Current version: June 2009. We suppose, a number of changes will be made in these Regulations in 2012. Watch for updates!

Table of Contents
Article 1. Breeding program
Article 2. Jury
Article 3. Participants
Article 4. Application for participation
Article 5. Vaccination
Article 6. Shoeing
Article 7. Testing for unauthorized substances
Article 8. Judging stallions entered in the studbook register
Article 9. Judging foalbook stallions
Article 10. Establishing height at the withers
Article 11. Veterinary examination
Article 12. Follow-up and reinspections
Article 13. Reporting
Article 14. Permissible markings
Article 15. Examinations conducted by third parties
Article 16. Star predicate declaration
Article 17. X-ray testing
Article 18. Semen analysis
Article 19. DNA testing
Article 20. First round of judging
Article 21. Second round of judging
Article 22. Third round of judging
Article 23. Conditions for referral to participation in the Central Examination
Article 24. Assessment of stallions' dams
Article 25. Second-chance assessment
Article 26. Central Examination

Article 1. Breeding program
The stallion inspection is part of the breeding program of the KFPS. During the stallion inspection, foalbook stallions are presented in judging rounds; on the basis of the results of this judging, these stallions can be referred to the Central Examination. During the selection process, the stallions are subject to minimum requirements, some of which are non-subjective and others of which are subjective in nature. At the end of the selection process, the collected information and assessment is used to decide whether a stallion will be entered in the studbook register. The selection criteria are pedigree, degree of relationship to the population, exterior, movement, capacity for equestrian sports, quality of legs as based on an X-ray assessment, semen quality and other veterinary aspects. The Stallion Inspection Jury advises the Governing Board in regard to the registration of stallions in the studbook register (Art. 108, Standing Orders).
The stallion inspection also involves the inspection of stallions already included in the studbook register.

Article 2. Jury
The inspection of stallions for stud service is conducted by the Stallion Inspection Jury appointed on the recommendation of the Council of Members at the behest of the Board. The Stallion Inspection Jury advises the Governing Board in regard to entering the stallions in the studbook register.
The judging of the stallions entered in the studbook register is done by a jury appointed for this purpose by the Governing Board and shall consist of members of the KFPS Inspection Team, possibly supplemented by members of the KFPS Jury. If a jury member cannot attend the inspection, the Board shall appoint a replacement.

Article 3. Participants
A. All stallions ages 4 through 12 that are registered in the KFPS studbook.
B. All stallions ages 13 and older that are registered in the KFPS studbook.
C. All foalbook stallions that were 2 years of age before 1 July of the year in which the first round of judging takes place. Stallions that participated in the Central Examination held in the autumn cannot be entered in the first round of judging held in the same calendar year.

Article 4. Application for participation
Applications for the stallion inspection can be made only by sending in the application form found in Phryso. To submit an application for a foalbook stallion, the studbook certificate must also be sent to the KFPS. A currently applicable certificate of vaccination for influenza must accompany the application form for every stallion for which an application is being submitted.
The applications for the stallions must be submitted before the deadline which shall be published in advance in Phryso. If not sent before the deadline, the stallion will not be accepted for inspection.

Article 5. Vaccination
Proof of registration in the foalbook and the certificate of vaccination for influenza must accompany the application. The stallions to be presented must have a tongue number or a microchip number. This number must also be recorded on the foalbook/studbook registration. The applications for stallions already entered in the studbook do not need to be accompanied by a certificate of registration in the studbook or a certificate of vaccination since these certificates can also be submitted/presented on the day of the inspection.

A vaccination certificate shall be considered valid only when it can be confirmed that it applies to the horse participating in the inspection and when it shows that that horse has received the following influenza vaccinations:

1. A basic vaccination series consisting of 2 vaccinations in which the second was given at least 3 and no more than 13 weeks after the first.
2. This to have been followed by an annual vaccination that was administered no more than 12 months after the previous vaccination.

Confirmation of vaccinations must be supplied in the form of a certificate signed/initialed and stamped by the veterinarian who administered the vaccination. Stallions that have not been properly vaccinated cannot be presented at the inspection.

Stallions insufficiently vaccinated will not be admitted to the inspection.

Article 6. Shoeing
The stallions must be shod all round with standard shoes when presented in every round of judging. Standard shoes are to be no thicker than 8 mm and no wider than 25 mm and may not be equipped with any wedges, soles or other provisions. Improper shoeing can be cause for the Stallion Inspection Committee to bar the stallion from the following round of judging.

Article 7. Testing for unauthorized substances
Stallions that participate in the stallion inspection must be free of any unauthorized substances. The KFPS regulations pertaining to unauthorized substances shall apply to the stallion inspection.

