NEW FOREST PONY BREEDING AND CATTLE SOCIETY
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE
INSPECTION OF TWO AND THREE YEAR OLD COLTS,
AND STALLION LICENSING
KEEP THIS DOCUMENT SAFELY FOR REFERENCE
General Regulations
By presenting your colt for inspection, you are expressly agreeing to all the terms and conditions set out in this document.
Please bring passports, so that identification of the pony can be checked against the passport. The passport should be correctly transferred into the current owner’s name and correct address.
Neither the Society nor any of its Officers or Servants will be responsible for anything that may happen from any cause or circumstance whatsoever to any person attending, or any animal exhibited, at the inspection. It shall be a condition of entry that each Exhibitor/Owner shall hold the Society harmless and that they will indemnify the Society against any legal proceedings arising from any such cause or circumstance.
The inspection is open to public viewing, and many members of the public take photographs. Any photographs taken by the Society may be used by the Society in its publications and on the website.
The Council reserves the right to order off the venue any animal that they consider to be out of control or dangerous.
Regulations Relating to Owners, Exhibitors and Handlers
Handler’s dress is casual and practical. Very sturdy footwear is recommended.
The Society recommends the wearing of a hard hat to current standards, and gloves.
Everyone in charge of stock will be subject to the orders, rules and regulations of the Society.
Any person whose conduct, in the opinion of the Committee, is detrimental to the character and interests of the Society may be subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Presentation of the Colt
Colts may be presented in halters or bridles.
Front shoes are permissible for colts aged 3 years or over, but not for 2-year-old colts.
Please ensure that your colt stands squarely and still for the conformation assessment, and is able to run up to show his movement in trot. Movement will be assessed in both walk and trot. Please ensure you pay sufficient attention to this in the colt’s preparation. The colt will then be moved loose in the ring. We use the show ring within the open-air sale-yard complex. This is a secure area with high post and rail fencing and a natural surface. Please make sure that the lead rein can be unclipped quickly from the bridle. A lunge whip is available for your optional use.
The Inspection Stage
The Inspection will be by three Breed Society Inspectors, drawn from the Society’s Stallion Grading Panel, and approved by the Council.
There is no charge for this inspection.
The judges will individually assess and score Conformation (50 marks), Type (20 marks) and Movement (Walk and Trot, 15 marks each).
Following the individual assessment the inspection panel may confer.
Conformation is broken down into 10 sections, scoring 5 points each. If two inspectors give a 2 for the same conformation category then the colt will be referred.
Conformation is split into the following sub–categories:
Head, Neck, Shoulder, Fore Limbs, Hind Limbs, Topline (which includes the overall balance and harmony of the frame), Depth, Width, Hind quarters, Bone.
Each sub-section is scored between 1 – 5 (5 being the maximum).
Type will be a single mark based upon the Society Breed Standard.
The pass mark of 70 must be awarded by at least two inspectors.
The following conformation faults, if of significant degree, or several faults exist in combination, are grounds for recommending rejection, as is general disproportion:
- Malformation of the mouth; uneven wear of the teeth
- Ewe neck, roach back, excessively long back,
- Flat feet, contracted feet, contracted heels, thin or brittle walls and soles, club feet and disproportion of feet,
- Unduly upright or excessively sloping pasterns,
- Base wide, base narrow, toe in, toe out, (fore or hind),
- Lateral deviation of the metacarpals, tied in below the knees in front or behind,
- Posterior, anterior, lateral, medial deviation of the knees,
- Anterior or posterior stance of the fore or hind limbs,
- Upright shoulder,
- Medial or lateral deviation of the hocks, excessive angulation of the hocks,
- Excessively straight hind legs,
- Curby hocks.
You will be given immediately a results slip saying whether the colt has passed or been referred, and you will be sent a summary score sheet later.
Myotonia
Compulsory DNA testing for myotonia ceased in 2017. However, any colt descended from Kantje Ronaldo will be liable to testing.
DNA Screening and Analysis
Hair samples will be taken, and will become the property of the Society, and may be used now and/or in the future for screening tests. The results of any such tests will remain the property of the Society.
One sample will be submitted to the Animal Health Trust (AHT) in Newmarket for DNA analysis and sire checking of approved colts. The DNA profile remains the property of the Society and may be used to verify the pedigree of foals subsequently registered by the Society. No licence will be issued until the DNA profile has been received and the sire verified.
It is recommended that you do not use hair products on your colt’s mane in order to avoid contamination of the hair samples.
Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM)
All approved colts will have a sample of hair pulled during the vetting stage for testing for the PSSM-carrying gene. Any colt found to have one or two copies of the gene will not be approved for licensing. The Society is bearing the cost of taking the hair sample and having it tested.
The Vetting Stage
Once the colt has passed the Society inspection, he then proceeds to the vetting stage. The veterinary examination shall be such as to ensure recommendation of acceptance only for stallions free from clinical evidence of any disease or deformity as laid down by the Council and amended by them from time to time as found necessary, and of suitable conformation, and height.
The examining vet will certify that in their opinion the stallion is:
- free from clinical signs of contagious or infectious disease.
- free from clinical signs of any of the following – bone spavin, cataract, defective genital organs (including rotation of the testicles), navicular, parrot mouth, ringbone, sidebone, stringhalt, luxation or subluxation of the patella, roaring, whistling, shivering, sweet itch, sarcoids, inguinal & umbilical hernia.
- free from clinical signs of broken wind.
- not lame.
