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Purchasing a Warmblood Foal: Comparing Apples to Apples
Purchasing a Warmblood foal can be confusing considering when trying to understand the many different registries functioning
throughout the US and in Europe. Unfortunately, sellers often mislead buyers who do not know the ins and outs of the registries and
the approval processes. Having basic understanding of how Warmblood registries work can make sure you are comparing apples
to apples, and can ensure you are getting the most for your money.
Firstly, let us clarify a few terms. A foal can only be REGISTERED into ONE breed registry, and only hold one set of registration papers.
At age 3 or older, the horse (mare or stallion) can become APPROVED for breeding into SEVERAL breed registries. A foal gets
registered, a horse gets approved for breeding. Registration papers and approval papers are different documents. Certificates of
Pedigrees are not registration papers; they merely show the bloodlines, but have a portion of bloodlines that are unacceptable or
unapproved.
A foal advertised as a certain breed does not mean it will have papers with the registry. Nor is a foal automatically registered
because it came from XYZ stallion, and/or XYZ mare. The whole basis for foal's registration lies in the approval status of the sire and
dam with a certain registry. For example, to be registered with full papers from the American Hanoverian Society (AHS), German
Oldenburg Verband (GOV), Rheinland Pfalz-Saar (RPSI), and most other European and US-based Warmblood registries, the stallion
and mare must have gone through the approval process at an inspection for that breed. The foal is only eligble for registration if both
parents are approved. There are several registries that will issue a Certificate of Pedigree (COP) to a foal out of an unapproved but
registered mare or stallion. This does not mean the foal has papers, but merely gives proof of lineage.
Within the registries, there are different "books" for stallions, mares, and foals in which they are recorded. In general, the higher the
book, the higher the quality of the horse, or more potential he or she may have. For example, the ISR Oldenburg (OLD) registry has
four different books mares can be entered into. For their highest quality mares who scored over 105 points during their breeding
approval inspection, they enter them into the PREMIUM MARE BOOK (only a very few percentage of mares obtain this rating). Mares
scoring more than 94 points will be entered in the MAIN MARE BOOK, and other mares that only have 50% approved bloodlines will
be entered in the MARE BOOK. Mares with unknown bloodlines can be entered in the PRE-MARE BOOK. Depending on which
"book" the mare is approved directly effects how the foal can be registered.
Make sure that you ask with what registry will the foal will be has been registered. Most registries will only registry foals in the same
year they are born. You will not be able to register a 3 year old horse, and without registration papers a horse may not be able to get
approved or be restricted to the lowest breeding book.
Each breed registry has different objectives, goals, requirements, and rules on the horses accepted into the registry. Some registries
are very strict and have tight quality control, while other registries have an open-door policy to virtually any horse of any background or
origin. The quality of the horses represented by each registry is a hotly contested topic, and sometimes comes down to your
personal preference.
The American Warmblood Society allows most bloodlines into their Mare Books, including Draft horses, Saddlebreds, Quarter
horses, Paints, and other breeds.
"True" authentic warmblood registries only accept horses from bloodlines in North America (from the list below) and European
warmblood lines that have more specific objectives. When you visit each of the registries websites, they should clearly state the
types of Sport Horses they are breeding and suitability for certain disciplines.
It is apparent when attending inspections in North America for different registries which ones contain the horses of the highestquality, which we personally feel is the ISR OLD, AHS, and RPSI, in that order. Different registries may be much more lax with their
approvals which therefore creates a lesser overall quality.
Again, this is a personal preference and in accordance we participate mostly with the ISR Oldenburg registry. We have heard many
times our folks talk about other foals they have seen priced similarly to ours that are "Hanoverian" (AHS) only to find upon
investigation that the sire was an AWS, not AHS, approved Hanoverian stallion and the dam is an Appendix Quarterhorse,
and they are comparing this foal to ours which are purebred pedigrees from Germany. The comparison here is not apples to apples
and people are being taken advantage of simply because they do not know.
When shopping, ask about the stallion's and mare's production records. The best stallions and mares will outproduce themselves
and should have a record to prove it such as having produced approved stallion sons or Elite/States Premium daughters (in the case
of the Hanoverians); or they may have many offspring out showing and there is a consistency to the prepotency to pass on desirable
traits. Our favorite saying is that "the proof is not in the pudding but in the pudding's pudding." (silly - yes / true - yes) It truly does not
matter what the stallion is himself, but only what he produces.
