Registry News
Important Revision to Pedigree Upgrade Procedure
By [unknown placeholder $article.author$]
Apr 18, 2008 - 10:03:09 AM

During its teleconference meeting of April 9, the board of directors of the American Hanoverian Society accepted an important revision to the ongoing procedure for studbook revisions and consequent pedigree upgrades. This revision concerns Thoroughbred, Arabian and Anglo-Arabian mares previously entered into AHS's breeding program. The balance of this notice refers to Thoroughbreds but applies to Arabian and Anglo-Arabian mares as well.

AHS rules pertaining to Thoroughbreds have evolved gradually over the years. The association first accepted this breed in 1988. The requirement was an overall 7.0 or better for entry into AHS's Pre-Studbook with no minimum subscore requirement for impulsion and elasticity (the trot). The rules were modified in 1996 to permit Pre-Studbook Thoroughbreds to advance to the Studbook through completion of AHS's mare performance test (MPT) with an overall score of at least 7.0 (21 points).

The next revision took place in 2005 when Thoroughbred mares were permitted to be shown at liberty for a trot score, provided the judges considered the facilities safe to do so. Usually, but not always, the trot score when shown free is one point better than that shown in-hand. This is the scenario under which Thoroughbred mares are currently judged for possible entry into AHS's breeding program.

An analysis of this breed in the AHS's database shows that the Society has a current total of 699 Pre-Studbook Thoroughbred mares. It follows that all would have gained at least an overall 7.0 or better upon inspection, but not necessarily a subscore of 7 for the trot. Actual figures are that 219 (31 percent) of the 699 did not score a 7 for trot movement. However, of these 219 mares, only 57 (8 percent of the entire Thoroughbred Pre-Studbook population) have produced AHS-papered Hanoverian mares that have themselves been entered into the studbooks. This number, 57, is unlikely to grow significantly as the number of Pre-Studbook Thoroughbred mares foaled in 1989 or later (i.e. 18 years of age or younger) is precisely one.

The board discussed that this group of 219 mares, (but in reality only the 57 that have produced AHS broodmares), had never been given the opportunity to be judged for a free-running trot movement. Accordingly the board passed the following motion:

Motion that all AHS Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Anglo-Arabian Pre-Studbook mares that scored an overall 7.0 or better upon inspection should be retroactively eligible for an upgrade to the AHS Studbook upon request. Passed.

The board feels that is an eminently fair solution to a previously inequitable situation. The Executive Director will individually contact those members whose requests for upgrades were declined earlier this spring advising them of this policy change.

Further details regarding the Pedigree Upgrade procedure can be found on page 19 of the 2008 spring issue of The American Hanoverian magazine or on this website at http://www.hanoverian.org/mares/pedigreeupgrades.shtml

Hugh Bellis-Jones
HBJAHS@aol.com
April 17, 2008

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