Breeding
Home » Breeding » Foal Registration

Foal Registration

Reminder & How To

Reminder

If you bred your mare to a KWPN-NA activated Stallion, please don’t forget to report the pregnancy status of your mare to the stallion owner/agent to facilitate the reporting of breedings. If you bred your mare with frozen KWPN semen (imported from Holland) OR if you bred to an outside stallion (a stallion from another registry), please remember to fill in the frozen or fresh semen insemination form and send it to the KWPN-NA office.  Once the breeding is recorded, if you are the Owner/Breeder and your membership is active you can sign on to the membership portal to register your foal online.  The office no longer automatically sends out Foal Birth declarations but can still send it electronically or by mail upon request.

Watch the webinars we did on Registration on our YouTube Channel. 

IN EFFECT SINCE  2020

Everyone registering foals by un-activated KWPN stallions as well as by un-activated stallions approved with an Erkend Studbook, will be charged an outside stallion fee of $100.00.  HOWEVER, we offer the option for an “AFFILIATE STALLION” activation for stallions approved with Erkend studbooks.  Activating an Affiliate stallion will get the outside stallion fee waived for breeders registering their foals by that stallion with us. Also, the activated stallion gets a spot in our online stallion directory on our website with explanations of the KWPN-NA registration options and which additional requirements the offspring would need to meet in order to reach Keur status.

If you are interested in registering a Dutch Harness horse that already has American Dutch Harness Horse Association papers, please send a copy of the papers to for review.

If you register your foal within 60 days of birth, you receive a $50 early bird discount!

How To Register

Each foal that is eligible for KWPN registration will be assigned a breeding direction. Within that breeding direction the foal is entered into the Foalbook, Register A or Register B. Birth declarations that are returned to the office without a breeding direction will be assigned one. If the pedigree of the foal warrants another breeding direction the office retains the right to make the appropriate change after consultation with the breeder.

Breeding Direction

In principle, the breeding direction of the father will determine the breeding direction of the offspring. Harness and Gelders horses may be an exception to this general rule. Traditionally there are additional requirements for these breeding directions. There are times that a breeder may choose to mix breeding directions (e. g. breed a harness mare to a dressage stallion). In these cases the breeding direction of foals will generally be determined as shown in the chart of Registration Options between KWPN Breeding Directions.

It is not necessary to have your horse inspected before registering with us!

Books and Registers

See the Registration chart for complete registration possibilities. General remarks about the books and registers:

  • Offspring from KWPN Approved or Erkend stallions and KWPN mares are generally entered into the Foalbook.
  • Offspring from stallions approved with an Erkend Studbook and KWPN mares are generally entered into Register A.
  • Offspring from Foalbook stallions will be registered in Register B, unless they are approved by an Erkend studbook (with reciprocal European status).
  • Offspring from Watch List stallions will be registered in Register B, regardless of the stallion’s possible status with another studbook.
  • Offspring from one KWPN parent and one non-warmblood, non-sporthorse or non-registered parent are entered into Register B.
  • Horses that are 100% Thoroughbred, 100% Anglo Arab, 100% Hackney or 100% American Saddlebred have no KWPN registration possibilities.
  • Horses registered in the Foalbook and Register A can be presented for the Studbook without any further conditions.
  • Register B and Certificate of Pedigree horses can now participate in keurings with limitations (Please see Keuring requirements).

Birth Declaration

Opus One MTA (Don Deluxe x Juweel Of Litchy MFS, Ster K/Elig Prok D-OC by Bordeaux), 2019 North American Keuring Champion; Photo: courtesy Danielle Landreville

Current Year foals

Birth Declarations have now been replaced with our online registration system. Current members who are both the foal breeder and owner can register their current year foals online by going to the “Member Portal” linked on our homepage. Enter your login information and click “Register a Foal”. The name of the mare you bred should then appear. Click on her name and the registration form should pop up. If you are a current member and need your login information for the portal, please contact the KWPN-NA office.

It is recommended that foals be registered within 30 days after the foal’s birth if possible, especially if they are to be presented at a keuring.  Foals registered within 60 days of birth receive a $50.00 discount from the $250.00 registration fee.

When submitting a birth declaration for a foal that has one non-KWPN parent, a copy of that parent’s registration paper and a four-generation pedigree should also be submitted if this was not done previously.

Parentage of all foals must be proven by DNA. If a mare does not have DNA on file (this generally includes all mares newly imported from Holland) it is advisable to pull hair (30 or so mane hairs with roots attached) prior to the birth and keep them on file. Any foal that does not have the DNA available on one parent will automatically be entered into the Register B book, regardless of pedigree.

