Lightning
Well-Known Member
Can anyone enlighten me as to what would be required for a mare to be graded with the Hanoverian Society?
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Mare Gradings
- Thread starter Lightning
- Start date
magic104
Well-Known Member
Why dont you contact them direct? I have not been to one of theirs but the others entailed, standing the mare up infront of the judges, Trotting up & down then trotting on a triangle. They may also ask for loose jumping & some ridden work if they are not with a foal. But as I said they are all different, so unless someone from here has done it you may be best contacting them.
http://www.hanoverian-gb.org.uk/contactus.htm
http://www.hanoverian-gb.org.uk/contactus.htm
Lightning
Well-Known Member
They aren't very helpful with the information to be honest. They have told me its present inhand and then trot on triangle. Me being thick is trot on triangle literally trotting in a triangle around the judge?? Do all mares actually get graded?
magic104
Well-Known Member
Just taken this from their site;
Mare grading criteria
Great emphasis is laid on the need for a fully authenticated pedigree for as many generations back as possible. Main stud book mares, as the mothers of the stallions of the future must have at least five full generations behind them (to give their stallion sons the required full six generations) while the less highly graded Stud Book mares and Appendix 1 mares must have two and three generations respectively in their pedigree.
At the grading, mares are assessed for breed type and femininity, confirmation (head, neck, saddle position, frame, forelegs, hindlegs), correctness of paces, swing and elasticity of paces, plus a special mark for general impression a scale of one to ten is used where ten is excellent and 1 is very bad. In order to grade successfully mares must also gain specific scores and there are different levels of marks to be reached for each separate section of the studbook.
H mares must gain at least 5 points in each of the six main categories plus a general impression mark of 6; while S and V mares must gain six 4s and a 5 for general impression. Finally, there is also a category for Appendix 2 or A mares, which is open to mares of Warmblood type which do not quality for entry into one of the other divisions but which have gained a mark of at least 5 for general impression.
The most highly graded three- and four-year old H mares are also eligible to be warded the highly prized status of State Premium mares if they have:
· A dam who was also an H mare
· Produced a foal within 3 seasons of the award.
· Produced a living foal during their first four years at stud
· Passed the mare performance test with an overall 7
· Shown no evidence of being a whistler
Owners of such mares are expected to keep them for at least three years, have them covered every year and report any colts born to them to the manager of the State Stud.
The mare performance test itself is somewhat different in format to that of the stallions, and has two forms. There is either a 19 day performance test at an official performance testing station (in which the official trainer is part of the procedure) or a more locally held field test in which the horse is trained at home and only official society judges and test riders are involved in the assessment process.
Testing stations mark the mares on a score of 1 to 3 for temperament, character, willingness to perform, paces, rideability and free jumping. Locally held tests are based on marks for walk, trot, canter, rideability (assessed by judges and a test rider) and style and potential in free jumping, again on a scale from I to 3. In the U.K. the test is at the annual show. This test is compulsory for stallion mothers.
Progeny performance records and BLUP indices
As both stallions and mares progress through their careers at stud, the results gained by their progeny not only in these inspections and gradings but in open competition help to provide the data that makes it possible to assess how successful they are as sires and grandsires or dams and granddams of competition horses. From these assessments it is possible to calculate the Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (BLUP) index for each breeding horse for each discipline and from this to develop a breeding policy which ensures that breeders produce stock from only the very best animals with the highest potential for producing competition horse offspring. This is why the long-term planning so inherent in the grading system used by the Warmblood breeds has been so vital in producing the competition horse and especially the show jumper of today.
Hanoverian breeding in the UK There are a number of fully graded Hanoverian stallions and mares in the UK and a growing number of Hanoverian foals are being born here each year as a result. Inspections, brandings, mare and stallion gradings are held here every year under the auspices of the official organization that represent the Hanoverian Verband in the UK, the British Hanoverian Horse Society. The rules and methods of procedure of these events are in almost all aspects the same as those of the Hannoverian Verband In Germany, with stallions passing the preliminary grading being required to attend a performance test in Germany. The mares are graded into the studbook at 3yrs old and to be stallion mothers have to pass the ridden performance test.
For further Information on the British Hanoverian Horse Society and the Hannoverian Verband, please contact us.
