Inspection Guidelines

General Requirements for Participation in Studbook Inspections

A ‘keuring’ is an inspection that provides breeders with a professional assessment of their horses and the opportunity to compare their horses with others of the same age. Conformation as well as movement and/or jumping are evaluated. Horses are presented in-hand, moving freely and/or under saddle. Deficiencies and/or abnormalities are noted if evident.

Young horse classes include KWPN foals, yearlings and two year olds. Studbook inspection classes include KWPN horses three and older as well as mares and stallions from Erkend (acknowledged) studbooks. Under-saddle classes are also offered and, in some cases, required. Classes to showcase dressage and jumping talent are offered via the DG Bar Cup and Iron Spring Farm Cup, respectively.

Entering
Entrants must sign up ahead of time. Walk-ins on the day of the keuring are not allowed to participate!

The keuring information booklet, entry and liability release are available on-line and are mailed to all current members. The entry and liability forms must be completely filled out and mailed to the KWPN-NA office by the deadline. Foals may only enter a keuring after registration has been applied for. Foal parentage must be proven prior to keuring date. Foals must be a minimum of one month old at the time of the keuring.

Liability Release
Owners, handlers, riders and ring crew must all sign the KWPN-NA Liability Release.

Membership
Only current KWPN-NA full members in good standing may enter horses in a keuring.

Ownership
Owners of horses presented at a keuring must:

• be the 'owner of record' with the KWPN-NA; OR
• have a transfer in progress; OR
• have a lease agreement on file with the KWPN-NA.

Costs These usually consist of two parts:

• Class fees paid to the KWPN-NA for the evaluation of horses
• Fees fee paid to the keuring host for stabling, grounds fees, etc.

Financial obligations to KWPN-NA and host must be met prior to the keuring.

Refunds
In case of a recent injury or illness of a horse only, the owner may apply for a refund of the class fee. Refunds (less a $50 handling fee) will be given if a veterinary certificate is submitted within 30 days of the keuring. No refunds will be given for pregnancy, inability to load, shoeing problems, other non-veterinary causes or human ailments. Any late fees incurred are non-refundable.

Bridle Numbers
Each horse will get two numbers that must be attached to both sides of the halter or bridle so that they are clearly visible from either side. When showing a foal, the numbers may attached be to the dam’s bridle. The jury should be able to see the number at all times without having to walk around the horse. Numbers are not to be held by the handler or be in their pockets.

Identification/Registration
Papers Registration papers for horses entering studbook classes must be mailed in with the entry form. Owners of all other horses must present their registration papers at the keuring when checking in. The only exceptions are foals whose papers have not yet been issued or horses with a transfer in progress.

Branding/Rebranding
After a successful studbook inspection, mares and geldings may be branded with the KWPN lion. Stallions may be branded if they are of ster quality or better.

Horses in Holland have not been branded since September 2000. Imported KWPN horses that have already been accepted into the studbook may be branded in North America by pre-arrangement. Horses with ‘faded’ brands may be rebranded.

Handlers/Riders

Handlers
Horses are presented by a handler and not more than one assistant. During free movement or free jumping only the handler is allowed in the ‘cage’ or arena.

Foals and mares should each have their own handler. Owners with more than one horse in a class must have sufficient people present to accompany all horses into the ring for the walk-around and ribbon presentation.

Handler Attire
Anyone entering the ring must wear white: white trousers, white shirt and white running shoes. Amish handlers may wear blue instead. The jury may excuse a horse if the handler/assistant is not correctly dressed.

Rider Attire
Riders must wear light breeches, a dark riding coat, a white shirt and tie or a white turtleneck, boots and hard hat. In case of excessive heat, a polo shirt may be substituted for shirt and coat with permission of the jury.

Cell Phones/Smoking
The use of cell phones or smoking in the arena or cage is prohibited.

Horses

Immunizations
Horses participating in the keuring should be current on local vaccination requirements. Please check with the keuring host for specifics.

Shoes

Riding/Gelders Horses
Foals, yearlings and two-year-old fillies and geldings may not wear shoes. Two-year-old colts and horses three years and older may wear shoes. Shoes may be a maximum thickness of 8mm. Specialty shoes (e.g., studded for jumping) are not allowed. Corrective shoes or pads are not allowed.

Harness Horses
Horses two years and older may wear shoes with a maximum thickness of 12mm with a maximum width of 25mm. Again, specialty shoes, corrective shoes or pads are not allowed.

