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    Title

  • German Horseman's pin owned by Harry M. Harter

  • Physical Description

    1 medal : metal ; 2" x 1 3/4" ; 5.2 cm x 4.2 cm

  • Date

    circa 1930

  • Notes

    Engraved on the back of the pin are "Gesetzlich Geschuetzt" on one side and "L. Chr. Lauer Nurnberg Berlin" on the other side

    This and all military medals from Harry M. Harter and the Hirschberg or Goldmann family collection were stored in the same box (2023.78).

  • Summary

    The badge features an oval oakleaf wreath, and within the wreath is a mounted horseman astride a prancing horse with a Roman "R" letter in a circle at the base of the wreath.

  • Subject

    Medals, Medals

  • Genre

    Military decorations

  • Medium

    Medals; Objects; Accessories

  • Part Of

    Hirschberg Goldmann Family Collection,, AR 25047

  • Accession Number

  • URL

Biographical/Historical Information

The German Horseman's badge (or Deutsche Reiterabzeichen) was a sports decoration of the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany, instituted in 1930. It was awarded for proficiency in riding horses, issued in bronze, silver, and gold levels. The badge was meant to encourage increased equestrian knowledge and horsemanship. Since the Army was the largest equestrian organization in the country, Rittmeisters (cavalry captains) and artillery captains who were squadron or battery commanders were authorized to administer the tests and award the badges to civilians and to soldiers.

Harry M. Harter (previous name: Harry Hirschberg), a neuro-psychiatrist, was born in Breslau on July 6, 1899. His father died when he was 6 years old, his mother died in 1930. From 1917 to 1918 he served in World War I. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Breslau in 1924, he opened a successful psychological practice in Breslau and also worked for various hospitals. He married Leonore Goldmann from Hindenburg (i.e. Zabrze) in 1928. Their son Dieter (later Donald Harter) was born in 1933, their daughter Daisy in 1938. In 1938 Harry M. Harter and his father-in-law visited the United States. His father-in-law went back to Germany, Harry M. Harter went to Cuba. His wife and his children joined him in Cuba in February 1939. They emigrated to the United States in August 1940. Leonore Goldmann's parents Siegfried and Kaethe Goldmann perished during the Holocaust. Harry M. Harter earned his medical U.S. license in 1946. He worked as a neuro-psychiatrist at various hospitals in New York State and the City of New York. He was a member of the student fraternity A.W.V (Akademisch-Wissenschaftlicher Verein) Breslau. He was also an active member of the zionist Mizrachi movement. He died on September 21, 1957.

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Citation

German Horseman's pin owned by Harry M. Harter, Leo Baeck Institute, 2023.85.