TIMETABLE FOR THE HANNOVERIAN GRADING PROCESS
Age Colts / Stallions Fillies / Mares
Foal Initial Inspections Initial Inspection & selection
2yrs 6 months Licensing
3 yrs Successful stallions then undergo 70 days test if privately owned or 11 month test it state- owned Stud book Inspection.Mare show where state . premiums are awarded
3 yrs 6 months Final testing in a stallion Ridden performance test held locally not at performance testing station (i.e. not at a stallion testing station), or 19 day performance test at official testing station
4yrs 6 months Judging of progeny
7 yrs 6 months Analysis of competition
Mare grading criteria
Great emphasis is laid on the need for a fully authenticated pedigree for as many generations back as possible. Main stud book mares, as the mothers of the stallions of the future must have at least five full generations behind them (to give their stallion sons the required full six generations) while the less highly graded Stud Book mares and Appendix 1 mares must have two and three generations respectively in their pedigree.
At the grading, mares are assessed for breed type and femininity, confirmation (head, neck, saddle position, frame, forelegs, hindlegs), correctness of paces, swing and elasticity of paces, plus a special mark for general impression a scale of one to ten is used where ten is excellent and 1 is very bad. In order to grade successfully mares must also gain specific scores and there are different levels of marks to be reached for each separate section of the studbook.
H mares must gain at least 5 points in each of the six main categories plus a general impression mark of 6; while S and V mares must gain six 4s and a 5 for general impression. Finally, there is also a category for Appendix 2 or A mares, which is open to mares of Warmblood type which do not quality for entry into one of the other divisions but which have gained a mark of at least 5 for general impression.
The most highly graded three- and four-year old H mares are also eligible to be warded the highly prized status of State Premium mares if they have:
· A dam who was also an H mare
· Produced a foal within 3 seasons of the award.
· Produced a living foal during their first four years at stud
· Passed the mare performance test with an overall 7
· Shown no evidence of being a whistler
Owners of such mares are expected to keep them for at least three years, have them covered every year and report any colts born to them to the manager of the State Stud.
The mare performance test itself is somewhat different in format to that of the stallions, and has two forms. There is either a 19 day performance test at an official performance testing station (in which the official trainer is part of the procedure) or a more locally held field test in which the horse is trained at home and only official society judges and test riders are involved in the assessment process.
Testing stations mark the mares on a score of 1 to 3 for temperament, character, willingness to perform, paces, rideability and free jumping. Locally held tests are based on marks for walk, trot, canter, rideability (assessed by judges and a test rider) and style and potential in free jumping, again on a scale from I to 3. In the U.K. the test is at the annual show. This test is compulsory for stallion mothers.
Progeny performance records and BLUP indices
As both stallions and mares progress through their careers at stud, the results gained by their progeny not only in these inspections and gradings but in open competition help to provide the data that makes it possible to assess how successful they are as sires and grandsires or dams and granddams of competition horses. From these assessments it is possible to calculate the Best Linear Unbiased Predictor (BLUP) index for each breeding horse for each discipline and from this to develop a breeding policy which ensures that breeders produce stock from only the very best animals with the highest potential for producing competition horse offspring. This is why the long-term planning so inherent in the grading system used by the Warmblood breeds has been so vital in producing the competition horse and especially the show jumper of today.
Hanoverian breeding in the UK There are a number of fully graded Hanoverian stallions and mares in the UK and a growing number of Hanoverian foals are being born here each year as a result. Inspections, brandings, mare and stallion gradings are held here every year under the auspices of the official organization that represent the Hanoverian Verband in the UK, the British Hanoverian Horse Society. The rules and methods of procedure of these events are in almost all aspects the same as those of the Hannoverian Verband In Germany, with stallions passing the preliminary grading being required to attend a performance test in Germany. The mares are graded into the studbook at 3yrs old and to be stallion mothers have to pass the ridden performance test.
For further Information on the British Hanoverian Horse Society and the Hannoverian Verband, please contact us.
TIMETABLE FOR THE HANNOVERIAN GRADING PROCESS
Age Colts / Stallions Fillies / Mares
Foal Initial Inspections Initial Inspection & selection
2yrs 6 months Licensing
3 yrs Successful stallions then undergo 70 days test if privately owned or 11 month test it state- owned Stud book Inspection.Mare show where state . premiums are awarded
3 yrs 6 months Final testing in a stallion Ridden performance test held locally not at performance testing station (i.e. not at a stallion testing station), or 19 day performance test at official testing station
4yrs 6 months Judging of progeny
7 yrs 6 months Analysis of competition