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Stallion performance testing in Canada

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Kingston (Martin’s Worry xx - Ariena x Natural), bred by Laurel Morrison: 54 progeny, one approved son who completed the 2005 SPT

By Chris Gould/CWHBA
Photography: CanSport; John Appleman; Mirrabook Farms

Many people are not aware that 2019 is the 20th anniversary of the stallion performance testing (SPT) system in Canada. The first CWHBA-run SPT was held at Olds College in Alberta in 2000, as a 30-day test based on the, then new, 30-day German test. Subsequent tests were reduced to a short-test format based on the Swedish system, however, the scoring categories and indexing system adapted from Germany has remained the same.

The German scoring system was retained as an internationally recognized system, results could be understood in an international context, and foreign judges would be familiar with it. On the advice of Dr Ingvar Fredriksson, retired manager of the Swedish National Stud at Flyinge, and Manfred Lopp, former Hauptsattelmeister of the Hanoverian State Stud stallion performance test, who were the first SPT senior judges, the CWHBA also adopted the German indexing system for ranking the stallions rather than using absolute scores.
The fact that Canada has a relatively small breeding population and covers a large area presents challenges, but the CWHBA has mitigated many of these challenges through the amazing support, advice and assistance of international experts such as Gerd Lehmann, Cord Wassman, Jan-Ove Olsson, Haken Wahlmann, Johan Hamminga, Fritz von Blotniz, and the invaluable aid of a superb test master for 18 years, Hendrik Gaeble.
Carthago Sun I (Carthago - Davos x Schampus xx), bred by Joe Selinger. First SPT champion in 2000, 96 registered CWHBA offspring and sire of multiple performance champions

This is remarkable longevity when considering that several tests have come and gone in North America during the same period, and in Europe there seems to be a constant cycle of adjustments being made. It has also stood the test of time, providing Canadian stallion owners with a cost-effective and fair way to achieve approval status for both imported and home-bred prospects. The breeding record of CWHBA-tested stallions is impressive, accounting for a high percentage of the foals registered every year. Nevertheless change is in the wind in Canada as well. ..

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