ABFP Testing – The General Aptitude and Utility Test

Background on Testing and Fees

As most of you are aware, young, approved KFPS Studbook stallions cannot obtain their full and permanent breeding licenses until they had twenty of their adult offspring complete ABFP testing. Stallions approved here are required to stand at stud in North America for at least the first two years, and we, of course, wish to keep them here long after that. There is no way to accomplish this offspring testing in a timely manner for these stallions unless we do it in North America.

The goal of the ABFP test is to provide an objective way to establish the aptitude of the stallion’s offspring as a dressage and/or driving and/or show driving horse. Willingness to work and stable behavior are assessed as well. The ABFP test is primarily intended to test three, four and five-year-old mares, geldings and stallions so that the best possible estimate of their aptitude for dressage and/or harness competition can be made at a young age. The
KFPS expects this to be accomplished following the stallion’s sixth breeding season. If this is not completed in a timely manner, the KFPS can and will suspend a stallion’s breeding license.

We tried to model our North American program after the Netherlands, but our geography makes it more challenging. This is a large and expensive undertaking. In the Netherlands, the stallion owners and KFPS each pays part of the ABFP costs. The monies for the KFPS contribution is collected from “breeding fees” assessed to mare owners once the KFPS is notified electronically that a breeding has occurred, regardless of whether a live foal is born. Before 2016, North American stallion owners paid $1,300 per horse tested, amounting to $26,000 in total. In 2016 FHANA made the decision to produce an equivalent sum of funds on an annual basis. The board and committee struggled with how to accomplish this and after much consideration, they concluded that the only practical way to do this is to charge a $50 ABFP fee. This fee applies to every foal registered through FHANA. They wont be charged if they do not successfully produce a foal. Please note that introducing this new fee was a considered decision; however, to ensure the continued availability of these stallions for our breeders, it was necessary to put it in place.

In 2026, FHANA will reinstate the ABFP fee. The approval of new stallions in North America represents a significant advancement, and it is our hope that breeders recognize the value of the additional registration fee for foals, as it is designed to support not only individual breeders but also owners and the broader Friesian community across North America.