1. Name of the organization
The name of the organization is Irish Cob Society Nederland, also known as ICS Nederland.
The organization is a society with members with voting rights and is registered at the Company Registration Office (Kamer van Koophandel) with id 11052202.
2. Breeding purpose
Irish Cob Society Nederland wants to maintain the horse/pony breed Irish Cob as a daughter studbook of the Studbook of Origin Horse Sport Ireland.
3. Name of the breed
The name of the horse/pony breed is Irish Cob, in the United Kingdom sometimes referred to as Gypsy Cob.
4. Detailed characteristics of the Irish Cob
The detailed characteristics of the Irish Cob are written in the Irish Cob Breed Standard. See attachment.
5. Geographical Area
Irish Cob Society Nederland performs inspections, registers Irish Cobs and issues horse passports in the following countries:
| Country | Breeders (2017) | Cobs | Since |
| Netherland | 250 | 3600 | 2001 |
| Belgium | 21 | 500 | 2002 |
| Denmark | 60 | 800 | 2002 |
| Germany | 80 | 1200 | 2003 |
| Estonia | 1 | 37 | 2016 |
| Finland | 25 | 450 | 2003 |
| France | 8 | 800 | 2002 |
| Italy | 20 | 183 | 2013 |
| Poland | 2 | 55 | 2017 |
| Spain | 2 | 15 | 2015 |
| Czech Republic | 83 | 372 | 2008 |
| USA | 5 | 20 | 2017 |
(Slowakia to be added 2019)
6. Identification of animals for breeding
Animals for breeding are identified:
- By use of the transponder (microchip),
- By use of the passport belonging to the horse (silhouette and microchip).
Registration in het studbook takes place with a unique 15 digits studbook number with the layout 528023 yyyy nnnnn where yyyy is the year of registration, and nnnnn is a unique serial number.
Control system
All equidea presented as parent of an offspring or showed on an ICS Nederland event will be identified by the accompanying horse passport whereby the microchip is used to verify the passport belongs to the horse presented.
7. Lineage check
Irish Cob Society Nederland only registers parents after a DNA verification in a specialized laboratory. The pulled-out hairs necessary for the verification should be taken from the horse by a veterinary surgeon or by a representative of ICS Nederland.
8. Selection and breeding goals
Goal is to breed healthy Irish Cobs that meet the Breed Standard set by the Studbook of Origin in Ireland that are easy to handle and willing to work.
Animals who behave aggressively or unmanageable on events and inspections will not be approved for breeding.
9. Performance testing
Performance if the Cobs is tested on inspections organized by, or on behalf of, ICS Nederland. Qualified inspectors judge the equidea using a score chart related to the descriptive text laid down in the Breed Standard for Irish Cobs.
Besides participants may enter a riding- or driving test to show the Cob is also suitable for use in riding or driving.
The Irish Cob performing best on a show will be called “Show Champion”.
Based on the scores the participating Cob is rewarded a third, second or first “Premium”.
Repetition of a first premium in a new calendar year is rewarded with the title “STER”
An Irish Cob that produced three or more offspring with a First premium when adult can be rewarded with the title “Preferent”.
The titles mentioned above will be stored in the ICS Nederland database and mentioned on the stallions pages on the Web, on the Online Studbook and in the horse passports of offspring when issued by ICS Nederland.
a. Way of collecting data
All inspections of Irish Cobs are accessible for public.
The animal to be inspected will, after the horse passport is received by the inspection administration, being identified and presented to the inspector(s).
The inspector(s) award points to the characteristics of the animal on a score chart with a carbonless copy.
The awarded points and eventual comments are mentioned to the owner and to the public.
b. Registration, validation en communication of data
At the end of an inspection event the handler of the horse or it’s owner regain the horse passport in which the awarded score is listed, and a copy of the score chart signed by the inspector(s) and stamped.
The original score char will be copied into the ICS Nederland database and archived in the ICS Nederland office.
The total score will be published on the ICS Nederland web site within three working days and in the club magazine.
c. Use of the data collection on behalf of selection purposes
Publication of awards and scores with pictures of the Cobs and the online pedigree with ancestors and progeny creates an opportunity for mare owners to seek for a suiting stallion for the mare(s) to be used for breeding.
Additionally members of ICS Nederland or affiliated organizations may request which other horses in the ICS Nederland database are related to the Irish Cob they own.
