By Roberta Milani / ABCCH
Photography: J.C.Markun, Nuno Vicente, and personal archive

The Brazilian Association of Equestrian Breeders (ABCCH), was born from the firm determination of a group of horse lovers who came together around a common ideal: to create and develop a breed of horse with a high aptitude for equestrian sport. Starting from strictly selected animals already existing in the country, the founders defined the goal as breeding sport horses, national and foreign, that were proven to be highly gifted for a specific discipline.

ABCCH was founded on November 29, 1977, in the same year it was recognized and elevated to the status of a Delegated Entity of the Ministry of Agriculture, responsible for the administration of the Genealogical Registration Service (SRG), also known as a studbook.
A non-profit organization, ABCCH is responsible for promoting, within established standards, the creation and development of the Brazilian Sport Horse, traditionally known as BH. They sought a balance between an animal of good structure and conformation, with a great aptitude for Olympic-level sport. Coincidentally, the BH horse is also one that meets the requirements and needs of the military police, and are selected per the best standards to perform mounted police work in several of Brazil’s federal states.
Throughout its 40+ years, ABCCH has been chaired by a number of presidents: Enio Monte (1977 to 1983, 1987 to 1989 and 2002 to 2007), Victor Henrique Foroni (1983 to 1987), Caio Luís Figueiredo (1989 to 1991), Benedito Nicotero Filho (1991 to 1994), Vittorio Sicherle (1994 to 1996), Wolfgang Franz José Sauer (1996 to 1998), Gilberto de Souza Biojone Filho (1998 to 1999), Luiz Alberto Dalcanale (2000 to 2001), Antonio Celso Fortino (2008 to 2011), Paulo Victor Zuccolotto Foroni (2012 and 2015) and Ricardo Carvalho de Moura (2016 and 2017). In 2018, Luiz Flores took over as president of ABCCH for the 2018-2020 term.
Currently, ABCCH has approximately 370 members and more than 23,000 registered animals distributed throughout the country, but mainly in the State of São Paulo where its largest herd is located. With its consistent fostering work, ABCCH has managed to raise the breed’s profile to the top of the world’s podiums, as was the case with the bronze medals achieved by the Brazilian equestrian team at the Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, as well as three team gold medals at Pan-American Games when BH horses have always been present.

Harvesting the fruits of serious and effective work, the Association continues to strive for the dissemination of the breed, guiding and encouraging crosses of high genetic value, and incorporating new breeding and training techniques in the constant search for a national horse that can perform with perfection in the different modalities of equestrian sport.
In this way, the Association hosts various events, including stallion approvals – following the usual protocols of judging morphology, gaits, and loose jumping (for showjumping horses) – the Brazilian Championship for Young Horses (95% of the animals are BH registered), with selections to the World Breeding Championship for Young Horses held in Lanaken, Belgium, in addition to the extremely competitive BH horse ranking, which distributes significant prizes... To read the complete article you need to be a subscriber

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO BREEDING NEWS
SUBSCRIBERS CAN READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE BY LOGGING IN AND RETURNING TO THIS PAGE