Bred in Germany : The investment German Sporthorse

Abstract: Background: The concept of decision-making is influenced by many parameters like perception or relationships. This is also true when it comes to horse buying and the phenomenon of foreigners buying horses bred in Germany, with tradition, quality, and the positive perception of german bred horses all over the world playing an important role. Much is known about the industry and how and why people purchase horses, with a small difference that it has not yet been researched what leads to foreigners investing in German sport horses rather than domestic-bred ones. The official webside advocating for the quality in german-bred horses claims that this success stems from the countless successes of German horses at major equestrian events like the Olympic games (german horse quality, 2023). Thus, this study includes the perspectives of sellers and buyers of German sports horses to explore the criteria and decision-making processes of the buying process.  Purpose: This study aims to explore the decision-making process foreign investors undergo when investing into a german sport horse, despite the insecurity of investment and the high stress level for the animal.  Method: In order to fulfill the purpose of this qualitative study, an exploratory research design was applied, and data gathered through a variety of semi-structured and structured interviews across the sector of horse selling in Germany and trough different business sizes and business models.  Conclusion: This study has found that basic criteria as age, breed and intended usage of the horse are more or less fixed criteria in the buying decision, whereas other basic criteria such as, price, descendants and quality give a frame that is used to evaluate purchase options and possible sales entities to contact, such as auction houses and sales stables. The last decision in this framework is based on the entity's reputation, perception, and relationships. The final decision to buy a horse is made by combining all the named criteria, highlighting the importance of perception and quality in the context of international buyers purchasing German horses.