Often times stallions in North America are dubbed "hunter stallions", and while they may have or have not shown in the hunters
themselves, it does NOT always correlate to them producing hunters. There are many "dressage" sires who produce lovely hunters.
Likewise many, if not most, of the successful hunters out there showing today have sires that never stepped foot in a hunter ring nor
ever will. Often the only way to judge a young foal's potential is to consider the success of that bloodline and/or its siblings. After all,
this is how racehorses are purchased for millions as yearlings, on bloodlines alone.
There are two Oldenburg registries. There is the ISR Oldenburg Registry of North America (ISR OLD) and then there is the German
Oldenburg Verband (GOV). Previously these two were one, functioning as the American base for the German registry. While this
issue is also a controversial topic, it is true that in the 1993 the registry split due to their differences and became separate. The
Oldenburg NA is not governed by the Verband in Germany and they have their own approval processes and books. The GOV
studbook placement depends on the scores and must be German registered. The ISR OLD takes into consideration of the scores
and pedigrees of all European warmblood decendents.
The bottom line here is that with the quality control instituted by the registries with their use of mare books, stallion and
mare approvals, etc, the implication and assumption is that a foal with papers from a certain registry or registered in a higher
book is likely better quality and therefore more valuable.
And lastly, a pet peeve: A Thoroughbred crossed with a Draft Horse is not a warmblood, it is a Draft Cross. These are
accepted in the American Warmblood Society but you cannot compare this to the quality of a purebred true Warmblood of
European descent. Not sure how that rumor got started but while it makes sense in theory it is far from the truth.
Purchasing a Warmblood foal can be confusing considering when trying to understand the many different registries functioning
throughout the US and in Europe. Unfortunately, sellers often mislead buyers who do not know the ins and outs of the registries and
the approval processes. Having basic understanding of how Warmblood registries work can make sure you are comparing apples
to apples, and can ensure you are getting the most for your money.
Firstly, let us clarify a few terms. A foal can only be REGISTERED into ONE breed registry, and only hold one set of registration papers.
At age 3 or older, the horse (mare or stallion) can become APPROVED for breeding into SEVERAL breed registries. A foal gets
registered, a horse gets approved for breeding. Registration papers and approval papers are different documents. Certificates of
Pedigrees are not registration papers; they merely show the bloodlines, but have a portion of bloodlines that are unacceptable or
unapproved.
A foal advertised as a certain breed does not mean it will have papers with the registry. Nor is a foal automatically registered
because it came from XYZ stallion, and/or XYZ mare. The whole basis for foal's registration lies in the approval status of the sire and
dam with a certain registry. For example, to be registered with full papers from the American Hanoverian Society (AHS), German
Oldenburg Verband (GOV), Rheinland Pfalz-Saar (RPSI), and most other European and US-based Warmblood registries, the stallion
and mare must have gone through the approval process at an inspection for that breed. The foal is only eligble for registration if both
parents are approved. There are several registries that will issue a Certificate of Pedigree (COP) to a foal out of an unapproved but
registered mare or stallion. This does not mean the foal has papers, but merely gives proof of lineage.
Within the registries, there are different "books" for stallions, mares, and foals in which they are recorded. In general, the higher the
book, the higher the quality of the horse, or more potential he or she may have. For example, the ISR Oldenburg (OLD) registry has
four different books mares can be entered into. For their highest quality mares who scored over 105 points during their breeding
approval inspection, they enter them into the PREMIUM MARE BOOK (only a very few percentage of mares obtain this rating). Mares
scoring more than 94 points will be entered in the MAIN MARE BOOK, and other mares that only have 50% approved bloodlines will
be entered in the MARE BOOK. Mares with unknown bloodlines can be entered in the PRE-MARE BOOK. Depending on which
"book" the mare is approved directly effects how the foal can be registered.
Make sure that you ask with what registry will the foal will be has been registered. Most registries will only registry foals in the same
year they are born. You will not be able to register a 3 year old horse, and without registration papers a horse may not be able to get
approved or be restricted to the lowest breeding book.
Each breed registry has different objectives, goals, requirements, and rules on the horses accepted into the registry. Some registries
are very strict and have tight quality control, while other registries have an open-door policy to virtually any horse of any background or
origin. The quality of the horses represented by each registry is a hotly contested topic, and sometimes comes down to your
personal preference.
