Inscription & Revision

Here is a brief introduction to the Spanish Stud Book process of inclusion. This process has undergone recent changes in management in Spain. Be advised that this site may not have the most up-to-date information on this topic. Please consult ANCCE website for current and accurate information.

What does PRE mean?

It designates a Purebred Spanish Horse. The letters stand for Pura Raza Española. That is a Purebred Andalusian horse raised with direct Spanish lineage whose parentage is listed in the Spanish Stud Book and are qualified as approved breeding stock. In order to qualify as a PRE these horses must go through inscription and revision process with the stud book in Spain.

What is the Cria Caballar?

The Cria Caballar is a division of the Spanish Department of Defense that formerly maintained the Spanish Stud Book for the Purebred Spanish Horse. They also trained and certify the judges for the shows and Revision process. Their duties were performed on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture. The Stud book has in recent years undergone a change in management over to the Ministry of Agriculture as of 2006.

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture announced that they will be passing on the responsibility for management of the stud book in 2007 to ANCCE, the largest of the breeders associations in Spain. The government, per EU guidelines, is no longer involved directly with the management of livestock studbook enterprises.

What is the process of Inscription and Revision?

Once a breeder has been registered with the ANCCE and receives a breeders code, annual records are submitted to Spain in the form of annual farm reports sent in December each year. Additional forms called the "Certificado de Cubricion" are submitted for breeding and foaling activities to generate papers on the foals .

An ANCCE representative will inscribe the newborn foals into the registry of the Purebred Spanish Horse, marking the identifying white markings, whirls, and verifying parentage through bloodtyping (new ANCCE requirement, formerly verified through DNA sampling). A 10 digit microchip is placed in the neck of the foal and scanned for proper identification.

Periodic travels to North America for these initial inspections are scheduled. The documentation is processed in Spain and the owner receives an inscription carta from Spain. At the minimum age of 3 years old, those individuals who have previously been inscribed as foals, may be presented for revision to see if they meet standards set by the Spanish government for approval as breeding stock.

What is Inscription?

Note: A horse cannot actually be listed as PRE breeding stock until after passing the revision process. Once this is established they issue an international passport called the Carta, their registration papers.

What is Revision?

The process of revision involves the determination of whether or not mares and stallions meet the minimum confirmation requirements for breeding stock. When a horse passes, the inscription papers or carta is stamped Apto or Apta (signifying that he or she passed). It's a gender designation. Apto is for stallions and Apta is for mares. It designates the horse as approved breeding stock and allows a breeder to register the offspring of that adult. Without Revision status, the offspring will not be able to obtain papers. The Revision process has two more levels, the Qualified and Elite status.

What is the Qualified and Elite Status?

After Revision or valoration, there are two additional (optional) steps in the process, Qualified and Elite. Horses must undergo a rigorous evaluation process which includes critique of conformation, functionality, performance records, health, x-rays, etc. The Qualified and Elite evaluation testing has not yet been offered in the USA to date, is relatively new in Spain (2 yrs) with only a handful of horses having achieved the Qualified status (about 12 horses as of mid-year 2005). More information is available at the official web site of Cria Caballar www.librogenealogico.com.

What if I don't want to register my horses through another country?

What if I have no desire to maintain annual reports, pay the expense to fly over an official delegate or to travel to have my horse registered in another country? I just want to enjoy my horse without all the extra expense!

There are now two alternatives that offer registry services here in the USA to register your purebred Spanish Horse.

The Foundation for the Pure Spanish Horse was established in 1999 to promote and support the PRE horse in the USA. The Foundation created a registry called PRE MUNDIAL modeled after the Spanish process established by the Cria Caballar, complete with an inspection process and a carta. All Spanish horses with direct ancestry to the Spanish stud book are eligible for participattion regardless of revision status. The Foundation offers regional shows in various parts of the country and an annual PRE National show is held in Las Vegas each August. Historically they bring judges from Spain. They provide an education program with outstanding seminars, a lending library, an annual stallion auction, PRE rescue, youth scholarships and other exemplary programs. They publish a quarterly magazine with outstanding content. Office located in Albuquerque, NM. Visit prehorse.org for info.

The IALHA, International Andalusian & Lusitano Horse Assn is a USA based Registry for the Spanish, Lusitano (Portuguese), SP (Spanish-Portuguese) and their partbred offspring or Half Andalusians. Office located in Birmingham, ALA. Volunteer President and board of directors. The IALHA is affiliated with the USEF (formerly USAE). IALHA holds a national breed show in Ft Worth TX and approved regional shows throughout the USA and publish a quarterly magazine. Visit ialha.org for more information.

The above registries are not presently affiliated with Spain. However, their registries are both based on the original stud book from the mother country, Spain.