The results of PSSM1 rests is also published in on-line publication
10. Artificial insemination
For mentioning of parents in the passport of a foal the same rules as for natural covering are applied: with the DNA of progeny and parents the parentage is to be proven before a horse passport or certificate is ussued,
11. Genetic evaluation
This is not applicable
12. Division of the Irish Cob studbook in sections
Main Section
– HB1 A (Traditional Cob) progeny of a stallion approved for the breeding of Irish Cobs, and a mare registered in the ICS Nederland studbook rewarded with an adult premium.
– HB1 B progeny of a stallion approved for the breeding of Irish Cobs, and a mare registered in the ICS Nederland studbook with no premium
– HB2 A: progeny of an unapproved Irish Cob stallion, and a mare registered in the ICS Nederland studbook with a premium
– HB2 B: progeny of an unapproved Irish Cob stallion, and a mare registered in the ICS Nederland studbook with no premium
Basic Register
– Equidea of unknown or half-known parentage entering the Irish Cob studbook on a breed-entry inspection with minimal a 3rd Premium on the normal score-cart, or
– equidea accepted as Irish Cob on a home-inspection, or
– progeny of an Irish Cob and an unknown other parent showing sufficient Irish Cob characteristics, to be judged by an ICS Nederland inspector.
Awarding
Premium inspections are open for registered Irish Cob mares and geldings and stallions aged 2 year and older. As date of birth for all horses the first of January of the year of birth is supposed.
The owner of the horse to be inspected must be a member of ICS Nederland or a member of an affiliate organization in another country.
Gradings
Gradings (Premies) are granted based on the number of points on the score-chart on an ICS Nederland premium inspection.
No grading: less then 128 points (= discouraged for breeding Irish Cobs)
3rd grading: 128 – 137 points
2nd grading: 138 – 145 points
1st grading: 146 – 160 points
Additionally to obtain a First premium the Cob must have 9 points or more for the items temperament and Irish Cob type, stallions also for leg feathering.
Stallions scoring 7 or less for any item will not receive a premium and are disapproved for breeding.
Foals (aged less then 2 years) can be granted foal premiums on an inspection; foal premiums do not count for the title “Preferent” of a parent(s).
Excluded from the Stallions inspections, thus from the approval for breeding, are:
– stallions that were rejected for breeding by an other studbook on medical grounds
– stallions with PSSM1 n/p1 or p1/p1
– stallions without an recent health certificate showing the animal has no heritable faults
Stallions granted a 3rd premium are approved for breeding but must be re-inspected in the year they become 5 years of age.
progeny of these stallions cannot be indicated as “Traditional Cobs” unless in a re-inspection a first or second premium was granted.
13. Numbers of animals used for breeding and breeders
On august 10, 2018 the ICS Nederland Studbook was home to 11.450 Irish Cobs.
In 2017 242 foals were born from 105 different sires. This trend is in line with the numbers in previous years.
ICS Nederland knows of five artificial inseminations. In the Irish Cob scene natural covering is preferred.
In 2017 327 foals were born in the studbook, partially from imported pregnant dams where the sire is unknown, with 280 active breeders.
ICS Nederland counted 648 active members at the end of 2017, about the same as previous years.
Breeders are discouraged to breed with animals with an inbreed-percentage of 12% or higher.
In order to reduce the occurrence of the inheritable fault PSSM1 are, since 2012, only stallions allowed for breeding that are free of PSSM1 (n/n).
Progeny of unapproved stallions and Irish Cob mares are registered in HB2 as showed in chapter 12, Main Section.
14. Zootechnical certificates
ICS Nederland issues equine passports and, for imported horses with a valid equine passport from another studbook, a certificate of registration in the ICS Nederland studbook.
15. Implementation of the breeding program
Employees
The studbook office is lead by a director who is also ID officer (person with allowance to identify horses and to place microchips).
Incidentally temporary employees are deployed and one person with ICT experience is available at the office.
Training of employees is organized by the studbook director.
New inspectors are trained on the job. When sufficiently experienced the members meeting decides about an appointment as candidate inspector and, after the training is finished, as inspector.
Facilities and equipment
ICS Nederland has an office network with several computers. Studbook data is stored in a server database accessable by other computers and laptops with specific client software
Every ID officer (there ar four) has a transponder (microchip) reader.
On inspections a spare reader is present as well as a stick to measure the height of the horses, and a laptop with the database to use in case of unexpected situations.
Office, inspection and ICT are not outsourced but managed in-house