British breeding
British breeding refers to the breeding of horses for sport in Britain. It has gained in popularity and interest in recent years, with more and more British-bred sport horses proving their quality and gaining recognition.
To be classed as British-bred, a horse must have either been foaled in Britain, or foaled abroad to a dam who usually lives in Britain. It does not matter in which country a foal’s sire is based, nor the country of issue of the passport.
Britain has five World Breeding Federation (WBFSH) approved studbooks; the Warmblood Breeders Studbook-UK (WBS), Scottish Sports Horse (SSH), Sport Horse Breeding of Great Britain (SHB), the Anglo European Studbook (AES) and the British Hanoverian Horse Society (BHHS).
British Breeding is the organisation that is working with the Olympic disciplines’ governing bodies to promote British breeding in sport.
Some of the best and most successful examples of British breeding in recent years include the following horses:
- Hawtins Delicato (Diamond Hit x Regazzoni), Carl Hester‘s world silver medallist
- Super Nova II (De Niro x Weltmeyer), Spencer Wilton‘s Olympic silver medallist and championship stalwart
- Classic Moet (Classic x Bohemond), Jonelle Price‘s Badminton Horse Trials winner
- Billy Buckingham (Billy Congo x Clover Hill), William Funnell‘s Hickstead Derby-winning and 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) ride
- Hearts Destiny (Heart Throb x Rabino), Holly Smith‘s European Championship bronze medallist
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Breed societies find ‘proactive’ solutions to overcome Brexit challenges
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12 stallions standing in Britain that breeders need on their radar
Don’t miss this list of some of the best stallions standing in Britain at the moment
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12 tips to help you choose the right stallion for your mare
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Post-Brexit opportunity for British studbooks
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‘For a small-scale breeder, every foal has to count’: Meet the breeder of one of Britain’s most exciting young horses
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British Olympic gold medallist signs up as official rider at stud
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British breeding: the story behind the Maryland 5 Star winner On Cue – plus see a picture of her dam competing
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Britain’s hottest young horses – check out all the winners at the 2021 NEXGEN championships
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‘As a four-year-old he was a bit plain and boring – I nearly sold him’: Super youngsters triumph at the NEXGEN championships
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EU semen and horse trade concerns eased — but export issues continue
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Heartbreaking final farewell to prolific pony breeding stallion
“He was an integral part of the stud, not just as a breeding stallion but a member of the family”
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Herd of future equine superstars born in eventing royalty baby boom
A host of top eventing mares have welcomed new foals this spring
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‘I’m in love with this colt – his name is Dimaggio’: Alice Oppenheimer on how her family ‘fell’ into breeding
Alice Oppenheimer on breeding dressage horses and why it's so special to produce and train home-breds up to grand prix level
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Joanna Thurman-Baker’s dressage blog: our ‘sassy and splendid’ foal is here – with a gin-inspired name
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‘A wonderful legacy’: much-loved British stallion put down aged 21
“We still keep walking past his door, looking in and realising of course he’s not there. The response we’ve had from people has been amazing and the impact he’s made on people over the years”
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Breeding and competition horses affected by new EU animal health law
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Behind the scenes of a Shetland pony stud on the edge of Dartmoor
H&H spends some time at the home of breeders Julian Walters and David Hodge, who run the Sharptor, Halstock and Blacketor studs...
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Concerns as European studbooks refused UK permission since Brexit
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‘A great loss to British breeding’: much-loved stallion dies aged 19
“The best thing about him was every time you walked on the yard his head was straight over the stable door. He was a horse who used to make eye contact with you, he had an ability to make a connection with people”
