Information is important!
We believe in excellent customer service and strive to answer all questions and requests you may have in a timely manner!
Below you'll find a collection of Frequently Asked Questions, which might just help to give you an answer a bit faster.....but please don't hesitate to contact us! We'd love to hear from you!
Click on the FAQ on the list below and it will direct you to our answer:
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the Bar 2A Ranch Haflingers registered with the American Haflinger Registry (AHR) rather than with the Canadian Haflinger Association (CHA)?
If you are in the market of buying a (registered) Haflinger in Canada, you have probably come across horses registered with the AHR and others with the CHA. Some breeders even advertise with breeding one or the other!
So, what's the difference? Is one 'better' than the other?
Short answer: it doesn't matter! But let me elaborate:
When buying a registered Haflinger, it ensures that the horse you buy is 'purebred' with a traceable genetic pedigree and that it is within the breed standards set by the governing body. This is even more important, if you ever think about breeding.
Worldwide you will find various Haflinger registries with more or less the same goal: Promoting the breed, preserving the genetic pedigree and setting the rules and regulation around the breed.
In order to avoid contradictive standards and to allow for the exchange of more genetic variety and improvement within the breed (breeding stock is being imported and exported around the world) almost all national Haflinger associations and registries belong to one global governing body responsible to set the breed standards and basic rules - in the case of the Haflinger, it is the World Haflinger Breeding and Sports Federation (WHBSF) - Click on the link, this page is a great resource and gives you a great overview of the Haflinger breed history and beginnings!
So is the case with the two governing bodies you find in North America, the American Haflinger Registry (AHR) and the Canadian Haflinger Association (CHA), both of which are members of the WHBSF, hence adhering to the same standards and rules regarding the breed, although some differences may apply to non-breed regulations, such as membership, fees, shows and promotion, etc....
So, as we have done multiple times, you can literally take a CHA registered Haflinger and get it registered with the AHR and receive an AHR registration certificate and vice versa!
This is actually a very important fact! Just think of all the great Haflingers - mares and stallions - imported from Europe in the past in order to get the breed started in North America initially and still ongoing today to introduce new genetics to our herds! As long as the originating registry falls within the globally set standards set by WHBSF, you can move between the various national associations!
When we started to build our herd and breeding program here in Canada, we just went with the association, which most of the horses we purchased (probably a good 80%) were registered with - the AHR. So, to simplify paperwork (and cost) for our program, we transferred all eligible horses, which were not AHR registered, into the AHR.
Another advantage we found with the AHR is, that it is the only North American Haflinger registry with a breed-specific classification and futurity program.
Breeding a Canadian (CHA) mare to an American (AHR) stallion
I have a Canadian (CHA) registered mare. If bred to an American (AHR) registered stallion, will the foal be eligible for registration?
As confirmed with the Breed Rep of the CHA, the current regulations state that foal registration is mare based, meaning that the mare will determine registration and register of the foal, no matter, if the stallion was registered with the CHA or AHR as long as the stallion is properly licensed!
So, if you have a CHA-registered mare, wanting to breed her to one of our AHR-registered and licensed stallions. the resulting foal will be eligible to be registered with the CHA!
Once you have CHA registration and for whatever reason would prefer to have AHR registration instead, the registration can now be transferred between the registries!
We at Bar 2A Ranch believe, that the possibility of double registration with the AHR and CHA would be beneficial for the breed, but current regulations do not allow to hold dual certificates.