The Australian
Shire Horse Registry (Registered Shires)

 

General Guidelines

The Australian Shire Horse Stud Book exists to encourage the further breeding and promotion of the Shire Horse in Australia by providing a professional, efficient and service friendly stud book registry for Shire Horse owners in Australia. The Stud Book is the Australian custodian of the traditional standards of the Shire Horse breed and of its remarkable heritage.

It is not necessary to be a member of the Shire Horse Society Australia Inc (SHSA) or other Shire Horse organisation in order to register and have an entry in the Australian Shire Horse Stud Book. Shires in the UK, American and Canadian Shire Registries may easily dual register into this Stud Book, and breed into the Stud Book, if they comply with the Rules. DNA results of the parents of foals are accessible between countries.

All horses in every SHSA Stud Book Shire Registry are considered equal for the purposes of showing with the exception of females in the Non-Breeding Registry.

Rules of Registration

To ensure the proper operation of the Stud Book and to ensure the best possible information management standards, there are a number of rules or guidelines for breeders to follow.

The attached document outlines the Rules of Registration for The Australian Shire Horse Stud Book. Members are encouraged to review these rules prior to registering your horse(s).

If you have any general questions or comments regarding the stud book, please use our
Stud Book Enquiry Form to contact the SHSA Committee.

See below for forms and fees.

Registration Contact

Registrar: Deb Buckland
0409 537 588
deb.buckland@bigpond.com

132 Stewarts Rd
Winkleigh TAS 7275

Bank Details:

Account Name:
Shire Horse Society Australia Incor
BSB: 032691
Account No: 217247

view sample registration certificate

Prefix Applications

Every horse registered in The Australian Shire Horse Stud Book must have a registered prefix.

If you are a breeder and do not already have a prefix, you can use the Prefix Application form to send your preferred prefix choices to the SHSA for approval. The purpose of the Prefix Application is to ensure that no-one is already using your choice of prefix.

There is no charge to register a prefix, which is then registered on your behalf. Please note that duplication of names is to be avoided and numerical suffixes are not allowed.

New Registrations

Please Note: The same requirements apply whether the horse is a foal or an older horse. It can be hard to get all the paperwork for an older horse which has been sold without registration, and obtaining all the paperwork is not the responsibility of the Society. Please do not send in the paperwork until you have it all completed and can send it at the one time.

To register a new foal/horse, you will need to submit the following forms to the Shire Horse Society Australia Registrar:
Please Note: After 36 months, post foaling season, an animal shall be ineligible for registration.

  1. New Registration of Foal/Horse form, signed by the breeder.
  2. Stallion Service Certificate form, signed by the owner of the sire of the horse.
  3. Certificate of Identification, signed by either the vet or owner, depending on the relevant Registry for the horse.
  4. Parentage test carried out if required. Filly foals eligible for the Full Shire Registry, Grade B Registry, or Grade A Registry, as well as of colt foals eligible for the Coal Foal Registry are required to have a DNA Parentage Test performed. The results of this DNA testing, if required, will need to be received by the Registrar before your new registration is processed. Apply to the Registrar for the DNA test kit and your vet will take the sample, sign the ID slip and either you or the vet can post it away with the address sticker provided. Note: Non-Breeding horses, do not need to be DNA tested, and the Certificate of Identification may be filled in by the breeder.
  5. All horses will need to be micro-chipped and the microchip number is to be recorded on the Certificate of Identification before it is posted to the Registrar.

When you have all the above forms completed, send them to the Registrar, and pay the relevant fees, including any late fees which will be due if the registration is now outside of the year of the horse’s birth. Note that Society members pay lower fees. Inform the Registrar that you have paid the required fees. Your registration will then be processed, as soon as the DNA results, (if required) are received.

Upon successful registration, you will be sent a Certificate of Registration (view sample (jpg)).

Dual Registrations

To register a foal/horse (in the SHSA Stud Book) that has already been registered with a recognised overseas Shire Horse organisation, you will need to submit the following form to the Shire Horse Society Australia Registrar. You will also need to attach a photocopy of the relevant overseas Certificate of Registration.

The Shire Horse Society of Australia (SHSA) recognises the following Stud Books:
SHS: Shire Horse Society (UK), ASHA: American Shire Horse Society, CSHA: Canadian Shire Horse Society.

Transfer of Registration

When a registered horse changes ownership, the back of the Registration Certificate needs to be completed by both the previous and new owner. The new owner needs to send the Registration Certificate to the SHSA Registrar for processing, together with the applicable fee at the time of registration (see our fee schedule).

Stallion Service Certificate

The Stallion Service Certificate should be submitted to the SHSA Committee with every new registration of a foal/horse in conjunction with the other required forms (see the Shire Horse Society Australia web site for details).

Stallion owners who serve an outside mare should give this completed form to the mare’s owner.

Stallion Veterinarian Inspections

Stallions registered within Shire Horse Society Australia’s Stud Book are required to have a detailed inspection by a qualified Veterinarian after the age of two and six years old. These forms should be submitted following each inspection.

The Breed Standard

The overall horse should show the stamp of a Shire and create a picture, so the total impression of the horse is important. Of all the heavy horses the Shire is the largest – at least 16.2 hands high but can exceed 19 hands. Typically it is 18 hands. The Shire Horse weighs about 900kg (a ton), and is immensely strong and powerful, but these qualities are combined with gentleness, patience and docility.

This Breed Standard is provided for the information of owners, breeders, veterinarian professionals, and judges.

Schedule of Fees

The following fees are payable in relation to the Australian Shire Horse Stud Book. All amounts are in Australian dollars. Payment can be made by electronic funds transfer (account details below) or by cheque made out to “Australian Shire Horse Society Inc”.

Payments and forms should be sent to:

The Registrar
Mrs Deb Buckland
Shire Horse Society Australia
132 Stewarts Rd
Winkleigh TAS 7275.

All our forms

Service Fee
SHSA (The Society) Membership $40 per annum (click here to join us)
Prefix Registration No charge
New Registration $40
The age of a horse is calculated as from 1st August. Every horse foaled before 1st August in any year is deemed to be one year old on that date. After the age of one year, new registrations incur the new registration fee plus the same fee for every year older than one year.
Overseas Registrations: Paypal Servicing Fee: $10
Transfer of Ownership $30
Registration of Horse already in a recognised overseas registry $30
DNA Test $95
Stallion Registration for Breeding Purposes
(Following inspection at 2 years old)		 $30
Stallion Service Certificate No charge
Reissue of certificate after gelding No charge
Reissue of lost certificate $30

Direct Deposits

Payments can be made by direct deposit to our bank account as follows. Please use your surname as the payment reference.

Account Name: Shire Horse Society Australia Inc
BSB: 032 691
Account Number: 217247

International Registrations

An extra postage fee of $10 applies for registrations outside of Australia.

Enquiries & Terms Of Use

For registry and studbook enquiries, please use our Registry contact form.

Please feel free to review our website and studbook terms of use.