Koninklijke Vereniging "Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek

The Koninklijke Vereniging "Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek" (KFPS) has registered Friesian horses since 1879. Today more than 40,000 horses are registered worldwide, and the studbook counts 13,000 official members. Outside the Netherlands these members are organised into their own national associations, which maintain close ties with the KFPS. Most Dutch members are associated with breeding societies, which organise a large number of activities each year, among which are their own breeder¡¯s days and various lecture evenings.

The Koninklijke Vereniging "Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek" provides registration and assessment services for Friesian horses, as well as providing answers to general questions about breeding, for example, about the breeding objective. Much of this information is published in the colourful and informative (Dutch-language) monthly magazine Phryso, which all members in the Netherlands receive after registering, and on the internet at www.kfps.nl.

The purchase of a Friesian horse
When you decide you would like to purchase a Friesian horse you can request a list from the KFPS with the addresses of all breeders, from which you can make a choice yourself. The KFPS does not play an intermediary role.

In buying a horse, a number of matters are important. Perhaps most important is the purpose for which you are purchasing the horse. Always take care that the horse has a valid passport and studbook certificate. The chip number on both documents must match the animal¡¯s own identification chip, which is located under the skin in the middle of the left neck area, about 10 centimetres under the base of the mane.

Depending on the pedigree, the horses are entered into one of the registers (see table on registration procedures). The studbook certificate of the main category, the KFPS Book, is printed in the colours yellow, yellow-green and light grey. The colours of the registration certificate in the KFPS D Book are in the shades yellow, pink-red and light grey. Papers from Bijboek (Sub-Book) I are in the colours orange, red-brown and light grey, and those of Bijboek II are in the colours red, blue and light grey. The certificate of registration is laminated and watermarked with a raised textured stamp of the Koninklijke Vereniging ¡°Het Friesch Paarden-Stamboek¡±.

After you have bought a Friesian horse, the seller sends the certificate of registration to the KFPS, with the name and the address of the new owner written on the back of this certificate. At the studbook office in Drachten the horse will be transferred and put under the name of the new owner, who then automatically becomes a KFPS member.

After payment of the membership and administration fees, the new owner receives the valid certificate of registration mailed to their home address.

Table registration procedures
 

Stallion →	KFPS-studbook	Approved stallions of KFPS daughter studbook	Foalbook with breeding permit	Foalbook/ Bb I/ Bb II
Mare↓
KFPS-boek	KFPS-boek	KFPS-D/BbII***	Bb I	Bb II
KFPS-D	KFPS-boek	KFPS-D/ BbII***	Bb I	Bb II
Bb I	Bb I*	Bb I/ BbII***	Bb I	Bb II
Bb II**	Bb I	BbI**/ BbII***	Bb II/ BbI**	Bb II

* After the use of 3 KFPS studbook stallions in the last 4 successive generations in the dam's pedigree, the descendants of the Bijboek I mare will be registered immediately in the KFPS main register.
** When a Bijboek II mare is bred with a Foalbook stallion with a breeding permit: promotion to Bijboek I occurs in 2 generations. If a Bijboek II mare is bred with a KFPS studbook stallion, promotion to Bijboek I occurs in 1 generation.
*** Or stallions approved by another EU-recognized daughter studbook: basis of approval by an EU daughter studbook will be examined by the KFPS. If the approval requirements fail to meet the KFPS regulations, the descendent will be registered in Bijboek II.

Registration of foals
Each breeding of a Friesian mare with a Friesian stallion must be registered with the KFPS. The KFPS then ensures that the stud farm receives a birth announcement, which it forwards to the owner of the mare. The birth announcement must be mailed to the KFPS within two weeks of the birth of the foal. The owner then receives a confirmation of birth sent to their home address. Later, when the foal is chipped, this birth confirmation can be sent to the KFPS together with the bar code of the foal¡¯s microchip. These data are processed and the owner receives the related certificate of registration and a horse passport mailed to their home address. The applicable fees can be found on the KFPS website.

The foals can be provided with an identification chip at one of the KFPS inspections, where special teams are available. Alternatively, a veterinarian or micro-chip consultant can simply chip the foal at home.

The inspection
The KFPS organises inspections throughout the Netherlands in the summer season. At these studbook inspections, foals as well as mares and geldings aged 3 years and older can be presented for registration or for an upgrade in ranking. For stallions aged 3 years and older there are separate inspections: the foal book stallion inspection and the stallion inspection.

On the breeder¡¯s days, which are organised by the breeders¡¯ societies it is also possible to present yearlings, two-year-olds and older star mares for inspection. Three-year-old and older mares and geldings can earn distinctions in the following ways:

Average scores for 5 main characteristics	Result	Title
> 7.5	Included with  1st premium	Studbook Star (stb star)
~ 7	Included with 2nd premium	Studbook Star (stb star)
~ 6 ¨C 7	Included with 3rd premium	Studbook (stb)
~ 6	Included without premium	Studbook (stb)
< 6	Not included	Remains in foalbook

Note: In considering the awarding of premiums, the criteria relating to trueness to breed, the walk and the trot carry the most weight. In addition, a horse with a score of 4 or less for one or more criteria will not be registered, and a horse with a score of unsatisfactory (5 or less) for one or more of the main criteria cannot be entered into the star register.

