Supervisory Board of the ALRV elected for a further four years - Dr. Stephan Kranz newly appointed. Armin Laschet to additionally support the Board.

Just under a month before the World Equestrian Festival begins, during the General Annual Meeting one could see how much the members of the Aachen-Laurensberger Rennverein e.V. (ALRV) are looking forward to this year’s major event. First-class sport and the partner country, the USA, are promising a CHIO Aachen that not only the athletes and visitors love, but also Stefanie Peters, the President of the ALRV: “Experience top sport, meet people, shop, enjoy exquisite food – yes, simply have a great time. That is the unique combination that distinguishes our CHIO Aachen.”

In her speech she also made reference to the long equestrian sport history in Aachen, namely “100 years of equestrian show history” will be celebrated at the Soers this year. “What started off as a small and regional event, has in the meantime turned into a worldwide famous show. One can no longer imagine the international equestrian sport without the CHIO Aachen, it is a brand, unique, a success story,” Peters explained in the Deutsche Bank Stadium on Monday evening.

Over the course of all this time one thing has always taken top priority: the well-being of the horses. More than 600 will be participating again this year. “Not only the show is further developed year after year. We also always ensure the best possible conditions for the horses. They are the actual stars of the CHIO Aachen,” the President of the ALRV assured the members present.

In her speech, the Board Member, Birgit Rosenberg, underlined the fact the ALRV is aware of its responsibility in the area of animal welfare and presented the work of the “CHIO Aachen Scientist Circle” that was initiated in 2023, before she turned her attentions to the CHIO Aachen 2024. She promised the members top-class equestrian sport and above all plenty of US-American flair at the Aachen Soers. “The NRW/USA year is being celebrated in North Rhine-Westphalia in 2024 under the motto ‘A perfect match’. We too are convinced that the show performances and participants from the USA are going to be a ‘perfect match’ for the CHIO Aachen,” stated Rosenberg, who in her capacity as Director of the Sports Department is also responsible for the show programme at the biggest equestrian show in the world.

However, she began her speech with a review of last year’s World Equestrian Festival, “which was everything we wanted it to be in many respects,” Rosenberg said happily. After the challenging COVID years, one thing particularly delighted all of the parties concerned. “We were almost able to match the figures of the record year 2019 regarding the capacities in the stadiums. There was a wonderful atmosphere in the sold-out stadiums on all days of the show. This is what the riders appreciate so much about Aachen and what distinguishes us from many of the other showgrounds in the world,” Rosenberg emphasised.

“All of this wouldn’t be possible without our fantastic team,” her fellow board-member Philip Erbers said afterwards, accentuating the commitment of all the employees, before presenting the financial report of the past fiscal year. The annual accounts that were reviewed by the auditors of “Ernst & Young” reported a positive result.

The CHIO Aachen CAMPUS with its countless activities, which are also on the agenda in 2023, also belongs to the present and future of the ALRV. Starting with the youngest equestrian fans, who are given a playful introduction to the horse in the scope of the Kids Camps during the holidays, to the training offers such as for example the “Full-Service Training Day” and an exclusive live training with the British, dressage star, Charlotte Dujardin, through to the #neuland Congress. There are plenty of offers for 2024, which are all proving to be very popular again.

Due to the many pieces of good news, the members unanimously discharged the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board. There were no votes against the re-election of the Supervisory Board either. Dr. Stephan Kranz was newly appointed to the Supervisory Board as a replacement for the outgoing Tim Hammer. Armin Laschet is additionally supporting the Supervisory Board as a new member for the rest of the current term until 2025.

Honours

Honoured for 25 years of membership:
Renate Dahmen, Georg Dolfen, Michael Foellmer, Frank Kaussen, Heinz Kaussen, Dr. Norbert Königs, Philipp Kutsch, Dr. Walter Lentzen, Helmuth Leufgens, Eugen Menzerath, Alexandra Oetker, Claudia Pannenbecker, Michael Strauch, Dr. Lessen von Heydebreck, Isabell Werth, Dr. Dieter Zetsche

Honoured for 40 years of membership:

Jürgen Kreuzer, Dr. Anne-Marie Liethen, Susanne Peters, Monika Schmitt

Honoured for 50 years of membership:

Friedbert Haak, Georg Karl Helg, Franz-Josef Schaffrath