[REF #330] Piro Free Dressage Star

What Does It Mean

'APPROVED FOR BREEDING'

Are you looking for a Lusitano horse for a breeding project? This filter option is definitely important for you!

By selecting the button of ‘approved for breeding’ you make sure in your search will only appear horses or mares that are already approved for breeding by the Portuguese Association of the Lusitano Horse (APSL). You can also confirm this status on each specific horse page details and find out what was the final score of the broodmare or breeding stallion you are analyzing.

Curious to know more about the approval process?

The approval of animals for the Studbook includes:

Animals must undergo functional morphology tests in which they shall be inspected and be awarded points.
All animals whose points score does not contain more than two categories with a score of six (6), or more than one category with a score of five (5) shall be registered and approved to commence breeding. Any animals with a score of less than five (5) will be disqualified.
Male horses must be evaluated regarding the functional and morphological integrity of genital organs, and this evaluation is done based on the results of a spermogram. Cryptorchid (unilateral or bilateral) animals may not be entered in the Studbook.
Male studhorse candidates must be inspected under saddle, in public examinations to be designated annually by APSL with candidate broodmares being shown in hand, on the breeder’s premises, or in public examinations.
The minimum age shall be three years for females and four years for male horses. Any horse may, however, be entered in the Studbook, prior to reaching the referred to age, provided that all of the conditions expressed in this article have been complied with and that the Registration Committee considers that their development and conformation so permit.

To learn more details and read full information we advise you to consult the Lusitano Breed Studbook Regulation.

Explaining

HORSES' GENDER

Several terms are used worldwide to describe horses’ gender. Check out Lusitano World guide about gender and understand how and when gender matters!

MARE	In standard terms a mare is a female horse that is over the age of three.
stallion	An adult male horse that isn’t castrated, meaning the presence of testosterone and capability to reproduce. Stallions are also known as ‘Entire’ or ‘Full horses’.
Gelding	Horse that has been castrated and can no longer breed. When a horse is gelded their hormone levels are lower, normally translating in to a calmer behavior.

DOES GENDER MATTER?

Find out how and when! Click below to get the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Does gender affect a horse performance?

No: researchers found that gender had little effect on performance. Stallions, mares and geldings have the same sportive performance, even if their behavior can be different.

Then why does gender matter?

Gender matters the most when it comes to bring your horse home. If you must export your new equine partner outside Europe you might consider gelding your horse, aiming to reduce exportation costs and decrease the quarantine duration. For instance, in the USA, any entire horse over the age of two-years-old must undergo a 34-day quarantine that entails two live cover breedings, which can alter the behavior of a previously virgin horse. The stabling conditions in which you plan to keep your new horse and his intended daily use may also influence whether or not you choose to geld a stallion.

Can all Lusitanos breed?

One can think that having a mare or a stallion can immediately start a breeding program. Although this is true, if you want to be able to officially register your Lusitano in the official studbook: make sure your Lusitano is approved to breed. Studhorses and Broodmares must be submitted to an official approval for the studbook, so make sure you fulfill this requisite before starting your breeding program.

What if I buy a stallion and need to geld him?

Lusitano World can assist you if you need to geld your new horse before traveling. As safety is our ultimate goal, we advise to perform the surgery in a vet clinic where the horse will stay over-night followed by a team of dedicated equine-health professionals. Take note you can also insure your horse before this procedure.

Find out more about

PIROPLASMOSIS

Here are the most important facts you should be aware of: before exporting a horse outside of Europe you should be sure if your country does not follow a piroplasmosis free policy.

A big part of the horses presented at Lusitano World website are already tested for Piroplasmosis. By selecting the button of ‘Piroplasmosis free’ you make sure in your search will only appear piro-free horses. You can also confirm this status on each specific horse page details. Please be aware that, even if horses have been already tested, you need to re-test as a purchase condition.

PIRO FAQ's

Below you can find some FAQ's about Piroplasmosis. Feel free to contact our team to know more.

What is Piroplasmosis?

Equine Piroplasmosis (EP), is a disease of horses and other equids, is caused by one of two protozoan parasites: Theileria equi or Babesia caballi. These organisms can be transmitted by ticks or through contaminated blood from infected horses. Piroplasmosis is endemic in many tropical and subtropical areas including Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and parts of Europe, such as Portugal and Spain. Therefore, many of the horse born in these areas test positive to Piroplasmosis.

Influence of Piroplasmosis on Exportation

To prevent the spread of the Equine Piroplasmosis there have been introduced some International restrictions for importing horses into some of the countries that are not considered to endemic, even if some cases of EP have appeared in some of these countries. So if you plan to export your horse outside Europe, Lusitano World team always advises you to check your country's exportation policy. Some of the countries who follow a ‘PIRO-FREE POLICY’ are: USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, China, Thailand and Mexico. You don’t know what is your country’s policy? Ask us more: horses@lusitanoworld.com

How to test piroplasmosis?

Every horse has to be tested by sending blood to an internationally approved blood testing lab. Lusitano World recommends Bose Lab in Germany. Results take from 2 to 5 days, have a cost of around 200€, and allow you to confirm if the horse is positive or negative to Piroplasmosis. Positive horses can be identified by testing their sera for the presence of specific antibodies for both Babesia Caballi and Theileria equi. Currently, there are 3 primary tests used for qualifying horses for exportation: (1) indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT); competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C- ELISA) and the (3) complement fixation test (CFT). Horses must show a percentage below 30% to all tests to be considered negative, and therefore fitting the Piroplasmosis exportation criteria.

How We Classify

HORSE TRAINING LEVELS

Dressage training levels are a way to classify how advanced a horse and rider combination are. This scale provides an easy way to measure the expected level of schooling and also gives the rider a notion of the horse progression.

Here is a rough guide Lusitano World organized to help you understand what you might expect to see at each level - please note this is an adaptation of the competition levels to make easier to our clients to search the horse that fits the best to their needs:

Not ridden	The horse hasn’t been started his work under saddle. Normally these horses are under 3-year-old.
Preliminary	Horse started under saddle and performing correctly all 3 basic paces: walk, trot and canter.
Elementary	Horse starts lateral work such as leg yield and shoulder in. He is introduced to rein back.
Medium	Can perform simple changes, half-passes and travers, collected and counter canter.
Complementary	Performing single flying changes and flying changes in series, half-working pirouettes.
PSG	The 1st FEI level of Dressage includes half canter pirouettes, tempi changes every 3rd and 4th stride.
Intermediaire	Includes full canter pirouettes and tempi changes every 2nd stride.
Grand Prix	The highest level of dressage includes piaffe, passage and tempi changes.