Do You Know Your Horse’s Pedigree?

If your horse is a purebred and you know his or her registered name, you can probably find information about the sire and dam lines on several websites. Some breed registries allow a horse’s name to be used again after a certain number of years, so your search could conceivably turn up several choices. Knowing the year the horse was born will help you locate accurate information.

The Jockey Club Information Systems offers free five-generation pedigrees for Thoroughbreds on its site at www.equineline.com. For a small charge, you can investigate “nicking,” suggestions on genetic lines that may cross well with your horse if you are thinking about breeding. Various other information is also available.

Pedigrees for Thoroughbreds as well as many other horses can be found at www.allbreedpedigree.com, though care should be taken to verify all pedigrees. Like the well-known Wikipedia website, www.allpedigree.com allows users to input data, which may or may not be precise. Breed associations remain the most reliable sources of pedigree information.