The American Warmblood Society allows most bloodlines into their Mare Books, including Draft horses, Saddlebreds, Quarter
horses, Paints, and other breeds.
"True" authentic warmblood registries only accept horses from bloodlines in North America (from the list below) and European
warmblood lines that have more specific objectives. When you visit each of the registries websites, they should clearly state the
types of Sport Horses they are breeding and suitability for certain disciplines.
 | American Hanoverian Soc. (AHS) | |
| American Holsteiner Horse Ass. (AHHA) | |
| Am.Trakehner Ass. (ATA) | |
| Arabian Horse Registry of Am. | |
| Belgian Warmblood Breeding Ass./NA (BWP-NA) | |
| ISR and Oldenburg Registry of NA (ISR OLD) | |
| The Dutch Warmblood Studbook in NA | |
| North Am.Selle Francais | |
| Swedish Warmblood Ass. NA | |
| The Jockey Club | |
| CAN Sport Horse Ass. | |
| CAN Warmblood Horse Breeders Ass. | |
| North American Shagya-Arabian Society |
| German Warmblood: There are various warmblood horses of Germany registered with the nation-wide German Horse | |
| Breeding Society (ZfDP). Beneath the umbrella term of the German warmblood are several regional variations. Most of these registries have an open stud book between each other and freely exchange genetic material between themselves. Some of the well-known registries include |
| Oldenburg (GOV) | |
| Hanoverian (HAN) | |
| Holsteiner | |
| Westphalian | |
| Rhineland Pfaltz/Saarland (RPSI) |
| Belgium Warmblood | |
| Danish Warmblood | |
| KWPN Warmblood | |
| Selle Francais Warmblood | |
| Swdish Warmblood |
It is apparent when attending inspections in North America for different registries which ones contain the horses of the highest
approvals which therefore creates a lesser overall quality.
Again, this is a personal preference and in accordance we participate mostly with the ISR Oldenburg registry. We have heard many
times our folks talk about other foals they have seen priced similarly to ours that are "Hanoverian" (AHS) only to find upon
investigation that the sire was an AWS, not AHS, approved Hanoverian stallion and the dam is an Appendix Quarterhorse,
and they are comparing this foal to ours which are purebred pedigrees from Germany. The comparison here is not apples to apples
and people are being taken advantage of simply because they do not know.
When shopping, ask about the stallion's and mare's production records. The best stallions and mares will outproduce themselves
and should have a record to prove it such as having produced approved stallion sons or Elite/States Premium daughters (in the case
of the Hanoverians); or they may have many offspring out showing and there is a consistency to the prepotency to pass on desirable
traits. Our favorite saying is that "the proof is not in the pudding but in the pudding's pudding." (silly - yes / true - yes) It truly does not
matter what the stallion is himself, but only what he produces.
Often times stallions in North America are dubbed "hunter stallions", and while they may have or have not shown in the hunters
themselves, it does NOT always correlate to them producing hunters. There are many "dressage" sires who produce lovely hunters.
Likewise many, if not most, of the successful hunters out there showing today have sires that never stepped foot in a hunter ring nor
ever will. Often the only way to judge a young foal's potential is to consider the success of that bloodline and/or its siblings. After all,
this is how racehorses are purchased for millions as yearlings, on bloodlines alone.
There are two Oldenburg registries. There is the ISR Oldenburg Registry of North America (ISR OLD) and then there is the German
Oldenburg Verband (GOV). Previously these two were one, functioning as the American base for the German registry. While this
issue is also a controversial topic, it is true that in the 1993 the registry split due to their differences and became separate. The
Oldenburg NA is not governed by the Verband in Germany and they have their own approval processes and books. The GOV
studbook placement depends on the scores and must be German registered. The ISR OLD takes into consideration of the scores
and pedigrees of all European warmblood decendents.
The bottom line here is that with the quality control instituted by the registries with their use of mare books, stallion and
mare approvals, etc, the implication and assumption is that a foal with papers from a certain registry or registered in a higher
book is likely better quality and therefore more valuable.
And lastly, a pet peeve: A Thoroughbred crossed with a Draft Horse is not a warmblood, it is a Draft Cross. These are
accepted in the American Warmblood Society but you cannot compare this to the quality of a purebred true Warmblood of
European descent. Not sure how that rumor got started but while it makes sense in theory it is far from the truth.
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