The horse you see–or the foal you envision–reflects generations of ancestors. Owners of those ancestors made decisions on mating horses, planning each generation. They selected animals by examining the successes of previous horsemen, as recorded in pedigrees.

Each breed includes individuals which meet a standard of a breed registry. The registry–an association or a government agency–maintains the records in a studbook.

To understand more about the effects of breeding decisions, you’ll learn how to read a horse’s pedigree, and how to examine the ancestry beyond the names listed in the chart. Knowing bloodlines helps you predict a horse’s suitability as a performer or as future breeding stock.

Pedigree research can be a lifelong pursuit, involving the science of genetics. For starters, here’s a three-step approach covering some popular registries, along with the European sport horses