Breeding a Mare

The decision to breed your mare and raise a foal is one of the most exciting and challenging choices an owner will make. It is important to carefully follow the society’s established guidelines before and after the breeding and the birth to be sure the resulting foal is eligible for registry with the AHS.

Mare Dues

Mare dues and owner membership dues must be paid yearly to keep a mare’s status active. To register a foal, mare dues must be paid for the year the foal was conceived and the year foaled. Click for a Current AHS Fee Schedule.

Reactivation of Mares

A mare that has been temporarily withdrawn from active breeding can be reactivated at any time following written application by her owner. The mare shall have the same status as when previously registered. The reactivation fee for mares is $40.00.

Stallion Status Verification

It is the mare owner’s responsibility to verify the stallion’s status. A stallion must be AHS approved and all dues paid for the year in which the foal is conceived in order for the foal to be registered.

Use of HV-approved non-Hanoverian Stallions

As a result of the Fall 2007 referendum vote, all restrictions placed on breeding to HV-approved non-Hanoverian stallions have been removed. Effective in 2008, the AHS membership is able to use any HV-approved stallion, regardless of breed, standing outside the borders of the United States. Mare owners who wish to breed an AHS-approved mare to a non-Hanoverian HV-approved stallion must be familiar with the 50% Hanoverian blood rule. Contact AHS Executive Director Hugh Bellis-Jones (hbjahs@aol.com) with specific inquiries.

Fifty Percent Blood Rule

Perhaps the most important rule to keep in mind when considering breeding your mare is the “Fifty Percent Blood Rule.” This rule may determine whether the proposed foal is even eligible for Hanoverian registration.

It is the mare owner’s responsibility to verify the percentage of Hanoverian blood in the stallion’s pedigree. The Fifty Percent Blood Rule only comes into play when one, or both, of the proposed parents is not Hanoverian registered, i.e., does not hold Hanoverian breed papers.

An AHS-approved non-Hanoverian mare with less than 50% Hanoverian blood may produce an AHS-registered foal if she is bred to either an AHS- or HV-licensed stallion bearing the Hanoverian foal brand or an AHS- or HV-licensed licensed non-Hanoverian stallion whose pedigree contains at least 50 percent Hanoverian blood.

AHS-approved non-Hanoverian warmblood mares with at least 50% Hanoverian blood are equivalent to mares with the Hanoverian (H or H-US) foal brand.

The procedure for determining the percentage of Hanoverian blood is agreed as joint policy of the AHS and HV. If you have questions about a proposed breeding, contact AHS Executive Director Hugh Bellis-Jones at the Central Office with any questions.

DNA Typing

Whether the breeding is by live cover or artificial insemination, DNA typing is required on the sire, dam and foal. Keeping accurate insemination records is essential when using transported semen.

Embryo Transfer

The AHS recognizes Embryo Transfer and allows an unlimited number of foal registrations per donor mare provided both the sire and dam are inspected and entered in the AHS studbook.