By Jean Llewellyn / WBFSH press Release
Each year, member studbooks of the WBFSH are asked to submit statistics and new initiatives introduced from the preceding year (2022), offering valable insights into trends within the breeding sector. The figures provide part of the data used for their State of the Industry Report.
In alphabetical order, the member studbooks new develoments in 2022 appear below (A = Associate member):
• ACE Studbook - Australian Continental Equestrian Group Inc (ACE) – Full member since 2015
There has been a significant increase in the number of registration applications over the past 12 months.
• Asociación Española de Criadores de Caballos Anglo-Árabes (AECCAÁ) – Full member since 2019
We continued helping members to improve the genetic selection by organizing the import of doses from selected stallions, mainly for eventing and endurance.
• American Warmblood Registry & North American Sportpony Registry (AWR) – Full member snce 1999
Mandatory Genetic Testing for FFS.
• Breeders Elite Studbook for Irish & European Sports Horses (BE/SIES) – Full member since 2016
Two successful stallion grading shows were held in Spring andAutumn 2022, which had not been possible prior due to Covid. Our passports have been updated/improved and include a loose leaf pedigree page. Our members are kept up to date with a quarterly newsletter. Our members/breeders and stallion owners were informed of the new WBFSH show in September 2023 and generated much interest.
• Associacao Brasileira de Criadores do Cavalo de Hipismo (ABCCH) – Full member since 1996
New studbook operation system (T.I.)
• Criadores de Caballos Deportivos Mexicanos, A.C. (CCDM) – Full member since 2005
Breeding policy: best bloodlines in records.
• Canadian Sport Horse Association (CSHA) – Full member since 2001
Video option offered for mare inspection will continue. In person inspection still required for stallions.
• Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association (CWHBA)
Second year of using video conferences for Stallion Licensing. SPT was modified with discipline specific scoring and shortened to 3 days.
• Czech Warmblood Breeders Association/Svaz chovatelů českéhoteplorevníka (SCHČT) – Full member since 2015
New studbook order, performance testing of stallions – sport test for three-. four-, five-, and six-year-old old stallions, beginning of the SNP chip testing.
• Danish Warmblood/Dansk Varmblod (DWB) – Full member since 1994
Development of breeding values for linear profiling.
• Estonian Sport Horse Breeders Society/Eesti Sporthoubuste Kasvatatjate Selts (ESHB) – Full member since 2010 (2005/A)
Performance test support for young horses preparing for world breeding championships for young horses.
• The Finnish Horse Breeding Association/Suomen Hippos ry (FWB)
We have developed a way to self-monitor stables by our organisation. Our goal is to verify equine healthcare to people outside the horse industry in order to maintain social license. We will be auditing stables and we will give the stables a sign of acceptance after auditing. We will also collect data of how the horses are being kept in Finland. At first this is mandatory for licensed trainers that manage horses for harness racing. It is voluntary for any other breeders and stable owners and in time we hope the stables find out how having been audited gives them a better rank in public discussion. In one point we want to have our own Equine national healthcare program, since giving medication to horses in Finland is strickly limited and only veterinarians have the authority to issue medication. One cannot have reserve medication for in case of emergency yet, but it will be possible with the Equine national healthcare program.
• Hungarian Sport Horse/Magyar Sportlótenyésztők Országos Egyesülete (MSLT)
New portal and online studbook.
• Irish Sport Horse (ISH) – Full member since 1995
Completed the reference library for transition to SNP.
• KWPN of North America, Inc. (KWPN-NA) – Full member since 2013
We had KWPN judges attend the North American Stallion Sport Test to determine if the KWPN and the KWPN-NA will start participating in the NASST. The KWPN judges have agreed to begin using the NASST as a venue to carry out the character test for any KWPN-NA licensed stallions to move forward with full approval. Assuming they have met the offspring and performance requirements. We began using the iPads for our KWPN judges that came for our inspections.
• Latvian Horse Breeders Association/aka Latvian Warmblood Studbook (LWB) – Full member since 2008
LWB young breeders team participated in World championship Ermelo, The Netherlands for first time. It was good international experience and motivation for future job with a young breeders activities in LWB.
• Italian Sport Horse Studbook/Mi.P.A.A.F. (Ministero delle Politiche Agricole, Alimentari e Forestali) (MIPAAF) – Full member since 2001
Changes of ownership and foaling declarations are to be sent by pec or online, no more by mail.
• Norwegian Warmblood Association/Norsk Varmblod (NWB) – Full member since 1998
Transfer of registration data from HorsePro to Equis/DeltaHorses started.
• New Zealand Hanoverian Society (NZHS) – Full member since 2018
Foal numbers now split between NZHS and RHEIN-NZ; past years included the total amount of both studbooks under NZHS.
• New Zealand Warmblood Association (NZWA) – Full member since 2018
New Zealand had a visit from two overseas breeding experts – Michael Doherty and Emma Thoren Hellsten – who put pressure on the showjump breeders of NZ to register their horses with a WBFSH member stud book as most showjump horses here have no passports or papers. We hope this will see an influx of registrations.
We also had Gerd Kuest from Germany return for a very successful mare and foal inspection tour. It was our first "live" tour in several years due to covid restrictions
• Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes e.V. (OLDBG) – Full member since 1994
Oldenburg pairing programme offered to breeders at the begining of the breeding season 2022.