For the 3-year-old and older stallions that are presented at the foal book stallion inspection there are two possibilities: The stallion remains foal book (Vb) or is declared star (Vb star).

On the breeder's days, foals, yearlings and two-year-old mares can earn distinctions with a 1st, 2nd or 3rd premium, or they receive ¡®no premium¡¯. Star mares and geldings presented for inspection on the breeder's days can receive a 1st or 2nd premium.

Stallion selection
Stallions that would like to become eligible for approval for stud service can, starting from their third year, be presented to the studbook. These young stallions undergo some three viewings:

• First viewing in November: assessment of exterior and movement, both in hand (on a hard surface) and movement at freedom.
• Second viewing in January, on the Friday of the stallion inspection, with assessment of exterior and free movement.
• Third viewing on the Saturday of the stallion inspection, with assessment of exterior and movement in hand.

The stallions must meet rigorous veterinary requirements, including an examination of the chestnut-factor, clinical and roentgenographic assessments and semen examination. In the selection of stallions for stud service, the quality of the pedigree and the animal¡¯s degree of affinity, with the whole of the Friesian horse population, also play a role. Stallions that pass this rigorous selection are given the chance to prove themselves in the Central Examination. This is a test lasting 10 weeks in which the stallion is assessed for talent as a dressage, harness and driving horse. Stallions that prove their quality are entered into the studbook register.

Young stallions receive a stud licence for 180 mares per year. At the time when the oldest progeny become adults, 20 offspring of the stallion concerned are tested in the progeny examination.
If the offspring, in categories such as health, use, exterior and movement, turn out to be of sufficient quality, the stallion becomes ¡®approved on progeny¡¯. From that point onwards, the stallion may serve as stud for an unlimited number of mares.

Central Inspection
The horses, with the exception of the foals, that earned a 1st premium in the inspection season, are invited to take part in the studbook¡¯s annual Central Inspection. This finale of the inspection season is held in October. At the Central Inspection, the 3-year-old and older star mares can earn the tentative Crown Predicate or perhaps even the tentative Model Predicate (the highest exterior predicate for mares).

These tentative predicates can be made definitive through an IBOP or ABFP test, with at least 77 points and an average of 7 for the basic gaits, or by earning the sport predicate.

Stallion Inspection
Next to the Central Inspection, the stallion inspection is organised on a yearly basis. This takes place in January in the Dutch city of Leeuwarden and is primarily aimed at selection of young stallions and the annual inspection of the approved KFPS studbook stallions. The event is held on a Friday and Saturday, with a gala show organised as part of the programme on Friday evening.

On the Thursday before the stallion inspection, a public-admission clinic afternoon is organised. For many Friesian horse-lovers, this stallion inspection, which attracts more than 10,000 visitors, is the event of the year.

Tests and the sport predicate
The KFPS offers in the Netherlands a couple of tests in which Friesian horses can take part: the IBOP and the ABFP test. The IBOP test is designed to ascertain, in an as objective a manner as possible, the horse¡¯s suitability for a specific purpose. Similarly, the ABFP test is designed to ascertain, in an as objective a manner as possible, talent as dressage and/or driving and/or harness horse. In addition, for all Friesian horses, there is the possibility to earn the sport predicate.

Other predicates
When it turns out that a stallion exhibits an exceptionally good heritability performance, it can be declared ¡®preferred¡¯. Mares can also earn preferred status. For this, four offspring of the dame must have earned the star predicate. Also, having brought a studbook stallion into the world counts towards the preferred status of a mare. A mare earns the predicate ¡®performance dame¡¯ when three of her offspring have earned the sport predicate.

How do I find a stud for my mare?
Looking for the right partner for your mare is of course not something done in a day. You first have to know the purpose for which you want to use the foal in the future. Do you want a dressage horse, a harness horse or maybe an all-rounder?

In choosing a stud you must determine what weak points of the mare you want to improve and what strong points you want to embed. As an aid in determining the strong and weak points of the horse, you can use the linear scoring form. This is drawn up at the inspection for the mare¡¯s studbook registration. Then you look at the heritability performance of the stallions. These data are found on the website of the KFPS and additionally are distributed annually with Phryso. On the basis of this information, you choose the stallion that can bring about the greatest improvement.

It is crucial to be careful to avoid inbreeding:Seeing that the population of Friesian horses is closed and not so very long ago, was even extremely small, inbreeding is something you have to watch out for. The KFPS advises use of combinations with a maximum of 5% inbreeding. In addition, it is important that the first three generations of foals not use the same stallions.