If you want to meet Marius Zollet at the BEA, it's not easy. Although the president of the Burgdorf Horse Association is at the fair from dawn to dusk, he is also in demand everywhere. With the stallion Sambo, the broodmares Aurora,Fabienne and Fiona as well as the light-footed Florida, the breed is attracting attention in the public shows. There is a lot to do and discuss before and after.
It's a good thing that half the association, plus his entire family, is at the stand and knows when to expect Marius Zollet again. At 4pm, it´s time for a chat. And a glass of wine.‘We need horses that are calm and clear-headed again,’ he explains his motivation for promoting theBurgdorf breed.‘Look at our horses here. They do their job and don't cause any problems.’
In fact, the presentations by the various exhibitors in the large hall offer a good opportunity for direct comparison. While some breed representatives show themselves in an agitated verticalposition, Aurora and Co. walk calmly in front of the carriage and the wooden wagon or presentthemselves in a beautiful contact on the circle. Only Sambo has to announce every now and then that he has arrived at the fair. That's ok. It's the first day.
Zollet is familiar with structures and the formation of interest groups. For many years, he wasmayor of the municipality of Affoltern and president of the Oberaargau-Emmental Pony Association. He has close ties to his region, agriculture and horse breeding. When the Burgdorf Horse Association was founded in 2008, it didn't take long for it to catch the attention of founder and breeding president Jürg Schenk. ‘It was a good fit and I became part of this wonderful project,’ says Zollet, who at the time owned an old-style Freiberger mare himself.
A new beginning
For almost 50 years, the Burgdorf horses had been considered extinct. Mechanical methods had long since been introduced in agriculture and forestry, and carriages had become a rarity. The now lighter Freiberger horses dominated rural leisure and competition sport.Fortunately, however, studbooks and old documents were still available - at the Burgdorferweide in Saignelégier. This provided a basis to work from: the Burgdorf horse should weigh between 550 to 850 kilograms,with a height of 150 to 168 centimetres, a light, wedge-shaped head and a closed kidney area. The colours: predominantly brown with dark mane and tail, but brown, red and black roans are also typical representatives of the breed. In terms of movement, a good walk with a clear overstride and a rhythmic trot are important.
Burgdorf horses are the epitome of calm
However, the first attempts at breeding were not successful. ‘The conformation was right, but the foals did not turn out as we had hoped in terms of character,’ recalls Zollet.It was only withArdennes stallions from the ‘de la Mess’ line that they came closer to the ideal type of Burgdorfhorse. Offspring Napoleon, an almost one-year-old stallion out of Aurora vom Zelgmoos and the Luxembourg national champion Emir de l`Havigne, is a prime example of his breed: calm and sociable, an ideal leisure partner with an innate talent for logging, driving, gymkhana or therapy riding.
When it comes to the exterior, Napoleon's discreet feathering stands out. Why is that unusual? Like the Burgdorf horse, the Ardennes horse, a classic workhorse, also needed a new raison d'être. So, without further ado, they were bred to have a long, spectacular feathering .However, this show effect is only a hindrance in front of the plough and is not desired in the newBurgdorf horses. But although the breeding results are good and the Burgdorf breed is gaining more and more fans, it is not easy to find knowledgeable buyers for the offspring. ‘The market for horse is generally difficult,’ explains Zollet, ’there is an oversupply and prices have rockbottom since Covid.’
Breeding successes for the Burgdorf Horse Association
However, the dedicated members of the association are not deterred by this. The club now has 20 breeders and around 50 active members. Judging training courses, foal and stallion shows and the Agri trade fair are already on the calendar. A major goal was achieved three years ago. For the first time, it was possible to breed Burgdorf mares with Burgdorf stallions. Zollet is particularly proud of this. The vociferous Sambo, owned by the breeder family Rebecca and Werner Bachmann from Ersingen, is one of them, as is the five-year-old Florian from Peter Wittwerfrom Bollingen. On the female side, Ombra, owned by Andreas Giger from Balgach, deserves special mention, having been awarded the title of elite brood mare.
However,the aim is not to breed as many Burgdorf horses as possible or to compete withthe moreprominent Freiberger horses. It is simply a matter of the Burgdorfer horseswinning over a few newhearts and not disappearing from the scene again. There is reason for hope:Marius Zollets' Aurorawill become a mum again this year.