Article 8. Judging stallions entered in the studbook register

8.1 Requirements for participation
Stallions entered in the studbook register can participate in the stallion inspection if:
— The stallion has a breeding permit for the calendar year in which the stallion inspection is held. Stallions for which stud service is being postponed cannot participate in the stallion inspection.
— The stallion has met the Young Stallion Competition regulation regarding participation in the stallion inspection. This applies only to stallions that have not yet been approved on the basis of their offspring.

8.2 Inspection
Studbook stallions up to and including 15 years of age are required to participate in the stallion inspection. Owners of stallions 16 years old or older have the choice of having their stallions inspected during the stallion inspection or elsewhere (at their own stables) at a later date.
Stallions up to and including 12 years of age will be entered in their class according to the quality of their exterior and movement. The jury will indicate the best stallions in each class for referral to the championship judging. During the championship judging, a champion and a reserve champion will be selected.

Article 9. Judging foalbook stallions
The judging of foalbook stallions for referral to the Central Examination will take place during the first, second and third rounds of judging. The Stallion Inspection Jury will determine by round of judging which stallions will be referred to the next round of judging and ultimately which stallions will be referred to the Central Examination.

Article 10. Establishing height at the withers
The stallions will be measured during the first round of judging. This measurement determines whether a stallion can be given the star predicate but is not a factor for referral to the second round of judging. The stallions will be measured again during the second round of judging.

Article 11. Veterinary examination
All stallions referred during the first round of judging to the second round will undergo a clinical examination during the first round. Based on these findings, the Stallion Inspection Jury can decide whether or not to withdraw the referral to the second round. The owner will be informed of this within 3 workdays after the inspection.
During the second round of judging, all stallions being referred to the third round will undergo a clinical examination. This veterinary examination will be conducted by one or more veterinarians appointed for this purpose by the Governing Board. The information obtained from the veterinary examinations and the veterinarians’ recommendations to the Stallion Inspection Jury in this regard will be included in the decision-making concerning referrals to the Central Examination.

Article 12. Follow-up and reinspections
The first, second and third rounds of judging will be followed by a reinspection and follow-up inspection. A stallion can participate in a follow-up inspection only for veterinary reasons for which a veterinary declaration must be submitted.
Application for a reinspection has to be received by the KFPS no later than a week after the original inspection. If an application for a stallion is received after the deadline, this stallion will not be reinspected.
Reinspections are conducted by the Reinspection Jury.
Stallions referred by the Reinspection Jury during the first round of judging to the second round will be assessed during the second and third rounds by the Stallion Inspection Jury.
Stallions referred to the Central Examination during their second and third rounds of reinspection will be assessed during the Central Examination by the Reinspection Jury. The Reinspection Jury will submit its recommendations about these stallions for entry in the studbook register to the Governing Board.
Stallions not referred to the Central Examination during the third round of judging by the Stallion Inspection Jury and which are registered for a reinspection will start the judging for the reinspection at the second round of judging.

Article 13. Reporting
All the stallions inspected during the first round of judging will be scored using linear scoring. The linear score form will be sent to the owner as soon as possible and will serve as the jury’s report. At the stallion owner’s request, the jury can draw up a supplementary report for stallions eliminated during the second and third rounds. This request should be received by the KFPS within three workdays after the second round of judging.

Article 14. Permissible markings
The permissible (white) markings noted in the regulations on stallions eligible for being entered in the studbook register are highly undesirable. In addition to the permissible markings on the head, stallions will also be checked for white markings on the soles of their hooves during the clinical examination conducted during the first round of judging. The presence of white markings on the sole can be reason for not permitting a stallion to participate in the second round. The owner will be informed of this within three workdays. In exceptional cases, when a stallion exhibits extremely high quality with reference to the selection criteria, such a stallion can admitted to the second round even though it displays a permissible marking. If such a stallion is ultimately entered in the studbook register, mention of the marking will be included in the assessment report.
Markings on genitalia are judged less severely.

Article 15. Examinations conducted by third parties
Should the jury doubt the existence of a certain abnormality over which it is difficult to form the right judgment at the time of the inspection, the jury will then postpone any decision in this regard and refer the stallion for additional examination to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht. This examination will have to be conducted within 14 days after the inspection. If the jury’s suspicion is confirmed, the stallion will be considered rejected and/or not referred to the Central Examination and all costs for this examination shall be born by the owner.

Article 16. Star predicate declaration
All stallions present during the second round of judging and having a height at the withers of at least 1.55 cm. will receive the star predicate.

