
The ''General Stud Book'' is a
breed registry
A breed registry, also known as a herdbook, studbook or register, in animal husbandry, the hobby of animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders w ...
for
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s in
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
and
Ireland
Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. More specifically it is used to document the breeding of
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...
s and related
foundation bloodstock
Foundation stock or foundation bloodstock refers to animals that are the progenitors, or foundation, of a breed or of a given bloodline within such. Many modern breeds can be traced to specific, named foundation animals, but a group of animals may ...
such as the
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse ( , DIN 31635, DMG ''al-ḥiṣān al-ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse with historic roots on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easi ...
. Today it is published every four years by
Weatherbys.
Volume 49 was published in 2021.
In 1791,
James Weatherby published ''Introduction to a General Stud Book'', which was an attempt to collect
pedigrees for the horses racing then and that had raced in the past. It was filled with errors and was not at all complete, but it was popular and led in 1793 to the first volume of the ''General Stud Book'' which had many more pedigrees and was more accurate. Volume one was revised many times, the most important being in 1803, 1808, 1827, 1859 and 1891.
[Montgomery ''The Thoroughbred'' p. 42]
The General Stud Book has been owned by Weatherbys ever since; the two
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...
authorities that cover the United Kingdom, the
British Horseracing Authority
The British Horseracing Authority, also known as the BHA, is the regulatory authority for horse racing in Great Britain.
It was formed on 31 July 2007, after the merger of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) and the Horseracing Regulatory Au ...
in Great Britain (historically the
Jockey Club
The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree Racecourse, Aintree, Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs Racecourse, Epsom ...
) and
Horse Racing Ireland for all of the island of Ireland, including Northern Ireland, do not maintain the registry.
This differs from the
American Stud Book which is owned by the
United States Jockey Club.
[Jockey Club History]
/ref>
See also
*'' American Stud Book''
*'' Australian Stud Book''
Citations
References
British Jockey Club
Retrieved 30 August 2007
Horse Racing Ireland
Retrieved 25 January 2010
*
Jockey Club History
Retrieved 30 August 2007
Weatherby's History
Retrieved 30 August 2007
Stud Book History
Retrieved 19 April 2012
The Stud Book
Retrieved 19 April 2012
External links
British Racing History
{{short description, Stub book for the British Thoroughbred horse breed
__NOTOC__
Horse racing
Horse breed registries