Lp & Pattern Sport Horse Inspection FAQ's

Q: Why should I inspect my horse?

A: First, please note that a variety of registries REQUIRE that registered horses be inspected.  Warmbloods traditionally have had an inspection process. Over time, this process has created some of the best horses in the world. Inspection are viewed as a good way to assess the quality of the horses breeding and producing offspring within a registry. Inspections also help to educate breeders and buyers about the type and quality they are aiming to produce or buy.

Some owners find these inspections useful in terms of having the horse(s) professionally evaluated for conformation and for potential for various disciplines. They are particularly useful as a marketing tool. Buyers often find a horse with a good inspection score more appealing than a horse without one. For breeders, it helps to establish the overall quality of their breeding programs and often, helps them to see where improvement is needed. We all can be prone to loving our own horses and can sometimes fall victim to becoming “barn blind”. The hope is that responsible breeders will use the “optional” inspections as a tool to help them keep the quality of their horses high, thereby keeping the quality of the registry high and the value of the horses up.

After all, shouldn't  being a sport horse be proven by more than simply saying you are one?

Q: Should I  inspect  a gelding or is it a moot point?”

A: Geldings can be inspected for the same exact reasons as mares and stallions. They are a reflection of a breeding program. Even if they themselves will not produce offspring, perhaps an owner is considering repeating the breeding to produce a full or half sibling? Owners of geldings are also often curious as to the suitability of their geldings and geldings are routinely put up for sale – inspections of geldings can be a benefit to the horse and/or the owner for many reasons.

Q: Who is Federated Friesians and why is  my appaloosa or pinto horse being judged with Friesian and Friesian crossbred horses?

A: In 2006, Federated Friesians was formed in an effort to make inspections affordable, using American judges.  Originally, this was a group effort  between several smaller Friesian based  registries.

In 2007, however, a division was added called the Sport Horse Breeding Suitability Division. This is an open division which allows all horses that are not of Friesian heritage to be inspected on a Sport Horse Standard by USEF r & R rated Judges. The reason this division was created is; when considering the production a sport horse foal both the sire and the dam play an important role in passing on their genetic traits.

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Q: So how does IPSHR come into the picture?

A: All of the IPSHR horses may be inspection through the FF  Inspection Circuit because of the Sport Horse Breeding Suitability Division.  This an open division!  The purpose of the IPSHR is to promote Lp & Pattern SPORT horses and since the FF Inspection Circuit uses a Sport Horse standard, this will allow us to participate. By our participation, the expense of holding an inspection can be kept to a minimum. Smaller registries often find it difficult to put together a cost effective multi-site inspection circuit.

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