THE REGISTRY
The Appendix Brabant Record is designed to track and record draft crosses and mules with European Brabant heritage that do not meet purebred European Brabant Registry standards and light horse crosses with European Brabant Heritage. Within this category, there is no limitation on progenitor draft breeds, conformation or color. The only requirement is the horse be a minimum of 23.5% verifiable European Brabant heritage. Horses that meet the qualifications for the European Brabant or European Brabant Stock Studbooks will be given the option for inclusion during the application process however, horse owners reserve the right to remain in the Appendix Brabant Record. European Brabant Studbook qualifying horses who remain in the Appendix Brabant Record will be annotated within the Registry. If the qualifying horse is sold, the new owner may request redesignation at the time of ownership transfer. Studbook rules and registration fees apply. NOTE: Offspring of light horse crosses within the Appendix Brabant Record will not qualify for registration in the European Brabant Stock Studbook. Offspring of draft horse Appendix Brabants who are >47% and meet color standards may be considered for registration within the European Brabant Stock studbook.
The European Brabant Stock designation is for horses that have a minimum of 47% verifiable European Brabant heritage and lineage from other draft breeds. The specific goal of the European Brabant Stock registration is to identify quality, breed-standard horses of European Brabant descent who may be used to produce genetically diverse offspring, which may then be evaluated and included in the premiere European Brabant Studbook through the process of “Breeding Up.” A horse’s percentage will be based on traceable bloodlines and pedigree of their progenitors (sire and dam) and must consist of a minimum total of 47% verifiable European Brabant heritage to qualify for the European Brabant Stock Studbook. If a progenitor is not registered with the EBRA, supportive documents such as the progenitor’s registration and/or passport. A 100% rating assignment for the sire or dam is not automatic, and the European Brabant Registry of America reserves the right to assign a lesser rating if the traceable heritage does not support a 100% rating. Horses with apparent dilute color or color spotting patterns will not be considered for the European Brabant Stock Studbook, but may be designated as an Appendix Brabant. All European Brabant Stock applicants (geldings excluded) will be required to have a DNA profile completed, which will be used for parentage analysis and to validate any current and/or future offspring’s pedigree.
The European Brabant Studbook designation is reserved for approved, >93.75% (15/16) purebred horses. These may be imported horses from the EBRA’s list of approved European studbooks, offspring of purebred EBRA registered parents, >93.75% horses registered with the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America, Canadian Belgian Horse Association, or American Brabant Association who have passed a Breed Standard Evaluation, and offspring from approved Qualified Mares and purebred registered stallion pairings. Following the review of supportive documents, horses with passports from the approved registries will be considered 100% purebred. The European Brabant Registry of America reserves the right to assign a lesser rating if the traceable heritage does not support a 100% rating. Once the applicant’s parentage has been confirmed, those who are proven 100% will automatically be recognized in the European Brabant Studbook. Note: No evaluations for 100% purebred horses are required for registration, and >93.75% offspring of Approved Qualified Mares paired with an ERBA registered purebred stallion or a documented 100% European Brabant stallion are also exempt from Breed Standard Evaluations. Note: Applicants applying for registration of a horse whose parent, or parents, are not EBRA registered, must provide a copy of existing registration documentation and/or passport for the non-EBRA sire and/or dam, along with a breeding certificate that substantiates the offspring’s breeding. In the event a breeding certificate is not available, the applicant may provide a DNA parentage test that proves the offspring’s sire and dam. Note: The European Brabant Registry of America reserves the right to assign a lesser rating if the traceable heritage does not support a >93.75% rating. Should the rating fall below the purebred threshold of 15/16, the horse will be considered for recognition within the European Brabant Stock Studbook.
BREED STANDARD EVALUATIONS
The purpose of Breed Standard Evaluations is to assess and score qualified percentage horses who are applying for European Brabant Stock QM (>87.5%) status or European Brabant Studbook (>93.75%) "Breed Up" status. The Evaluation Committee is made of Stakeholder Members who have been selected by the Board of Directors and trained in EBRA breed standard, evaluation operating procedures and who know the guidelines per designation. No less than three Evaluation Committee Members review each application. Note: An evaluator must recuse themselves from the evaluation process if they have owned, or are the breeder of, or have a stake in the horse applicant.