Article 17. X-ray testing
To participate in the second round of judging, a stallion will have to satisfy the current norms for X-ray testing. As the result of transitional arrangements, when assessing the findings of Xray testing, a distinction will be made between stallions foaled before January 1, 2007 and stallions foaled on January 1, 2007 or thereafter. The norms are as follows:

* The findings will be included in the assessment criteria considered by the Stallion Inspection Jury during the second and following rounds of judging.
The secondary findings revealed during X-ray testing such as ringbones, sidebones and calcification of the processus extensorius, etc. will be considered in the Stallion Inspection Jury’s decision-making process but will not essentially impede participation in the second round of judging.
The findings of the X-ray testing will be included in the reporting after the end of the Central Examination.
X-ray films can be assessed only if they were made by one of the clinics approved by the KFPS. For the Netherlands, these are the «inspection veterinarians». For other countries, the choice of such a veterinarian must be made in consultation with the KFPS. The films must be made according to the protocol for this procedure.
When tested, the stallions must at least be 26 months old.
Before the X-ray films are made, the owner of the stallion or the clinic where the films are to be made will have to request an X-ray Examination number from the KFPS. This number will have to appear on the films. Without such a number, the films cannot be assessed. The owner is responsible for any risks involved during the stallion’s stay at the clinic for testing purposes.
The X-ray films are assessed by a committee appointed by the KFPS.
The original X-ray films will remain the property of the KFPS for further research.
Unless the criteria will be changed by the KFPS, the findings of the X-ray testing will apply within the framework of stallion selection throughout the life of the stallion.
An appeal against the findings of the X-ray testing can be submitted to the KFPS no later than two weeks after the assessment date. The reassessment will be conducted by a reassessment committee, the owner being responsible for the costs involved. The appeal procedure involves two elements:

1. A reassessment of the existing films.
2. A first assessment of the new films. The first set of films is also included in this assessment.

The findings of the X-ray testing have to be made available to the KFPS by a date established by the KFPS. If the findings do not reach the KFPS by this date, the stallion will be excluded from participation in the second round of judging.

Article 18. Semen analysis
To participate in the second round of judging, the stallions will have to satisfy the following norms.
Stallions that are 3 years of age during the calendar year in which the second round of judging is held:

600×106 TNB, morphology: at least 50.0%, motility: at least 50%
or
800×106 TNB, morphology: at least 45.0%, motility: at least 50%.

Stallions that are 4 years of age or older during the calendar year in which the second round of judging is held:

1000×106 TNB, morphology: at least 50.0%, motility: at least 50%
or
1200×106 TNB, morphology: at least 45.0%, motility: at least 50%.

Stallions with incorrect genitals are barred from the second round of judging.
Findings from the semen analysis will be assessed only if this testing was conducted at an agency selected for this purpose by the KFPS.
Stallions being tested must be unshod. The owner is responsible for any risks during stabling, semen collection and transport. The owner must present the stallion’s registration certificate.
The findings of the semen testing will be determined on the basis of two collections taken about one hour apart.
The findings of semen testing are valid only if the testing was conducted within 12 months previous to the second round of judging. Stallions that participated previously in a second round of judging will thus have to undergo semen testing again.
Any stallions that underwent semen testing in a foreign country and have been referred to the Central Examination will have to undergo another testing in the Netherlands before participating in the Central Examination.
The findings of the semen testing will be assessed by a committee assigned by the KFPS for this purpose. This committee can recommend that the testing be repeated.
The findings of the semen testing have to be made available to the KFPS by a date established by the KFPS. If the findings do not reach the KFPS by this date, the stallion will be excluded from participation in the second round of judging.

Article 19. DNA testing

19.1 In general
The results of DNA testing for undesirable characteristics will play a greater role in the selection of young stallions. Once DNA tests become available, stallions will have to be tested previous to the second round of judging. The findings of this testing will be included in the selection criteria during the second and following rounds of judging, but will not be cause to eliminate a stallion in advance from participating in the Central Examination.

19.2 Chestnut factor
The DNA test for the chestnut factor will be conducted between the referral to the Central Examination and the beginning of the Central Examination. Carriers of the chestnut factor foaled on or after January 1, 2007 will not be eliminated in advance from participating in the Central Examination. Carriership will be included, however, in the final assessment made during the Central Examination. Stallions foaled before January 1, 2007 should have tested negative for the chestnut factor to be eligible to participate in the Central Examination.

