Help! - want to trace / confirm my mare's bloodlines

maggie123

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I have owned my mare since she was 5 (my 14th birthday present  ), and she is now just 15.

When I bought her I was told she was an ISH out of a mare by King of Diamonds and by a stallion called Triggered. This is the breeding which is on the documentation I got with her (white paper with her identifying markings on it – I don’t know what it is called), but I don’t think she is registered anywhere? The lady I bought her off said I would need to get a blood test done to confirm the breeding? She had bought her at a sale in Ireland as a 4 year old.

I never really paid much attention to whether or not she was registered as it wasn’t important to me. When passport legislation came in I simply did what everyone else at the riding school I kept her at did and applied for a generic passport (I haven’t got it on me at work and can’t remember who issued it – but it was whoever was cheapest I believe!) As I say was only 14 when I got her, my parents aren’t horsey and the yard manager was a newly emigrated south African with no knowledge of British horses (she thought my mare was a carthorse when she arrived as she was only used to tbs!) so I never though about getting an ISH passport.

Now I’m wondering how I would go about confirming her breeding and tracing her bloodline? Not only am I curious but I am toying with the possibility of having a foal out of her in the next couple of years (obviously providing the vet gives the ok given her age etc etc) as she has the most wonderful temperament, is as honest as they come, never once been sick or lame (excluding field injuries as a youngster hooning around in the field) and has a terrific jump on her. If I did breed I would want to put her to a pure ID and register / part register the foal if possible. If I did breed I would be intending to have the one and keep it as a future all rounder for myself.

So I’m looking for advice on how to go about doing this? How would I confirm or otherwise the breeding history I was told when I bought her? And then how would I register, and who with?

Thanks for reading – bit of an essay – cookies all around!
 
I don't know about the registering part. But based on the information you've got you can trace a pedigree on allbreedpedigree.com
 
I'd start with the believed sire. Find out where he stands/stood and see if you can get a DNA match. It's not as expensive as you think and all breed societies will accept parentage registrations from a DNA match. If your sire is confirmed, then you may also get lucky if whoever had him at stud kept good records as a covering certificate would have been issued.

It really can be done as I did it myself from similar information that you have.

I wish you luck, it's very rewarding!
 
You would need to contact the ISH register, who will need a bloodtest. This will only work if her parents were registered.

As to a foal, for a maiden mare you've left it late already at 15! I would caution you against waiting another 'couple of years'. Just because she is cycling does not mean she is still fertile. Usually horses having foals later in life are not maiden mares, but have already bred previously. You're vet can obly estimate her fertility so much, he can only tell you there is no reason why she shouldn't get pregnant, doesn't mean she will. Don't wait too long or you may well have missed your chance if you haven't already.

In terms of registering your foal, just because she gets an ISH passport does not mean you foal will be registered on one (I own an ISH & have bred twice from her, neither have ISH passports). As an alternative you could get a Sports Horse GB passport (or they could overstmp your current one) & go on their basic register. This would enable you to enter the horse in sports horse classes at shows. If you use an approved stallion, the foal could be entered into the next register up.
 
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There's a TB called Triggered but I can't find an ID stallion with that name.

On the original paperwork you have, is there a number? Very often the sales people write the catalogue number on the paperwork. Might be worth ringing or emailing Gorsebridge, Cavan etc and see if they'd check their records and have a look back for you. My horse had gone through a sale a few years before but I knew which sale, though not the year. The kind auctioneers sent me a copy of the catalogue entry which said who she was by. My vet took a hair sample and within a month I had a positive DNA result. A lot of luck involved maybe, but if you don't try, then you'll never know.
 
Thank you all for the replies!

There is some really interesting info here and some good leads.

As I understand it an ISH can be a first generation cross between a TB and an ID? I didn’t ask when I bought her. In which case Triggered could well be a TB and her dam an ID. Exciting if that is him – I’ll go and have a look (hope he’s handsome!)

Pip6 – Thank you for the advice, I know she is old for a maiden mare. I had always believed they should have their first by nine or twelve at the latest, however recently I have spoken to a few people and seen discussions on here which seemed to suggest this wasn’t necessarily true. It is really more of a pipe dream If I’m honest as unless I get a pay rise / new job in the next year I wouldn’t consider it as I would be really stretched financially. It certainly is not something I would contemplate this year (and certainly not something I could have done in her younger days when I was a penniless student). Shame… she would have pretty and very laid back babies. Maybe I can buy her great niece or something in a few years if I get rich!!

Re. Registering etc – Thanks for the info – I am completely clueless about breed societies etc and registers, I believe you that my girlie or any foals she may or may not have wouldn’t be registered. Doesn’t really matter tbh, just want to know a bit more about her history. The British sports horse register is interesting – I didn’t even know it existed!

I will go home and look over my paperwork and see what info I can get, it has the name of the vet that checked her at the sale (who she is named after!!) so that might be a start?

Very exciting – Thank you all very much. I’ll post a photo tonight so you can see the girly in question : )
 
The King of Diamonds I posted about above (ErrigalxRuby) - I checked his sporthorse-data 2nd female progeny and just been on AllBreeds Pedigree site checking his sired female and seeing if they had progeny by Triggered and none of them did
 
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