- of satisfactory conformation and physique.
- A slight disproportion between the testicles in an immature stallion may be accepted provisionally, ie, 1 year, conditional on a later examination showing normality.
- Torsion of the testicle – if found in a 2-year-old colt, no temporary licence will be issued, but the colt may return for a full vetting by a Society-approved vet as a 3-year-old at which complete normality of the testicles is expected. If torsion is found in a colt of 3 years of age or over, then the colt will fail the vetting.
- The incisors, upper and lower, should be in contact for at least half their width when the head is at its normal angle.
If your colt passes the vet, the Report Form and passport are sent to the office, and the passport will have the Veterinary Certificate number inserted.
The licence will not be granted until the veterinary inspection has been completed satisfactorily, DNA confirmation of the sire has been received, and the results of all required DNA screening tests have been received.
Microchipping
All licensed stallions are required to hold full passports so any colt coming forward on a Forest-run Derogation Certificate will have to be microchipped during vetting at the owner’s expense.
Standards of Behaviour Expected During Vetting
Under no circumstances should a stallion be sedated for vetting. Colts should be handled well enough, so that they allow the veterinary examination to take place without being a danger to both their handler and the vet. During vetting the colt will have bone and height measurements taken, teeth checked for alignment, genital organs examined, and eyes closely checked for cataracts. Any colt whose behaviour is such that a complete examination cannot be carried out will be deemed to have failed the vetting and will not be licensed. The Council will back any decision by a vet to pull out of a vetting of a badly behaved colt. The vet should make appropriate notes on the Report Form.
The Future – Your Colt’s Licence
Once approved by the Society and passed by the vet, your colt will then receive his initial licence and his passport will be stamped with the licence number. This is valid until 30 April of the year in which he is five years old. Between 1 January and 30 April of his fifth year he will need a second vetting, and on passing that he will be granted his full licence. Under normal circumstances, this second vetting may be carried out by a vet nominated by you and approved by the Society and may be carried out on your own premises.
At any time a stallion is liable to re-examination, on a decision by the Society’s Council, by a veterinary surgeon appointed by the Council. A stallion may also be liable to appraisal by officials of the Society at any time concerning non-veterinary aspects of acceptability.
Reminder of Society Rules about Showing and Licensing
Two- and three-year-old colts may NOT be shown without a licence. Only licensed colts of two years old or over may be used for breeding purposes, enabling registration of progeny into the main body of the stud book.
Referrals
If your colt does not pass the Society inspection, he can be referred for a second inspection in the following season’s inspection, by a panel of three different inspectors. Please note the conditions in the paragraph above.
Inspection Appeals
If your colt fails two inspections, you then have the right to make a direct appeal to the Council of the Society, which will consider each case on its merits. The appeal should be lodged with the Council, in writing, within 14 days of receipt of the summary score sheet, and accompanied by a remittance of £50 which shall be returnable in the event of the appeal inspection proving successful. The appeal inspection panel will be made up of three inspectors who have not seen the colt previously.
Veterinary Appeals
Should a stallion, of any age, be deemed unacceptable by the Society as a result of a veterinary examination or appraisal, an appeal may be made to the Council who will appoint one or more Veterinary Surgeons, with or without one or more Officials, to re-examine the animal, and/or his offspring, if relevant, and report to the Council. The decision of the Council following consideration of the appeal and such report shall be final and indisputable. Any such appeal shall be lodged with the Council, in writing, within 14 days following the original veterinary inspection, and accompanied by a remittance of £50 which shall be returnable in the event of the appeal proving successful.
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR) – PRIVACY STATEMENT
NFPBCS is a data controller registered with the Information Commissioner and endeavours at all times to process your personal data in accordance with the GDPR. All stallions are legally required to have passports and no personal information beyond that which is legally required in connection with ownership of a stallion is needed or processed for the administration of the inspection, and subsequent licensing. The inspection is a joint event with the Verderers of the New Forest, who are also data controllers and information will be shared with them, as is necessary for the administration of the event. Your name as owner will be listed in the catalogue. Results information including photographs may be published (in printed form and online) both to the press and in the Society’s publications and studbook. Information may be supplied to Defra and other regulatory authorities if requested by them. Information will be passed to the Society’s, or to your own, veterinary surgeons. The making of an entry is irrevocable consent for the storage and disclosure of information in this way. We will never sell your data.
Your Obligations as a Stallion Owner
It is extremely important that the Society knows the whereabouts of all licensed stallions. We have to communicate with you on a regular basis and as we are now a rare breed we are constantly checking bloodlines in order to maintain diversity of our gene pool. We sincerely hope it never happens but if there is an outbreak of an exotic disease in this country it will be absolutely critical that we know where all our stallions are, and that we can contact you urgently within hours.
- You must ensure that all ownership records in the passport are up-to-date in compliance with current legislation.
- Please ensure that the Society has your full contact details, and that you notify us immediately of any changes.
- You must maintain up-to-date and complete records of coverings, issue service certificates, and file an Annual Return of Coverings, which includes all mares, both New Forest and other breeds.
- You must notify the Society immediately of the castration or death of the stallion by returning the passport for endorsement. The used pages of the passport of a deceased pony can be returned on request.
The Society gratefully acknowledges the support of the Horserace Betting Levy Board through a grant payable in recognition of the Society’s At Risk Status on the RBST Watchlist.
Approved by Council, June 2015
Updated January 2016, April 2016, September 2016, April 2017, October 2017, March 2018
