14/05/2026
Nicely explained 👌
One point of confusion we sometimes see within the breeding world is around what defines a horse’s actual studbook or breed registration - so here’s a little breed education post from the NZWA 😊
A horse should only ever have:
• ONE passport
• ONE UELN (Universal Equine Life Number)
• ONE studbook of birth ie ONE official breed registration
That identity stays with the horse for life.
When a foal is first registered, it is allocated a UELN number. This is an internationally recognised identification number that remains with that horse forever - regardless of ownership, discipline, or where in the world it competes.
For example:
554 009 ######X
• 554 = New Zealand
• 009 = New Zealand Warmblood Association studbook code
• The remaining digits = that horse’s unique lifetime registration number
That horse can only ever have ONE UELN and ONE passport.
So if a horse is birth registered as a New Zealand Warmblood, that is its studbook of birth for life. Likewise, if a horse is registered as a Holsteiner, Hanoverian, Thoroughbred, KWPN etc — that remains its breed identity permanently.
This is important internationally because when horses compete overseas, they are not only representing their rider, owner and breeder - they are also representing their studbook and breeding program.
A Holsteiner competing at Badminton, for example, is representing the Holsteiner studbook. A horse cannot simultaneously be registered as both a Holsteiner and a Hanoverian, or both a New Zealand Warmblood and another warmblood studbook.
You are what your passport says you are.
What CAN happen - and where some confusion arises - is that breeding animals may be approved or inspected INTO additional studbooks for breeding purposes.
For example:
• A Holsteiner mare may be accepted into the NZ Warmblood mare studbook
• A stallion may be licensed with multiple studbooks internationally
But this does NOT change the horse’s original studbook of birth or UELN identity.
It simply means that particular mare or stallion has been approved as suitable breeding stock for that studbook’s breeding program.
Choosing a studbook is therefore an important decision for breeders. People choose studbooks for many reasons - breeding direction, philosophy, international affiliations, classification systems, costs, community, or the type of horse they wish to produce.
But once a horse is registered and issued its UELN and passport, that identity remains with the horse for life 🌏🐴
We hope this helps clarify how international studbook registration works.
