The powerful and friendly Clydesdale draft horse breed had been around for about 100 years but did not officially get a breed name until 1826 at the Glasgow Exhibition. Demand for the horses was so strong that in 1877, during Scotland's premier horse show, the Glasgow Stallion Show, the Clydesdale Horse Society was born.

Although there are several Clydesdale breed societies around the world, the Clydesdale Horse Society is the Vatican of the Clydesdale world since they were first and is situated in the country where the breed originated. Many other Clydesdale breed societies take their rules and cues from the Clydesdale Horse Society (CHS).

Stud Book

The first important thing the CHS did was gather together and publish the first Clydesdale stud book. This information had never been brought together before. Considering that Clydesdales were being exported to the Continent and North America, they often took their pedigrees with them. The CHS managed this daunting task a year and a half after forming.

Draft horses were not given the same attention as riding horses were in the 1800s. They were considered too common in order to keep track of bloodlines, genetically passed conditions or sales. Although the UK is home to a number of fine draft breeds, it was the Clydesdale that first got a breeding society and a stud book.

The CHS's foremost duty is to keep up with the stud books. They have published 112 more since the initial book. The latest book was published in 2007. Even so, the CHS admits that it is next to impossible to keep track of every Clydesdale in the UK because many people do not bother to register their horses.

Functions

As well as keeping the Clydesdale stud book up to date, the CHS performs a number of other duties. These include keeping a record of horses that have been sold from one person to another; promoting the breed; educating horse show judges about Clydesdales; helping Clydesdale owners acquire and maintain passports for their horses; issue breeding certificates and help get any DNA testing done.

But perhaps the second most important function of the CHS is to award recognition to those Clydesdales that best exemplify the breed. The CHS awards Premium status on stallions and CHS Shield status to the best yearling at sanctioned shows. The human half also gets awards at shows. The CHS sponsors a Medal for the best Clydesdale handler at shows less than 21 years of age.

Funding

The CHS is a non-profit organization staffed mostly with volunteers and relies on public donations, sales of the Stud Books and registration fees in order to keep going. Fundraisers can be quite imaginative, including a raffle for a car.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
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