Inspections

Why Have Horse Inspections

The American Trakehner Association (ATA) is committed to the selective breeding standards established in Trakehnen, East Prussia in 1732, and being continued today in Germany.

By inspecting and approving individual horses for entry into the Official Stud Book (OSB) and Preliminary Stud Book (PSB) that meet these breeding standards, and by maintaining a public registry, the ATA produces and encourages the use of Trakehners in equestrian sports at the highest levels.

Inspections are required by the ATA Corporate Regulations to transfer ATA registered horses into the Official Stud Book (OSB) or Preliminary Stud Book (PSB). ATA OSB approved mares and stallions are accepted by the German Trakehner Verband. OSB mares are automatically approved for the Verband Main Studbook. OSB approved stallions may also be approved for the Verband Main Studbook if they complete the Verband performance requirements.
Inspections serve to maintain quality standards for the Trakehner breed.
Inspections recognize superior individual horses with Premium Stallion and Foals, and Model Mare status.
Inspections help educate members on conformation, movement, and other desired traits so they may objectively evaluate their own breeding stock, thus aiding in their selection of the best matings for their horses.
Inspecting horses provides confirmation of how an individual horse fits the Trakehner ideal, which is helpful in marketing and selling a horse. It also allows a horse to be entered into the appropriate Stud Book for breeding purposes.

How The ATA Inspects Horses

The ATA’s Breed Director oversees all aspects of the ATA’s inspection process. He is ably assisted by two (2) other independent, well-known inspectors, judges, riders and/or breeders. In addition, for stallion inspections, the three (3) ATA inspectors, who each have one (1) vote, are joined by a Trakehner Verband representative inspector who has two (2) votes.

Where We Inspect Horses

The ATA holds inspections around North America on an annual schedule determined by owners of Trakehner horses. Horse owners can inform the ATA Executive Director by March 1st of the year in which they wish horses to be inspected by filling out a Nomination Form. The Executive Director creates a tour route for inspections based on where nominated horses are located.

Once the locations are set and the schedule is established, owners should submit a formal Inspection Application for each of the horse(s) they want to have inspected.

Requirements For Owners

Be Active Members of the ATA or pay non-member fees.
Have completed an Application Form for inspection for each horse.
Pay all required inspection fees in advance of the inspection and by the deadline.

Requirements For Horses

All horses applying for inspection, except foals at side and weanlings, are required to have registration certificates with the appropriate breeding registry. Foals and weanlings require at least a pending application for registration.

Trakehners are required to be registered with a World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) affiliated registry.
Thoroughbred horses are required to be registered with the Jockey Club.
Purebred Arabian horses are required to be registered with either The Arabian Horse Registry of America, the Canadian Arabian Horse Registry, or the World Arabian Organization.
Anglo-Arabian horses are required to be registered with either The International Arabian Horse Association or the Canadian Partbred-Arabian Registry.
Shagya-Arabian or Anglo-Shagya horses are required to be registered in a stud book member of the International Shagya-Araber Gesellschaft e.V., the International Shagya-Arabian Society or the Purebred Shagya Society International.
Thoroughbred and Arabian horse owners are required to submit a complete 4-generation pedigree along with an application. These reports are available online at www.equibase.com for Thoroughbreds or www.arabdatasource.com for Arabians.

Genetic Testing Requirements

All Horses must be DNA-type tested to verify parentage through the ATA’s certified process before being officially entered into the OSB or PSB.
All Newly Approved Stallions must be DNA tested through the ATA’s certified process to verify that they are not carriers of the three Arabian recessive disorders Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA), Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS).
All Newly Approved Stallions must also be tested for Warmblood Fragile Foal Syndrome (WFFS). Carrier status will be published by the ATA. [Corporate Regulations Part II, Article VIII]
All Mares that are Arabians, Anglo-Arabians or Shagya-Arabians, or mares that have an Arabian, Anglo-Arabian or Shagya-Arabian ancestor within the first three generations of their pedigrees, must be tested through the ATA’s certified process to verify that they are not carriers of CA, SCID, and LFS. This requirement may be waived if both a horse’s parents have previously tested negative for these three mutations by the ATA-certified system. [Adopted November 3, 2012; Corporate Regulations Part II, Article VIII]
All Imported Approved Trakehner Stallions and All Imported Mares that are Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, or Shagya-Arabian, or that have an Arabian, Anglo-Arabian or Shagya-Arabian ancestor within the first three generations of their pedigrees, must test negative for the three Arabian genetic mutations before registration into the ATA’s OSB or PSB.
Any Trakehner stallion or mare already in the OSB or PSB that is proven to be a carrier of any of these genetic disorders would not have its approval revoked. However, the offspring of a known carrier parent must test negative to be eligible for entry into the OSB or PSB.

To see the requirements for specific horse evaluations, and how they are scored, click on the links below:

Stallions

Mares

Foals/Weanlings

Performance Test

Voluntary Inspection

Stallions