Registering different breeds of horses, ponies and donkeys in France can sometimes be a little daunting to say the least!

If we break things down you have a) equines born within France or b) equines imported to France

Equines born within France

If your equine was born within France then you need to determine if he is eligible to be included in one of the studbooks the Haras Nationaux holds, or if he is of unknown breeding, what category he will fall into.

There are 4 different types of classification on the register:

• Chevaux de Sang – Pur-Sang (Thoroughbred), Trotteur Français (French Trotter), Autre Que Pur Sang (TB blood but not purebred) and within that are the studbooks of French riding horse breeds and recognised Foreign riding horse breeds in France.
• Poneys, which contains the studbooks of the foreign pony breeds recognised in France
• Donkeys, which contains the studbooks of the French donkey breeds
• Heavy horses, which contains the studbooks of the French heavy horse breeds

Further details if the breeds recognised with the Haras Nationaux can be found HERE

Equines imported to France

Even if your horse already holds a breed passport issued in another country, you will still need to register him with the Haras Nationaux who control the issuing of passports for horses, ponies and donkeys. You do not need apply for a new one, nor will you lose your horse’s original passport, it will merely be over-stamped by the SIRE (Système d’Informations Relatif aux Equidés) with a SIRE number which will identify him on the database.

The SIRE records the pedigrees (dating back to the late 19th Century) and miscellaneous details of every horse born and officially registered in France. It also includes breeding rules and regulations, performance data and stallion data.

You will need to have to have another signalement (sketch) done over here by a French vet which will be stapled into the original passport. If your horse is not already microchipped (puce or transpondeur), a legal requirement since 1/1/2008), a microchip will be implanted at the same time. Fines of 450 € can be imposed to owners of equines found not to have a microchip.

The white sheets of the marking chart are then sent to SIRE with
– The original passport
– A cheque according to the fee table (LINK)

S.I.R.E.
Chevaux importés
BP6 Route de Troche
19231 ARNAC POMPADOUR

The passport will eventually be returned to you along with a Carte d’Immatriculation (a card which states who is the official owner of the animal). It is a good idea to take copies of the passport before sending it off.

If your horse is a cross bred with some breed history then he may come under a different category. There are more details of cross breeds in France on the Haras Nationaux site HERE.

Horses that are of unknown breeding, have a basic UK identity only passport, or are a breed not recognised by the Haras Nationaux will be registered under one of the Origine Non Constatée (unknown breeding) groups.

If you intend to compete or breed from your horse in France you must make sure that when you register him, that he is on the correct register to do so.

To compete in competitions you need to register your horse on the relevant sport horse register. For unpapered horses this will be the Liste Club, which allows you to compete in club competitions. Horses with full papers will go on the Liste Sport which allows him to compete in official competitions in France.