{"id":12256,"date":"2023-05-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=12256"},"modified":"2023-05-25T06:49:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T06:49:42","slug":"bits-of-the-benelux-dulmen-wild-horses-catch-public-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=12256","title":{"rendered":"Bits of the Benelux: D\u00fclmen wild horses catch public attention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n The last wild horses in Germany, the \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d gather by the catching group in the annual horse round in D\u00fclmen, Germany on May 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Alex Rivera)
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[Editor\u2019s Note: The following story is the eleventh in the series Bits of the Benelux<\/em>. This series takes a deep dive into the stories, cultures and traditions found throughout Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany.]<\/p>\n

D\u00dcLMEN TOWER BARRACKS, Germany \u2013 In May, spectators from near and far gather for the annual wild horse round up \u201cWildpferde fangen\u201d approximately 12 km (7.5 miles) west of D\u00fclmen in the heart of M\u00fcnsterland. The annual event takes place the last Saturday of May and held this year May 27.<\/p>\n

The \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d wild horses of D\u00fclmen at Merfelder Bruch were first mentioned in a document dating back to the thirteenth century. In 1850 the Duke of Cro\u00ff captured a small herd of the wild horses and placed them in a reserve on his land to protect the breed.<\/p>\n

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\n The last wild horses in Germany, the \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d graze at Merfelder Bruch reserve in D\u00fclmen, Germany on May 19, 2023. (Photo by Erika Rivera, USAG Benelux Public Affairs)
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Distinguished by their gray color with a dark eel stripe on their backs, the wild horses currently live on a reservation provided by the Duke of Cro\u00ff family. The reserve is about 400 ha (988 acres) and is home to an approximately 400-member herd of the distinctive breed. The wild horses live on the reservation grazing on natural vegetation with assisted hay feeding stations in the winter.<\/p>\n

The horses are divided into smaller groups, led by a lead mare. Friederike R\u00f6vekamp, chief forest ranger, references the internal hierarchy much as that of a school, but without an official leader. According to R\u00f6vekamp, natural selection occurs to preserve a strong, healthy and resilient herd with limited human interaction.<\/p>\n

Since 1907, always on the last Saturday in May, thousands of spectators have been coming together to see the capturing of Germany\u2019s last wild horse breed. The event is becoming increasingly popular and stadium tickets sell out fast with approximately 15,000 attendees per year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a spectacular show before the catching of the yearlings, which includes horse acrobatics and a falconry show,\u201d said Alex Rivera, support services specialist for the Directorate of Public Works at D\u00fclmen Tower Barracks.<\/p>\n

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\n The last wild horses in Germany, the \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d enter the arena for the annual horse round in D\u00fclmen, Germany on May 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Alex Rivera)
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She recalled the excitement of the horses entering the stadium, describing the pounding of the hooves on the ground sounding \u201clike thunder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chris Howe, facility manager for the Directorate of Public Works at D\u00fclmen Tower Barracks also had fond memories of the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sound of the horses coming from a distance, this thunder and then all of a sudden you see this dust and here comes a horse and next thing you know it\u2019s a hundred horses.\u201d said Howe. \u201cThen when the horses are in the arena they are just moving back and forth like a school of fish. It really is a beautiful sight. I\u2019ve never seen anything like it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe energy when the horses run in, when over 300 horses gallop at the same time, I always feel how this power is transferred,\u201d said R\u00f6vekamp.<\/p>\n

R\u00f6vekamp is responsible for organizing the round up and is the catcher group\u2019s coach for the event.<\/p>\n

Their one-of-a-kind outfits – distinct blue pinstriped shirts and red bandanas, distinguish the catcher group.<\/p>\n

Approximately 35 individuals from surrounding farms capture the year-old stallions. Anywhere from 30-40 yearlings are auctioned off after being captured. They are popular with children and are used as carriage horses due to their good nature and relaxed character after adaptation into their new environments.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to have a close connection to the Merfelder Bruch to become a catcher,\u201d said R\u00f6vekamp in a 2022 interview with Welt newspaper. \u201cIt’s a special honor. People hold this title until they are no longer physically able. And when selecting new catchers, the sons of previous catchers have priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year for the first time, a woman became part of the catching group.<\/p>\n

R\u00f6vekamp works closely with Willa Bohnet, biologist from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany to continue to improve catching methods.<\/p>\n

The new techniques used for catching the yearlings require \u201cless strength, but skill and instinct,\u201d said R\u00f6vekamp.<\/p>\n

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\n The last wild horses in Germany, the \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d gather in the arena for the annual horse round in D\u00fclmen, Germany on May 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Alex Rivera)
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Although tickets for the C-shaped stadium sell out well in advance, tickets are available at the door the day of the event for standing sideline views.<\/p>\n

The City of D\u00fclmen is also holding a free public viewing downtown in the market place with family friendly activities starting May 27 at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, events wrap up with a picnic downtown in cooperation with their French sister-city Charleville-M\u00e9zi\u00e8res.<\/p>\n

Learn more about events throughout the weekend on the City of D\u00fclmen’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A visit to the Wildpferdebahn (wild horse reservation) is possible Saturdays, Sundays and holidays during open season from April to Nov. Learn more about Wildpferdebahn<\/a> and how to visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always recommend visitors to watch the herd on a different day [aside from the round up],\u201d said R\u00f6vekamp. \u201cThen they can get a more realistic impression of how the herd lives in the Merfelder Bruch throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

This series, Bits of the Benelux<\/em>, will continue to explore the many cultural traditions in and around the Benelux. Further stories like this on the local traditions, festivals, and events are scheduled to be published monthly, as they occur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The last wild horses in Germany, the \u201cD\u00fclmener Wildpferde\u201d gather by the catching group in the annual horse round in D\u00fclmen, Germany on May 25, 2019. (Photo courtesy of Alex Rivera) (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL [Editor\u2019s Note: The following story is the eleventh in the series Bits of the Benelux. This series takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12258,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12256"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12263,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12256\/revisions\/12263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}