Recent changes in official guidance on regulations will affect how we are able to issue passports for some of your foals in 2025.
The process by which the Anglo European Studbook is permitted to issue passports has been impacted by new obligatory guidance from DEFRA, which has been implemented with immediate effect.
The guidance affects the issuance of auxiliary passports for horses, which applies in the following cases:
- Foals with missing pedigree in the last 3 generation on either side of the parentage
- Foals sired by ungraded stallions
- Foals out of mares not registered with or sired by stallions not graded with a WBFSH member studbook.
For foals falling into any of the above categories, DEFRA’s new guidance stipulates that we are no longer permitted to record the pedigree in the statutory pages of the passport. Instead, the pedigree information will only be available on the ownership document provided in the back of the AES passports, as well as in our public database.
The level of passport permitted for auxiliary studbook foals is defined as an "unregistered passport", also known as an "ID only passport". There are implications for the ability of these horses to travel to Europe, as they will be subject to additional monitoring and restrictions. We therefore highly recommend that breeders consider taking any possible steps to maintain main studbook papers.
We have come up with a few answers to questions you might have:
1. What do I need to do to get main studbook papers for a registered passport with pedigree recorded in the passport?
If you have incomplete pedigree
If you do not have full three generations pedigree information, you cannot get main studbook papers. But bear in mind that future generations will eventually fulfil the pedigree requirements and be eligible for an upgrade, so it is still valuable to DNA test to record all available pedigree information you do have.
If you have complete pedigree information, but:
You have used an ungraded stallion
If you have used an ungraded stallion, you can arrange for the stallion to be inspected and if he passes the grading we can issue main studbook papers. We are putting on additional grading opportunities this year to facilitate this. Please do not hesitate to contact us to find out more.
You have used a stallion graded with a studbook that is not a member of the WBFSH
If you have used a graded stallion who was not graded with a WBFSH member studbook, please send us a copy of the grading report and a zootechnics certificate from the society he is graded with. We will review the information and decide if the grading is equivalent to our own procedures and the grading criteria are appropriate for our breeding programme and therefore for inclusion in our main studbook. The requirements for our gradings are as follows:
- Full 5* vetting and x-rays or DNA certificate for OCD
- DNA profile
- Assessment on the hard for soundness and correctness of limbs
- Assessment on the soft for movement attributes, and - if appropriate - jumping ability and rideability
If we cannot ascertain this from the information provided, we would need to inspect the stallion for grading into our studbook.
You have used a mare registered and graded with a non WBFSH member studbook
The same guidance applies for mare.
You have used a mare registered with a non WBFSH member studbook that has not been graded.
You would need to present the mare for inspection and potential grading into our studbook. We are making a range of venues available across the country for this, and home visits can also be arranged. Please speak to a member of our team to find out more.
Why should I pay for DNA testing if I can only get an ID passport?
DNA testing will still be required to record the pedigree on the non-statutory page of the passport and on our database. We strongly recommend that breeders proceed with DNA testing to lay the foundation for potential future upgrades into the main studbook as a result, of example, of future grading inspections or of offspring potentially fulfilling the 3 generations of full pedigree requirement. Upgrades are only possible if DNA has been verified and recorded.
Can I get full papers from another studbook?
The Defra rules apply to all studbooks and state that only main studbook horses or ponies can have registered passports. You are very welcome to check if your foal would be eligible for main studbook papers with another studbook, and we fully understand that you may prefer to go with them.
We fully appreciate that this is a big change, and that it will take some time for everyone to become fully acquainted with this change. Please rest assured that we will do our very best to support you. We will make additional grading opportunities available to ensure everyone has access to the opportunities to upgrade to main papers. We will continue to offer opportunities for upgrades in future.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We're here to assist you through this transition.