Article 20. First round of judging
During the first round of judging, the stallions are assessed primarily on exterior (trueness to breed, conformation and legs) and movement (the three basic gaits). In general, the norm for referral to the second round of judging is the same as the norm applied for the star predicate. The assessment done during the first round of judging consists of a presentation in hand on the street, a presentation in the ring (free movement) and, for older stallions, a ridden or driven presentation. On the street, the stallions will be judged on exterior and the walk and trot. Only horses with a correct exterior and correct movement will be referred to presentation in the ring. In the ring, judging will focus on the trot and canter. After the individual presentation of the stallions, the jury will announce while the stallions are being led around the ring which stallions will be going on to the second round. If older stallions are being judged, an announcement will be made as to whether they will be going on to the ridden and driven presentations.
Stallions that become 4 years old during the calendar year of their first round of judging are presented ridden and driven during the first round of judging when the jury will look closely at the three basic gaits. Whether the stallion will be included in the second round of judging will be determined after this presentation. The stallions referred to the second round of judging will receive an onsite veterinary examination. The stallions will receive linear scores during the first round of judging.

Article 21. Second round of judging
Stallions can participate in the second round of judging only when referred to this round of judging by the Stallion Inspection/Reinspection Jury. The stallions must also have met the established norms for X-ray testing and semen quality.
The second round of judging consists of an assessment of a presentation in the ring (free movement). The emphasis here is on assessing the trot and canter.
The Stallion Inspection/Reinspection Jury will determine whether the stallion will be referred to the third round of judging as based on the following assessments and criteria:

1. Assessment made during the first round of judging (including the veterinary examination).
2. Exterior and basic gaits assessed during the second round of judging.
3. Pedigree (breeding value and degree of relationship to the population).
4. Height at withers (at least 1.58 cm for three-year-old stallions and at least 1.60 cm for stallions four years of age and older).
5. Findings of X-ray testing.
6. Findings of DNA testing.

The stallions referred to the third round of judging will receive a veterinary examination.

Article 22. Third round of judging
Stallions can participate in the third round of judging only when referred to this round of judging by the Stallion Inspection/Reinspection Jury.
The third round of judging consists of an assessment of a presentation in hand. The stallions will be shown at the walk and trot on a triangular track.
The stallion inspection/reinspection jury will determine whether the stallion will be referred to the Central Examination as based on the following assessments and criteria:

1. Assessments made during the first and second rounds of judging (including veterinary examination).
2. Exterior and basic gaits assessed during the third round of judging.
3. Pedigree (breeding value and degree of relationship with the population).
4. Findings of X-ray testing.
5. Findings of DNA testing.

Article 23. Conditions for referral to participation in the Central Examination
It is during the third round of judging that stallions are referred to the Central Examination.
To participate in the Central Examination, their pedigree will have to be verified by means of DNA testing. In the event that the pedigree is not confirmed, the stallion’s referral to the Central Examination will be withdrawn unless the Stallion Inspection Jury decides otherwise.

Article 24. Assessment of stallions' dams
The dams and possibly other horses related to a stallion referred to the Central Examination will be assessed by the KFPS Inspection Team. The findings will be included as factors in arriving at the decision as to whether to enter a stallion in the studbook register after the Central Examination has been conducted.
Regulations concerning the Central Examination are given in the Conditions for Central Examination.

Article 25. Second-chance assessment
Stallions that have participated in the first round of judging but have not been referred to the Central Examination will be given a second chance to qualify. This second-chance assessment will consist of a ridden or driven presentation, an assessment of the exterior (in hand), and a veterinary examination. Based on this second-chance assessment, the Stallion Inspection Jury can refer stallions to the Central Examination (autumn examination). During the secondchance assessment, the same criteria are used for referral to the Central Examination as given in Article 1. The basic gaits (both to the left and the right as instructed by the jury) are judged when the stallion is presented ridden or driven. Based on the ridden or driven presentation, the jury will decide if the stallion will participate in the exterior judging. These results will then determine if the stallion will undergo a veterinary examination that will then determine the referral to the Central Examination.
To participate in a second-chance assessment, the stallion must have participated in a first round of judging as part of the stallion inspection that took place during the same calendar year as the second-chance assessment. He must also have satisfied the requirements pertaining to X-ray testing (Article 17) and semen testing (Article 18). The second-chance assessment is held in the autumn previous to the autumn Central Examination.

Article 26. Central Examination
The goal of the Central Examination is to establish the capacity of a stallion as a riding horse, driving horse or carthorse as well as to collect information regarding health, character and stable behavior. The Central Examination lasts 10 weeks. Participation in the Central Examination depends on a referral made by the Stallion Inspection Jury. The Stallion Inspection Jury is responsible for assessing the stallions and reporting their performances. During the Central Examination, the Stallion Inspection Jury is advised by two members of the Performance Jury appointed by the Board.

Download KFPS Stallion Inspection Regulations 2009 (PDF).