Largest equestrian tournament in the world
Horse dealers juggle millions in Aachen
06/29/2023, 07:17 am
The CHIO in Aachen is not just about sport. The most important horse show in the world is also a transfer market at a high level. It attracts millions, similar to football “the prices go through the roof”. In addition, dreams threaten to burst.
In the evening under floodlights, things get emotional in the world’s largest equestrian stadium. Tears will probably flow when Simone Blum says goodbye to her gold horse Alice from the sport. Less sensitive people than the 2018 World Champion might then ask themselves a financial question: How many million euros did the rider miss because she didn’t sell the mare a few years ago?
Blum had repeatedly resisted the temptation to monetize Alice. “She won’t be sold, she’s part of the family,” she said. At least since her first CHIO ride with Alice six years ago, the offers have continued to increase. After all, Aachen is not only home to the largest horse show in the world, but also a marketplace for horses. An unofficial one, of course.
The horses usually do not belong to the riders or their families. They often don’t have the freedom to make decisions – like Simone Blum did with Alice. Determine the owners. There are agreements on transfer modalities with clauses similar to those in football. This is not necessarily fixed in writing, but more often agreed upon with a handshake.
The dealers make the big bucks
The horse trade is the engine of equestrian sports. The big bucks aren’t earned with prize money, even if there’s 3.146 million euros in prize money up for grabs in Aachen. Dealers make the big bucks in this sport. After all, the riders usually benefit from a commission payment when selling.
Nevertheless, selling the four-legged friends is often difficult. Laura Klaphake, for example, Blum’s team partner in winning with the national team in Aachen in 2018 and at the World Championships in the USA, had no choice: owner and horse dealer Paul Schockemöhle sold Klaphake’s World Championship horse Catch me if you can, just like Silverstone before him.
Since then, both horses have been ridden by Anna Kellnerova. She is the daughter of Renáta Kellnerova, who is considered the richest woman in the Czech Republic and has so far been quite unsuccessful in the course. The dream of reaching the top of the world with the highly talented mares has not come true.
“Prices go through the roof”
“A lot of people are after the good horses,” says national coach Otto Becker. “We’ll be happy if we can keep them in the country for the national team.” European Champion André Thieme received “countless, really crazy” offers for the mare Chakaria. Thanks to previous horse sales, he can now afford to “cover his ears”. Ben, with whom Gerrit Nieberg won the Aachen Grand Prix last year, is also considered to be particularly popular.
“Sell or not, these are always difficult decisions,” says the national coach. Prices rise especially in the years before the Olympic Games. The amount of the transfer fee remains a trade secret. However, it is known that top horses cost several million euros. Absolute “bangers”, as the riders like to say, sometimes in double digits.
“It’s similar to football: the prices for the top horses go through the roof,” explains Becker. The horse dealers in Aachen therefore pay particular attention to the Youngsters Cup competitions. Seven and eight-year-old horses start there. These are perfectly trained junior cracks who are ready to jump into the big sport. But even the best of these young animals cost millions.