THE PROCESS: European Brabant Qualified Mares (QM) and “Breed Up” European Brabant applicants must be >24 months of age at the time of evaluation. The owner shall submit five photographs: full left side view, full right side view, rear view, front view and headshot, a 360-degree view walk-around video of the stationary horse, and a video of the horse demonstrating walk and trot, following EBRA Photo and Video Guidelines. All applicants shall also be subject to Full Color & Pattern Test. Alternatively, the Owner can submit an existing Full Color & Pattern Test produced by a recognized independent test facility. Judging independently of each other, each evaluator is provided still images and video from which to score each horse applicant. Once complete, the evaluation forms are returned to the EBRA Evaluation Committee Chair and tallied. Based on the required minimum score, the horse applicant is either approved or disapproved. CONTEST RULING & RE-EVALUATION POLICY Upon request, the horse owner may be provided copies of the evaluation surveys, which includes the evaluators’ reasons for disapproving a horse. An applicant has ninety (90) days to contest the Evaluation Committee’s ruling. An applicant has ninety (90) days to contest the Evaluation Committee’s ruling. If the applicant formally contests the ruling, they have an option for a re-evaluation of the initial submission by a third-party expert evaluator at the Owner’s expense. A third-party expert evaluator is an individual with extensive, widely recognized experience with the European Brabant breed, such as one of the breed contest judges. All re-evaluations will be conducted as soon as practicable only after the owner submits an application for appeal and pays the re-evaluation fee. The appeal re-evaluation will be conducted utilizing originally submitted photos and video. The third-party expert evaluator’s decision is final. Note: Draft horses take a long time to mature and develop. Young horses (aged 2 to 4 years old) who are still growing may not exhibit some of the breed standard criterion and therefore could receive less favorable evaluations. For this reason, every juvenile applicant (aged 2 to 4 years old at the time of initial evaluation) may request one Re-Evaluation by the Evaluation Committee per horse at a later date. The re-evaluation will be scheduled and conducted no sooner than one year after the initial evaluation and the horse owner must resubmit an up-to-date application with new, current photos and video, plus pay the evaluation fee.
QUALIFIED "QM" MARES
Owners of European Brabant Stock mares who are >24 months and >87.5% verifiable European Brabant heritage may request a special European Brabant assessment by the EBRA Evaluation Committee at the owner’s expense. Mares will be judged for purebred European Brabant standards and, if they pass the Breed Standard Evaluation, will be identified and labelled within the EBRA database as European Brabant Qualifying Mares (QM).
NOTE: QM status does not change a mare’s registration designation from European Brabant Stock to purebred European Brabant.
All European Brabant Studbook eligible offspring of QM status European Brabant Stock mares and European Brabant registered stallions will not be subjected to the mandatory evaluation needed to achieve purebred European Brabant status. If a mare does not meet purebred European Brabant standards, her eligible offspring may still apply for European Brabant status and be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
THE BREED UP PROGRAM
Because the European Brabant is a rare breed with limited numbers worldwide, the EBRA is committed to both preserving the traditional breed standard and expanding genetic diversity. To support these goals, the EBRA offers a Breed Up Program that allows quality draft horses with European Brabant ancestry to gradually increase their percentage of European Brabant blood through selective breeding.
The EBRA maintains two studbooks: the European Brabant Studbook for horses with 93.75%–100% European Brabant heritage, and the European Brabant Stock Studbook for horses with 47% or greater European Brabant heritage. Through the Breed Up Program, breeders can use purebred European Brabant stallions to steadily increase European Brabant bloodlines over multiple generations. Once a horse reaches 93.75% European Brabant heritage and passes required coat color testing and Breed Standard Evaluations, it may be recognized as a purebred European Brabant.
This process helps protect breed quality, reduce inbreeding risks, and strengthen the future of the European Brabant in the Americas while preserving the traits that make these horses so special.