• Springpferdezuchtverband Oldenburg- International e.V. (OS) – Full member since 2001
Oldenburg pairing programme offered to breeders at the begining of the breeding season 2022.
• Asociación Nacional De Criadores De Caballos de Pura Raza Española - National Purebred Spanish Breeders' Association of Spain (ANCCE/PRE)
ANCCE registered 12,607 new PRE Horses in the Birth Register of the PRE Studbook (6,141 males and 6,466 females). Thus, the breed census as of December 31, 2022 was 275,018 horses (138,805 males and 136,213 females), belonging to 46,345 active stud farms in 67 countries, which represents a 2.46% increase of horses and almost 5% of stud farms with respect to the previous year. Of the newly incorporated PRE breeders registered, 46% are from outside Spain – mostly in the USA, Italy and Germany. The other 54% of the stud farms are located in Spain.
In terms of the other services offered by the PRE Stud Book office, there have been 5,979 assessments as Basic Breeding Stock and 10,389 changes of ownership. Of these ownership modifications, most were in the United States, Mexico, Italy and Germany.
It is noteworthy that authorized veterinarians took 23 trips abroad for Basic Breeding Stock evaluation, including but not limited to the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Sweden, New Zealand and New Caledonia (France). This fact shows that the promotional efforts in recent years to make Purebred Spanish Horses known the world over are beginning to pay off.
The quality of PRE StudBook services is certified by UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 standards. Year after year, the indexes for quality, efficiency and reliability increase, which has earned the Stud Book office international recognition, to become a reference for other equine breeds, especially in Europe.
The ANCCE Molecular Genetics Laboratory has the latest in equipment and performs genetic parentage analyses on all PRE horses seeking registration, wherever they are located in the world. This laboratory is one of the few in Spain that has Quality Certification based on UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 Standards, and with ENAC accreditation based on UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standards. It is noteworthy that this is the first and only laboratory in Spain that is certified to ‘analyze the genetic markers involved in equine coat colors.’ This certification, backed by ENAC, places this analytical laboratory at the forefront of the business to guarantee that all services meet the highest standards. This endorses the excellence of the work carried out, thus resulting in greater efficiency and improvements in the services offered to Purebred Spanish Horse (PRE) breeders the world over, as well as other breeds and species. Moreover, the laboratory is authorized by Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, as well as being certified by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG), which includes this laboratory in Ranking 1 for accuracy, with 100% of the samples coinciding in the external quality control tests performed. ANCCE is involved in a genomics project that facilitates an increase in the speed and magnitude of the genetic progress in PRE Horses. It also leads to the early detection and verification of inherited traits that entail considerable economic costs, which translates into financial benefits for stud farms. ANCCE will also implement a digital tool for breeders to integrate all of this easy-to-use information when anticipating selection or performance problems and to make rational breeding decisions based on reliable data to avoid losses, reinforce resources, and attain faster and more efficient genetic progress to establish quality PRE standards on national and international markets.
From the standpoint of genetic selection, the ANCCE StudBook published the genetic values and indexes for all horses that were genetically assessed throughout 2022. When it comes to confirmation aptitudes for Dressage, the genetic values for 37 different conformation traits and the Global Genetic Index (GGI) were also published. In the case of Dressage, the genetic values for six (6) variables and the GGI for each horse were also published.
• Associação Portuguesa de Criadores de Racas Selectas/ Portuguese Sport Horse Studbook (APCRS/PSH) – Full member since 2002
The Studbook promoted and sponsored the Young Horse National Championships in the three Olympic disciplines.
• New Zealand Rhinelander Society (RHEIN-NZ) – Full member since 2018
Foal numbers now split between NZHS and RHEIN-NZ; past years included the total amount of both studbooks under NZHS.
• Stud Book du Cheval de Selle Français (SBSF/SF) – Full member since 1994
Main developments during 2022: New measures for welfare and health during breeding show:
- rhinopneumonia vaccination required
- negative viral arteritis test for young male before approval and testing
- fences in loose jumping: lower and wider
- removal of lunging whip's wicks during every final breeding show
- watchfulness's judges about overpreparation or underpreparation during loose jumping with three observable criteria: excessive and persistant worry, exaggeration of movement in crispation, loss of jump trajectory and/or loss of balance on landing
Other developments during 2022: New date for the SF Foal Championship – mid-september; genomic project in progress; and foal index in progress.
• Sport Horse Breeding Great Britain (SHBGB) – Full member since 1998
Extensive foal grading programme in addition to existing mare and stallion grading programme.
• Studbook La Silla (SLS) – Full member since 2002
More FEI events for young horses in Mexico.
• Verband der Züchter und Freunde des Ostpreussischen Warmblutpferdes Trakehner Abstammung e.V. (TRAK) – Full member since 1994
SNP typing and genomic services (i.e. PSSM2, colour) can now be ordered online by our members for their horses.
• The Slovak Warmblood Studbook (ZCHKS) – Full member since 2013
Registrations now processed under EU Regulation 2015/262.
• Cheval de Dressage Francais (CDF) – 2021 (A)
Development of the studbook by organizing information days for breeders, as at EquitaLyon for example.
