Are you like myself and have heard some many conflicting pieces of information regarding the registration process of the purebred Highland Ponies and the Australian Highland Ponies in Australia? Have you ever wondered what those earlier breeders truly were striving for?
While going through the old paperwork for the HPA I came across the regulation of the Highland Pony Society of Australia, that were in effect as of the 20th of April 1980, just a few years before the APSB handed them a proposal for the first change that the APSB would make to the breeds registration process.
Division A. Highland Pony
The progeny of a purebred Highland Pony stallion and a purebred Highland Pony mare, registered with the Highland Pony Society of Australia, the Highland Pony section of the Australian Pony Stud Book, or other recognised Stud Book for the Highland Ponies; being an imported pony or whose breeding traces in an unbroken line to imported stock eligible for registration or registered with the Highland Pony Society of Scotland.
Division B Australian Highland Pony
The progeny of a purebred Highland Pony stallion (Division A or B) and a purebred Highland Pony mare (Division B); or a purebred Highland Pony stallion (Division B) and a purebred Highland mare (Division A); or the inspected and approved progeny of a purebred Highland Pony stallion (Division A or B) and an FS2 mare.
Division C Foundation Highland Pony
(a) An FS2 mare is the progeny of a purebred Highland Pony stallion (Division A or B) and an FS1 mare.
(b) An FS1 mare is the progeny of a purebred Highland Pony stallion (Division A or B) and an FS mare.
(c) An FS Australian Highland Pony mare is the inspected and approved female progeny (not exceeding 14.2 hands) of a purebred
Highland Pony stallion (Division A or B) and a mare of pony type (13 hands or over), conformation to the standard of the Highland
Pony.
Did you know that the HPSA (Highland Pony Society of Australia) didn’t actually start up until around 1978 and that at the time the original founders were in communication with Scotland regarding the undertaking of the studbook and the regulations?
Did you also know that back then the HPSA was granted Affiliated Status the HPS (Highland Pony Society) Scotland?
Or that Scotland actually suggested that, though their appendix program was closed, that Australia start up their own and mirror it to the HPS Appendix Program, stating that we should be starting with a mare of ‘perfect’ highland type but of unknown breeding?
It was, though, also stated as plan as day, by the HPS, that any pony entered into a appendix program in Australia could never be recognised as a purebred and would only be eligible for a part bred registration with the HPS Scotland.
And that negotiations for the HPSA to merge with the APSB started taking place at the start of the 1980’s and that by 1982 the Highland Pony breeders of Australia were already using the APSB for their purebred Highland Ponies and were now finalising the Australian Highland Pony breed up program?
Well until next time….