The foal birth declarations are a custom generated document specific for that particular foal or older horse.  The office must provide this document upon request for any registerable horse outside of their year of birth.

Registering Foals

Oh What A Dream (Vitalis x Lieve-Belle Ster D-OC by De Niro ) Photo: courtesy CanaDream Farm

Applicable to all types of registrations:
  • It is not necessary to have a horse inspected before registering with us.
  • If the dam is KWPN, she must be in the breeder’s name or the breeder must have a lease on file for her. If she is not in the breeder’s name, a transfer of ownership must be completed for any offspring to be registered.
  • Mare DNA must be available for parentage verification. If she has not been DNA tested with KWPN-NA or another WBFSH studbook before, please fill out the DNA Typing Form for her. If her DNA was pulled by another studbook, we can request those markers for an additional $10 fee.
  • If the foal is the result of an embryo transfer, please pull hair from the recipient mare for possible DNA testing. This sample will only be run in the event that parentage verification proves that the donor mare is not the biological dam.
  • If the mare is not KWPN registered, a copy of her registration papers should be included.
A. To register foals by KWPN-NA activated stallions:
  • If you choose not to register the foal online, the birth declaration must be completed and mailed along with three or more photographs of the foal that clearly show the foal’s identifying markings and the foal’s DNA sample in an envelope (pull 25–30 mane hairs with the roots attached).
  • Registration fee: $200-$250 (includes foal DNA testing, microchipping and USEF Lifetime Registration).
B. To register foals imported in utero by KWPN stallions:
  • The breeding must have been reported to the KWPN in Holland.
  • The original KWPN Dekbewijs (translation available on this website) must be completed and mailed within a month of the foal’s birth along with three or more photographs of the foal and mare that clearly show the foal’s identifying markings.
  • Registration fee: $200-$350(includes foal DNA testing, microchipping and USEF Lifetime Registration).
C. To register foals bred by imported frozen KWPN semen:
  • The mare owner must report the breeding on the frozen semen insemination form that is available from the website or office. The form must be completed and mailed to the office. A birth declaration will be issued and the foal owner must then follow the instructions in ‘A’.
  • Registration fee: $200-$350 (includes foal DNA testing, microchipping and USEF Lifetime Registration).
D. To register foals from outside (non-KWPN) stallions:
  • The mare owner must report the breeding on either the insemination or frozen semen insemination form that is available from the website or office. The form must be completed and mailed to the office office along with a copy of the stallion’s papers. A birth declaration will be issued and must be completed and mailed back to the office within a month of the foal’s birth along with three or more photos of the foal and mare that clearly show the foal’s identifying markings.
  • Registration fee: $250-$350 (includes foal DNA testing and mare surcharge).
E. To register a horse that is not a current year foal (Yearling or older):
  • The birth declaration must be completed and mailed along with three or more photographs of the foal that clearly show the foal’s identifying markings and the foal’s DNA sample in an envelope (pull 25–30 mane hairs with the roots attached).
  • Registration fee: $300 for anything other than a foal (includes foal DNA testing and microchipping). USEF Lifetime registration is not included if the horse is registered after December 31st of their foaling year.
  • Any horse born after 2020 may be subject to a $100.00 Inactive Sire fee.  The office will be able to advise.

Names

Names have to coincide with the year of birth. Names are limited to 20 characters/spaces. The letter of 2024 is “U”, meaning all foals registered with KWPN-NA and born in 2024 must have names that start with the letter “U”. See below for the naming chart for previous and future years.

Per the KWPN in Holland, the name of a KWPN horse may be changed as long as the horse has no offspring on the ground. Name changes are $50 unless done at the time of the studbook inspection; at that time there is no charge.

Naming Protocol
Year of Birth - First Letter of Name
2000 - T2011 - G2022 - S
2001 - U2012 - H2023 - T
2002 - V2013 - I2024 - U
2003 - W2014 - J2025 - V
2004 - Z2015 - K2026 - W
2005 - A2016 - L2027 - Z
2006 - B2017 - M2028 - A
2007 - C2018 - N2029 - B
2008 - D2019 - O2030 - C
2009 - E2020 - P2031 - D
2010 - F2021 - R2032 - E

Errors & Refunds

Errors

Upon receiving the foal’s registration paper the owner should check it for errors. If there are errors, please mail the paper back with written corrections. There will be no charge to replace incorrect registration papers within three months of issuance. After three months, a $15 fee will be charged to replace the paper.

Refunds

A partial refund may be given prior to DNA typing. No refunds will be given after a DNA sample has been submitted to UC Davis for testing.