Horse Attire

In-Hand
Riding type foals and yearlings are presented in a brown or black show halters; Harness in white and Gelders in either color depending on whether they are presented as a Riding or Harness type. A rope or leather lead should be used. The use of chains is strongly discouraged.

Riding type horses two and older are presented in a brown or black snaffle bridle, Harness in white and Gelders in either color depending on whether they are presented as a Riding or Harness type. Riding reins may be used with a bridle.

Leg protectors are not allowed during the in-hand presentation. During free movement and free jumping foreleg tendon protectors may be worn. Wraps, bell boots and leg protection on hindlegs are not allowed at any time. The jury reserves the right to request removal of any type of leg or foot protection.

Under Saddle
An English saddle and a bridle with a snaffle bit – a simple, smooth-mouthed snaffle, with not more than two joints; metal or rubber. Flash, figure eight or dropped nosebands are allowed. Martingales, auxiliary reins or other gadgets are not allowed. Boots on forelegs are allowed. Wraps, bell boots and leg protection on hindlegs are not allowed. The jury reserves the right to remove any type of leg or foot protection.

Artificial Means
No artificial means used to enhance conformation or movement is allowed at a keuring. The use of an artificial hair piece in the tail or mane is acceptable.

Clipping Foals
Sometimes foals have not lost their entire foal coat by keuring time. Body clipping is not recommended. Clipping the whiskers around the nose is also discouraged. The foal’s mane should be braided.

Drugs
No drugs of any type are allowed. All horses are subject to drug testing at the discretion of the jury. Blood will be drawn from all stallions being presented for approval.

Safety
The jury has the right to remove or eliminate any horse that they feel may contribute to an unsafe situation.

Injury/Veterinary Disclosure
A mare whose movement is irregular because of an injury may be presented and entered into the studbook. However, a veterinarian’s statement that the irregularity is due to an injury and not a hereditary condition must be submitted. The mare must be able to walk and trot. She will be judged in-hand but cannot participate in free-movement or jumping.
All corrective or cosmetic surgery should be disclosed in writing.

Whip
A plain whip (nothing tied to the end) and the use of a small box rattler are the only aids allowed. If the jury feels that the horse is negatively affected, the handler may be requested to go around again without the aids.

Performance Test (IBOP)

If you have more insight into the functional value of a mare you can make better breeding decisions. This should include an evaluation of aptitude for performance.

Performance aptitude is best tested in competition. However, not every mare can enter competition, nor is it as easy for a mare to perform and breed at the same time. This is why the IBOP was designed: as an indicator of a horse’s aptitude for sport.

In Holland the functional value of horses has been tested since 1957; first for agriculture, and after 1963, for riding. Later tests were also added to test the functional value of the Harness and Gelders horse. The results of this test may qualify a mare for keur. Horses are eligible to perform one IBOP per year.

The IBOP is open to KWPN horses (mares, geldings and stallions) aged three and older, registered in the KWPN Foalbook, Studbook, Register A, Auxiliary Foalbook and Auxiliary Studbook as well as mares from an EU Erkend studbook.

When entering horses for the IBOP, you are requested to name the rider for scheduling purposes (so that horses ridden by the same person will not follow each other directly). Once horses are entered for an IBOP in a certain breeding direction, they are committed to that breeding direction for that year.

A horse can only do one IBOP in a year.

Scoring: Scale of 0 to 10

• 0   Not executed
• 1   Very bad
• 2   Bad
• 3   Fairly bad
• 4   Clearly insufficient
• 5   Insufficient
• 6   Sufficient
• 7   More than sufficient
• 8   Good
• 9   Very good
• 10 Excellent

Register A Horses and Horses Registered with an Erkend Studbook

Mares with registration papers from an Erkend Studbook born 1994 or earlier may be presented at a studbook inspection without any further conditions. The original papers must be mailed with the entry to the KWPN-NA office and will be so stamped upon passing the studbook inspection.

Horses with Register A papers and mares with papers from an Erkend studbook born 1995 or later can participate in studbook inspections but must first complete additional requirements (PROK, endoscopy and/or performance). Mares are encouraged to complete these requirements prior to the keuring inspection. If they have not, they can still participate in the keuring but cannot be accepted into the studbook, earn predicates or qualify for the Top Fives.

In general, horses with KWPN Register B papers, a Certificate of Pedigree or Auxiliary Foalbook papers are excluded from keuring participation unless the horse is eligible for studbook due to a change in registration of a parent. Register B stallions may sometimes be presented for approval if the stallion committee feels they offer something to the breeding program that is not readily available otherwise. Horses registered with a non-Erkend studbook are generally excluded from keuring participation.