My quest to get my ponies recognised in any way with the Highland Pony Society in the UK started back in 2016.

This quest was the reason I also embarked on the goals of researching as much history involving the Highland Pony in Australia, the compiling of the index book of Highland Ponies in Australia past and present and involvement with the HPA committee since then.

Unfortunately there has been no possible way to get our ponies into the HPS Studbook, unless the pony in question was from a HPS licenced stallion, out of a HPS registered mare.

As breeders within Australia have mainly opted to only register their ponies with the APSB, in more modern times, this means that roughly 80-90% of our ponies can only be considered purebred with in Australia, as their APSB registrations will not be excepted outside the country. To add to the issue, practically all the other countries, including New Zealand, America and Canada register their ponies through the UK studbook. This means that even our New Zealand friends could not export our ponies for breeding, unless they wish to register them within Australia for their foals, breed to the HPS registered stock would have only been consider partbreds.

There is a lot of history behind why the Australian breeder’s chose the route they did and the relationship between the Australian Breeders and the Highland Pony Society over the decades but that is a story for another day.

I had given up on getting my ponies into the UK studbook around two years ago but when I read, at the start of 2020 that the HPS was reopening the appendix section, I thought I would give it one last go. It wouldn’t be ideal to have to put registered, pedigreed purebreds into an appendix section but it would be better than nothing.

So after close to a year after my first inquiry and then many months of the odd communication back and forth, supplying all requested information regarding Australia’s registration process, extended pedigree’s on two of my mares and anything else that was requested, I finally received a definite answer last night.

Below is the extract from the minutes from the recent HPS committee meeting;

With effect from 1 January 2021 onwards, the only foals born in Australia which can be registered as pure bred by the HPS are those by HPS licensed stallions and out of HPS registered mares.

Females and geldings, subject to passing virtual inspection by HPS Council appointed inspectors, can be Appendix A registered. Appendix B is for female and gelded progeny, born after 1st January 2021, of Appendix A mares and HPS licensed stallions. Progeny by stallions licensed in Australia would not be eligible for pure bred registration but could apply for Appendix registration.

So it is with my greatest pleasure to inform anyone in Australia who, like myself, would like to gain entrance into the HPS UK studbook for their breeding stock (female), we now have that possibility.

Note: I would like to thank Susie Robertson for all of her help and putting up with all of my emails over this time.