Taking foals to inspection: ten questions and answers

Why go to a foal inspection?
Foal inspections are not mandatory, but the foal will be assessed and potentially be given a premium. This gives breeders insight into the foal’s quality, which can be quite handy in case of a possible sale. At the inspection foals are also microchipped with a unique number. A specialised and skilled ‘chip team’ is on site.

Is microchipping mandatory?
Yes it is, identification of foals by means of microchipping is mandatory. Studbook registration of the foal is completed with microchipping. After microchipping the foal’s passport will be sent to the owner’s home address. That passport represents the horse’s identification document and has to stay with the horse at all times.  Only applicable in the Netherlands, FHANA does not issue Passports in North America.

How old must foals be for inspection?
The recommended age for foals to go to inspection is at minimum six weeks. A younger age is allowed, but at personal risk of the owner. The maximum age for microchipping is six months as the law requires microchipping before that age.

How can microchipping be arranged if I don’t go to inspection?
If the foal does not go to inspection the microchipping can be carried out by a qualified horse passport consultant or a qualified veterinarian. Application for the passport must be done with an application form (confirmation of birth available via MyKFPS under downloads of the foal in question) that has been completed by a passport consultant or a qualified veterinarian, and has to be signed by the applicant.  Once your foal is registered in North America, FHANA will send you your DNA and Microchip kit which must be completed before registration papers will be issued.  The Microchip must be inserted before the horse can attend the inspection. 

What if the foal is older than six months?
If the foal is older than six months lineage verification via DNA testing must be carried out before the foal can be registered. The costs fort this DNA test fall to the owner.  DNA Testing is completed on all horses registered in North America and is included in your registration fees. 

What if the foal is not at the dam’s side?
For microchipping the foal must be presented at the dam’s side, but in some cases this is not possible. If that is the case registration of lineage can only be done via DNA verification.

What if the foal’s dam has died and DNA verification is no longer possible?
In case the foal’s dam dies during the nursing stage then the foal must be microchipped by a veterinarian within one week. If such is the case the application must be accompanied with a veterinary declaration which confirms the dam’s death. If the time limit of one week has been exceeded, then lineage verification via DNA testing has to be carried out first, at the expense of the owner.  FHANA will conduct Parentage Verification on all registered Friesians.  If your mare dies, it is always a good idea to pull some hairs for verification before you dispose of the horses body.

What do I have to do when I take a foal to the foal inspection?
You have to bring a print of the foal’s birth confirmation (Blue Paper). This can be found in MyKFPS (MyFHANA) under all the information of the foal in question. On the right hand side on the page under ‘downloads’ you click on ‘confirmation of birth’ and then you can print it out. This confirmation lists the name, lineage and the number of the foal.

What are the guidelines for grooming a foal for inspection?
The same guidelines apply for grooming foals as for the other Friesian horses that go to the inspection. Please read Article 14 from the Inspection Regulations below:

The black coat colour and the feathers are part of the breeding type. Dyeing or any other way of colouring coat or feathers black or intensifying the black colour is prohibited. The addition of hairs or other materials to tail and mane (extensions) and cutting away any part of the mane, except for a small bridle path of max. 2 cm in width at the height of the headpiece, or clipping away hairs at the dock is therefore prohibited. Removal of hairs on the inside of ears as well as the tactile hairs around eyes, nose and mouth is not allowed. The use of any glitter materials and such is undesirable.’

The prevailing policy of the KWPN is that from the point of welfare it is no longer allowed to take part in inspections with fully-clipped foals and horses. This practice is still accepted by the KFPS although the advice is to do this with due care.

Are there any vaccination conditions for foals?
The advice is to have the foal vaccinated against Influenza from the age of four months, no sooner than this in connection with immunity via the beestings (colostrum). If foals take part in an inspection their dams have to be correctly vaccinated.

Requirements vaccinations dams/horses:
For horses born before 1 January 2022 the initial vaccination against Influenza must consist of two vaccinations that were administered with an interim period of at minimum 21 and at maximum 92 days between the two. In the intervening period between these two vaccinations the horse is not allowed to take part in inspections. For horses born in the year 2022 or later, the initial vaccination against Influenza must consist of three vaccinations: the second vaccination must be administered at minimum 21 and at maximum 92 days after the first, to be followed by a third vaccination that must be administered at minimum 5 months and at maximum 7 months after the second vaccination. In the intervening period between the first and the second vaccination the horse is not allowed to take part in inspections. In the intervening period between the second and the third vaccination the horse is allowed to take part in inspections if the second vaccination was administered at least seven days before the inspection day in question.  Please check your local regulations for your state or province or the FHANA requirements.

After the initial vaccination has been completed it is enough to administer annual booster vaccinations, no later than 12 months after the previous vaccination. This vaccination must have been administered at minimum seven days before the inspection. All vaccinations have to be recorded in the equine passport. Horses without adequate and up-to-date vaccinations are not allowed to take part in inspections.

FHANA encourages all members to review the Inspection Handbook for additional Information.  Inspection Handbook

As posted on Phryso.com and edited for FHANA Members