Grading - info?

[Gingernags]

The stallion I'm using is Graded (B) with the British Appaloosa Society.

How does all this work then? What are the benefits of grading a stallion, and of grading a mare?

With a 3/4 TB mare - can she be graded? Who with? What would be the benefits? Costs?

I know nothing about it but am curious...

Help anyone???

 

[airedale]

with a TBx mare you could goto SHB(GB) to be graded or if she is 15.2 or under then with the SPSS (sports ponies)

The worth of grading is that whilst you may think your mare is wonderful (and don't we all) the judges will inspect her and decide what they think of her independently as a horse - conformation, tempreament, paces, straightness, ridden ability, competition record, etc.

the SPSS website has an article on gradings and what the judges are looking for and how a grading takes place (standing examination, loose paces, trotting up, ridden). Other organisations will also have information but with a TBx mare I'd start with the SHB(GB) website

If you grade your mare you are then assured that you should be breeding from this horse and that any foal you have (assuming that you also use a graded stallion) will have a hopefully decent future and you have tried your best to not just breed any old mare from any old stallion.

Grading should also point out to you (if you don't know already) the 'defects' of your mare (maybe light of bone or too long/short pasterns) so that you can pick a stallion that compensates for those faults and you end up with a better foal.

Costs - not that much for the grading itself but as gradings are held in different locations could be more expensive on travelling and overnight stabling

With a young mare that you may want to breed more than one foal from it would be worthwhile

you could also look at the AES website and BWBS if you are intending to use a warmblood stallion.

good luck with your mare

 

[Gingernags]

She'd be a pony one, only 15hh.

Would you need to prove the competition record? She's won county level working hunter and show hunter and done PC eventing, dressage and SJ championships and BSPS championships, and endurance, hunting - everything really!

So I'm fairly confident on performance and conformation, just wondered if it would be worth it, more for the foal seeing as Dad is graded with his breed society...

 

[airedale]

you get marks out of 10 for each aspect - haven't got my certs to hand or I could tell you what they are

but you get marks out of 10 for competition and 0 points if you haven't competed
you could grade with foal at foot if you wanted but the grading for SPSS is usually late October at Heart of England Equestrian centre near stafford

have a look at the spss.org.uk website and email Sarah - we're very friendly bunch ;-)) and your mare sounds like a nice addition

you could also look at some of the SPSS graded stallions as they are up to 15.2 now as well and some very nice boys there (many of them british bred <grin&gt

 

[dieseldog]

With Appaloosa the letter refers to where it is in the stud book.

It either goes D-A and then foundation or the other way round.

Say it is as above...

So a D would be a reg app crossed with a TB/Arab/QH

Then a C would be a D x D

A B would be a C x C

etc...

It is something like that anyway, they are trying to improve the stud book and eventually close it - This may all be really out of date though

 

[Irishcobs]

Do you have to know the mares breeding to be able to have it graded? In general, any type.

 

[dieseldog]

No, you don't need to know the mares breeding to get it graded. I had an ex grade A that was graded, no one knew anything about her breeding at all. But she did have a competion record

 

[Irishcobs]

Oh good, I shall see what CHAPS require to see if I can get Hattie graded.

 

[Gingernags]

So what exactly do they do at the gradings? By october she would be (hopefully) 5 months in foal...

I'm pretty sure there isn't much to pick fault on conformation wise - last year when she did BSPS show hunter and working hunter at the championships, she got really good conformation marks and has won/placed county level SHP and WHP.

She has also been to the PC champs as I've said, for eventing, dressage and SJ - but I'm not sure how you'd prove this record?

This will probably be my last attempt at breeding anyway, and is intended to be kept by me to potter about on, so is there any real benefit to getting her graded, or the foal?