Stallions: Hannoveraner Verband

Stallions

Hannoveraner breeders can choose from more than 300 stallions. Many of them are successful in international competitions. The selection of stallions at the Hannoveraner Verband takes place in two stages: Stallion Licensing and stallion performance test. Only when both selection stages have been successfully completed a stallion can be used for breeding.

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The licensing is one of the two necessary prerequisites for a stallion to become fully approved for breeding. The stallions are either licensed in-hand at the age of two-and-a-half or under saddle at the age of three. Evaluation criteria are conformation, basic gaits and scope.

Stallion book division

The main division of the studbook includes Stallion Books I, Ib and II. Stallions registered in Stallion Book I and Ib participate in the breeding program. The additional division consists of the pre-book for stallions and the foal pre-book for stallions.

The main division consists of the:

Stallion Book I (Hb I). In order to be entered in the Stallion Book I (Hannoveraner studbook), the stallion must have been licensed by the Hannoveraner Verband and must have fully completed and passed the performance test. He must have at least six generations of licensed and performance tested sires in his pedigree. The stallion's dam and granddam must be registered in the main studbook, the great-granddam at least in the studbook. The stallions must achieve an overall score of at least 7.5 in the evaluation of the selection criteria for external appearance for licensing.
Stallion Book Ib (HB Ib). Stallions that have not yet been presented to the Hannoveraner Verband for licensing and have been licensed by another recognized breeding society and have been performance tested in accordance with their age can be entered in Stallion Book Ib. This applies to riding horse type stallions of the following societies, as their performance test system is comparable to the system used in Germany: All German warmblood breeding societies, as well as BWP, DWB, KWPN, SWB, SF, Z.Rpf. The same pedigree requirements apply as for registration in Hb I.
Stallion Book II (Hb II). Stallions that have been licensed by the Hannoveraner Verband or another recognized breeding society (all German warmblood breeding societies, as well as BWP, DWB, KWPN, SWB, SF, Z.Rpf ) and cannot yet present proof of performance according to age are entered in Stallion Book II. The same pedigree requirements apply as for registration in the Hb I and Ib.
Annex for stallions (A). For registration in the Annex, a pedigree certificate or a birth certificate must be available. Stallions that do not meet the entry requirements for Stallion Book I, Ib or II are entered in the Annex. The entry is made without evaluation. Stallions registered in the Foal Book for Stallions are automatically entered in the Annex if offspring are registered from them.
Foal Book for Stallions. In the year of birth, all stallions whose parents are registered in the studbook of the breed are entered.

The additional section consists of the:

Pre-book for stallions. In the pre-book, stallions can be entered that do not meet the entry requirements for the main division, but are of the German Riding Horse type and meet the breeding goal.
Foal pre-book for stallions. In the year of birth, all colts are entered that do not meet the entry requirements for the Foal Book for Stallions.

After licensing, stallions that have not yet been performance tested will initially be listed in Stallion Book II and will only be listed in Stallion Book I (provisionally) after presentation of proof of performance appropriate to their age. The stallions (provisionally) listed in stallion book I are published in the stallion directory. Stallions registered in Stallion Book Ib can be transferred to Stallion Book I by licensing with the Hannoveraner Verband. The possible ways to the provisional or final registration in the stallion book I in the German HLP system can be found here

Hanoverian Stallion Archive: Over 1600 stallions

On December 15, the stallion directory for the 2026 breeding season will go online as usual. At the same time, the Hanoverian Stallion Archive will make its debut. The Hanoverian Stallion Yearbook provides the basis for the archive. This tool for breeders was first published 25 years ago. The yearbook was published under the leadership of Dr. Ludwig Christmann with the aim of providing breeders with objective information on approved stallions. After 22 years, the printed Stallion Yearbook was replaced by the digital version. The Hanoverian Society is now responding to the wishes of its breeders to also make older stallions or those who have recorded a large proportion of their offspring with foreign breeding societies available online.

The rigid limits of the stallion yearbook, which were necessary for a book version in particular, have been lifted. All stallions that are listed in the Society's Stallion Book I, Ib or II, have at least 10 Hanoverian offspring, the youngest of which are not older than 20 years, and are not currently listed in the stallion directory can be accessed.

As usual, all recorded data such as stallion performance tests, breeding values and competition successes of the stallions are available. Another new feature is the addition of information from the stallions' dam lines. Any successful breeding or competition offspring of the dam, dam's dam or great-granddam are listed.

The top lists, which also originated in the Stallion Yearbook, can now be found in the stallion directory. Here, too, the publication criteria have been adjusted so that more stallions will be listed.

The Hanoverian Stallion Archive is thus a unique reference work that provides all available information on stallions for the breeder.