In memoriam

In the night of April 19, 2022, Verden's former auction and competition manager Rainer Kiel passed away at the age of 79.

Rainer Kiel took over as the second auction manager in the history of the Verden Auctions in the fall of 1984 from Hans Joachim Köhler, the founder of the Verden Auctions. Previously, he had served as his deputy for four years. Rainer Kiel managed the Verden Auctions and the auction team for 24 years with great commitment and expertise. He established clear boundaries between the Elite Auction and the other auctions and always adapted the auction business to the times. Under his leadership, the export boom in the 1980s brought Verden many customers from all over the world. After his retirement as auction manager in 2008, Rainer Kiel continued to lead the Verden International competitions with a lot of experience until 2015, when he also retired from this activity.

Everyone who had the pleasure of working with and under Rainer Kiel remembers him as a leader full of team spirit and drive. If you ask those who worked with him, the first thing you hear is: He was correct. Correct, determined, consistent, straightforward and fair - he was there for his team and he held it together. He knew his riders and his horses. Although he came into the business from a different background, he had the necessary feeling and an eye for the horses and for the right combination with the rider in each case. He was also strict - but behind the strictness there was always the desire to improve, the desire for an optimal result and for the best possible external effect. What he disliked, he addressed, and also had an open ear for problems. However, he also did not hesitate to praise and acknowledge when riders and grooms presented a horse particularly well and in the best possible way. Despite his busy schedule, Rainer Kiel always kept an eye on the details and considered every piece of the puzzle of success to be important: for example, the question of whether the horses' braids were in perfect order or not. Tidiness, organization, customer orientation and service, the appearance of his team and the Verden standard: Rainer Kiel filled all this with life. He stood up for his employees. Equal treatment of all breeders was equally important to him. And the team spirit of the auction team: He wanted everyone to integrate, feel comfortable and stick together - and set the best example himself.

As an innovative mastermind, Rainer Kiel had a decisive and lasting influence on the Hannoveraner Verband, and was also extremely successful in economic aspects. His work and his ideas still have an impact on the Verden Auctions today. During the Gala Evening celebrating the 70th anniversary of Verden Auctions in October 2019, he brought his memories to life once again for the visitors as our guest of honor.

One never leaves completely, and so the memory of Rainer Kiel will accompany and influence the Hannoveraner Verband beyond his death. The team of the Hannoveraner Verband and especially his former colleagues and "his" riders will honor Rainer Kiel's memory.


On behalf of the Kiel family, the Hannoveraner Verband invites you to the funeral service on Wednesday, April 27, starting at 3 p.m. in the Niedersachsenhalle.