All About Horse Associations

Horses. They are often used as a symbol of strength and beauty. To most breeders, being the guardians of the horse’s breed can preserve the beauty of these creatures. A pure breed, as they believe, is rare and precious and should be propagated.

While there are numerous breeds of horses, there are also various existing organizations that certify horse pedigrees. In the U.S. alone, there is quite a number to add up to a list. Here are some of these organizations and their rules in pedigree certification:

1.The American Drum Horse Association

2.Fallabella Miniature Horse Association—one of the first of its kind in the world. Fallabella can be certified under the following breeds: Quarter horse, Arabian horse or Thoroughbred.

3.MPHBEA (Mountain Pleasure Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association)—this association is practically new in the field. Its main goals are promote, preserve and enhance the process of breeding and presenting the breed from the line of Mountain Horses. It also boasts that they certify horses not for profit but to guarantee that the requirements are met.

4.The LANA (Lippizan Association of North America)—this organization provides a record of up to 5 generations of the horse’s pedigree once it is registered and has passed all requirements. The data included in the record are exact locations and dates of birth.

5.The Rocky Mountain Horse Association—one of the largest organizations that issues certification and registration for Mountain horses. They are also one of the few that would require a certification ahead of the breeding itself to make certain that a pure breed foal would be produced.

6.The Scottish Icelandic Horse Association

7.The American Trail Horse Association

Here are some of the common requirements of certifying a horse breed:

1.These organizations would only register or certify a horse that has qualified or passed their standards. If any standard is not met such as giving false information, they can deny certification immediately.

2.The horse’s DNA should be submitted for testing. The purity of the breed can be proven through this process. Upon the approval of the owner’s application for registration, the DNA sample should be submitted within 30 days. Any discrepancy in the DNA test results would automatically revoke the certification.

3.Any name that is submitted for registration should not match any other name that has been submitted formerly. While this is so, a name that has been submitted and approved should be the permanent name that the horse should carry all the way through.

4.Owners of stallions should submit breeding record and be able to fill out the necessary breeding information in the registration form provided by the horse association.

5.Artificial insemination or the natural way should have begotten a foal to be able to qualify for pure breed.

6.Some organizations look at color as a requirement for certification. Others don’t. In the case of those who do, the color of the horse must pass the standard color of the horse’s breed.

7.A horse must be of good disposition.

8.The stallion should have his two testicles beneath the inguinal ring.

9.Proper gait.

10.While most horses have markings on the face, there are some organizations that would accept such horses only if the markings are extremely noticeable or numerous.

11.Some of the organizations require a video before certifying a certain horse. The video should be able to show all four angles of the horse with a clear visual of the horse’s whole body. It should also show the kind of shoe that was used. A close up of the entire body should also be recorded, as this will show any marking that was put on the horse. The owner should also record a few minutes of horseback-riding to show the beats of the horse’s hooves.

12.In the case of an imported horse that an owner is submitting for certification, the submitted name can be different from the name on the horse’s passport.

Common registration form data are: name of the horse (first and second choices are provided just in case any of the choices would match a previous registered name); name of its current owner and previous owners; date of birth; color; markings; and the sire’s and dam’s names and breeds.

Looking at all this information, we would come to the conclusion that keeping a line of pure breeds is a must. It is more than profit-oriented, it is actually a noble task, and the breeders, are themselves, guardians.