aim of producing stallions for state breeding.

Together, the state studs overcame military conflicts, economic crises and social upheavals. The motorisation of agriculture and transport produced major changes. Deprived of their livelihood, the breeding stations, even those with a long history, were forced to close their gates. The studs that did manage to survive had to switch from breeding heavy warmbloods to breeding modern sports and leisure horses. Today, the state studs are sites of living cultural heritage which continue to evolve while maintaining their traditional values and natural charm.