Plans underway to globally register pedigree charts of Persian horse breeds

Tehran, Oct 23, IRNA - The Persian horses’ pedigree charts have been compiled in a bid to have them registered at international organizations and the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI), an official said. Speaking to Tehran-based English newspaper, Iran Daily, Shahrzad Amir-Aslani, a member of the Pedigree Charts Council of Equestrian Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRIEF), said publishing of pedigree charts of Persian horse breeds is a necessary step to preserve their pedigree and blood. She added that the pedigree charts will be submitted to international organizations dealing with horse pedigree in order to obtain registration papers. Having such registration papers will then give more weight to Persian horses globally, she said. To compile these pedigree charts, Amir-Aslani said sampled microchips of horses from different parts of the country have been handed to laboratories overseas for obtaining DNA. Updating these charts require that test samples for foals will be taken every two years, she added. “One of the ways to preserve Persian horses’ pedigrees is through purification,” she said, highlighting the need for creating a gene bank of such horses. She said that the pedigree charts of Arabian horse breed in Iran have been internationally registered for some 50 years and have received relevant documentations from World Arabian Horse Organization (WAHO). The pedigree chart of Persian thoroughbred horse has recently been approved by International Stud Book Committee (ISBC) and has received international qualifications, she added. Commenting on breeds of Persian horse, she said Caspian horse, a small horse breed native to northern Iran, has been registered with an international organization in Britain of which Iran is also a member. Iran has received the international qualifications for this breed for 12 years. The pedigree charts for Kurd and Dar-e Shoor breeds are being complied, she added. The pedigree chart for Turkmen horse breed, which had a pedigree chart before the Islamic Revolution in 1979, is also being developed again. 9060**1771 Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish