Free Rein

Should I Performance-Test My Mare?

Yes, says our sport-horse columnist

By Maurine “Mo” Swanson

If you own an eligible mare or three-year-old filly, you might be wondering whether you should do a mare performance test (MPT) with her. Let me explain the purpose of the MPT and offer some insights you can use in deciding whether it’s right for your mare. What Is an MPT?

Several European and US-based warmblood breed registries offer performance testing for registered mares or those of a breed eligible to be placed into the registry’s studbook (e.g., Thoroughbred, Arabian, or Anglo-Arabian). The registries can tabulate the results, which aid in their evaluation of horses’ genetic traits and heritability. Some European and US registries publish the results.

An MPT usually consists of an under-saddle evaluation of the mare’s walk, trot, and canter. Free walk, medium walk, lengthened trot and canter, halts, circles, and serpentines may also be required. Some registries use a predetermined pattern, while others have the judges call out the desired gait and pattern.

Each gait receives a numeric score between 1 and 10, but the pattern or any required figures are not scored as they are in a dressage test. Some registries award a separate score for the mare’s ridability. In Europe, the registries that score ridability do so by employing guest test-riders. A test-rider rides each mare for five to 10 minutes, then dismounts and gives the score for ridability. Guest test-riders are usually not used in the US because of the logistics and cost of hiring and transporting a test-rider to all the sites that offer MPTs. Therefore, most of the time in the US the judges give the ridability score.

Free-jumping is part of some MPTs. Some registries require any mare with a jumping pedigree whose owner has declared her “jumper oriented” to jump a course under saddle. Dressage-bred mares typically are asked only to free-jump obstacles of moderate height, and some registries don’t require freejumping at all if a mare is declared as dressage-oriented. If a ridden course of jumps is required, then the course and the obstacle heights are specified and age-appropriate.

Each score that a mare receives during the MPT—for the three gaits, for her ridability, for free-jumping, or for any other component—is weighted as a percentage of the total. For example, the canter and jumping scores may be weighted more heavily in a jumper-oriented mare than in a dressage-oriented mare. The three gaits and ridability may be more heavily weighted in a dressage-oriented mare. Each registry has its own formula. What Happens at an MPT? If a filly or mare has not previously been inspected in order to be placed in the breed registry’s studbook, then the inspection usually takes place at the same time as the MPT. A previously inspected mare may complete the MPT at any time.

In a studbook inspection, the mares are evaluated in hand only. The inspector scores each mare’s conformation, correctness of gaits, type, and overall impression, and evaluates her walk and trot. Some registries also assess the mares at liberty in the trot and canter. Each

HIGH PERFORMANCE: Rolling Stone Farm’s Fherrari (Foundation – EM Rheporter, Royal Prince) received the highest-ever scores given in the US by the German Oldenburg Verband: 8.75 at her inspection and 9.2 in her mare performance test. In 2021, Fherrari (pictured during her MPT at age three) was the USDF Breeders Championship Northeast Series Final grand champion and the Dressage at Devon (PA) breed division reserve grand champion.

CONFORMATION POSE: Fherrari is stood up in the correct positioning for conformation evaluation. Behind her are the jump-chute panels built by Rolling Stone Farm co-owner Jim Swanson.

category is scored on a scale of 1 to 10, and usually an overall score is given. It is quite an honor and an accomplishment to present a highscoring mare, especially if you are the breeder!

Not every three-year-old is ready to do the MPT. Although in Europe the MPT is designed for young mares only, there is usually no age limit in the US because most registries in this country are trying to encourage members to have their mares tested. In my opinion, the MPT has value for mares of any age. Some US registries offer a performance route that can substitute for the MPT; if so, the performance requirements tend to be very specific.

It is interesting and fun to watch the day’s activities, and these events are typically open to the public. If you are considering taking your mare to an inspection, an MPT, or both, it may be a good idea to watch one first. Inspections typically are held in the summer and fall; breed registries publish their yearly inspection schedules online. Why Test Your Mare? In most warmblood registries, special titles are awarded if a mare’s inspection score is high enough. There are also titles for mares that receive a good inspection score and that have completed the MPT with a good score, or that completed certain alternate performance tests. The breed registry records awarded titles and stamps them on the mare’s registration certificate or passport. Each registry has its own titles and procedures. In some cases, the title becomes part of the mare’s name (e.g., Special Premium Poopsie, Hanoverian Premium Mare Candidate Poopsie, Silver or Gold Medal Poopsie, or Poopsie Ster).

Some titles are permanent on receipt, while others become permanent after the mare has had a quality foal. These titles can enhance the value of the mare as a breeding animal, and they can also enhance her sales value. They are designed to encourage breeders to use their best mares in their breeding programs.

I have been a proponent of MPTs since their inception in the US. I have tested every three-year-old filly I have ever bred that was still on my property at the time of the testing. Some of my fillies were barely under saddle and others had had more training, but the MPTs were only held once a year on my farm, so the fillies were tested regardless of their stage of training. This did make for some interesting tests, like the year a mare jumped through an open window in my indoor arena while free-running (we now close all the sliding windows). But I have had many success stories, and I am proud to have tested so many mares, with almost 90 having received mare titles. I especially wanted to test the mares that I had selected to add to my broodmare band, but I believe that testing enhanced the value of every mare, even those that didn’t receive titles.

At a minimum, doing the MPT with your filly or mare will provide you with an independent evaluation of her strengths and those areas that could use improvement. Of course, as with a dressage test, the MPT reflects only one day in the life of your mare—so if that day happens to be a bad one, try to keep that in mind. You will return home with the same mare that you love. Keep in mind that the excitement of the day can cause a horse to act and even move differently than it does at home. Be open to the advice and evaluation that you receive. If you are disappointed in the results, some registries will allow you to test your mare again another year.

Another reason to consider doing the studbook inspection and the MPT is as “injury insurance.” If you inspect and MPT when your mare is young, and later she suffers an injury or becomes permanently unsound, she will still have value as a breeding animal, bolstered by an evaluation that was done when she was young, sound, and in good condition.

Doing the MPT will also help you to determine whether your mare has the qualities you’d want to pass on to offspring. Is her ridability good? Does one or more gait need improvement? Is she “amateur friendly” or more of a professional’s ride? Does her jumping talent match her jumping pedigree? Did the studbook inspection point out any conformational defects? Keep these things in mind later when you represent her to potential buyers or choose a stallion for her.

If you’ve already bred your mare and she has not yet been inspected, get her placed in a studbook before she foals. Nothing is worse than having a mare die from foaling complications, leaving an orphan that cannot be registered because his dam was not in a studbook.

Free-Jumping Prep If your registry of choice requires free-jumping as part of the MPT, don’t panic. A fancy practice setup at home is not necessary. The important thing is that it is safe. A small obstacle or two made from cavalletti or straw bales will give your mare the idea of jumping. A fence line or one wall of an indoor arena can serve as one side of the jump chute. The other side of the chute can be lightweight wooden panels (my

MULTITALENTED: Rolling Stone Farm’s threeyear-old Fhestiva (Franklin – Sp. Pr. Shcooter, Shakespeare RSF) has a dressage pedigree and earned a free-jumping score of 9.0 for her ability over fences

husband made ours), jump poles, or even caution tape. If all else fails, the mare can get the idea of jumping on a lunge line.

Some farms, mine included, allow people to trailer in for freejump practice sessions before the MPT. At my farm, we do free-jump practice once a week for six to eight weeks before an MPT. In the MPT, the free-jumping test usually consists of three jumps with one stride between. Dressage-bred mares are usually only asked to jump moderate-sized obstacles, while jumperbred mares and those showing real talent will be asked to jump higher. The registry can provide you with additional information and resources. The big thing is: Don’t let a jumping requirement scare you away from the MPT.

What the Inspectors Want to See The judges want you and your mare to have a good experience. They are usually forgiving of rider and horse mistakes, and they don’t expect perfection.

In the under-saddle part of the MPT, the inspectors want to see a “forward thinking” mare that can show her gaits to the best of her ability. They look for a steady, age-appropriate frame and connection to the bit. You can present your mare in either dressage or hunter/ jumper tack, as long as it is clean and fits her well. (Some breed registries offer a hunter-oriented division, as well.)

The gaits should be shown in a frame that is consistent with the mare’s age, history, and level of training. The trot and canter should ideally show free forward steps without resistance or tension. The hindquarters should be active, with the energy moving over the back into the rider’s hand. The foreleg mechanics may show a lot of knee or be more sweeping; either is fine as long as there is freedom of the shoulder and the forehand does not have a downhill tendency. The walk should show a clear four-beat rhythm with overtrack and swing.

Minor mistakes and exuberances generally are not penalized. The judges will help you as much as they can, and they will give you as much reasonable time as needed to warm up. A Worthwhile Effort

Does all this sound intimidating? Don’t worry! Most breed registries that offer MPTs want owners to test their mares. The registries are there to help and can answer any questions you may have. Experienced breeders are usually a good resource, too.

I encourage you to give the MPT a try if it is offered near you. If your mare’s breed registry doesn’t offer the MPT at this time, see if one of the registries that does offer it would accept your mare’s results. Good luck, and enjoy the process!

Meet the Columnist

Maurine “Mo” Swanson has been breeding horses for 42 years. With her husband, Jim, she owns Rolling Stone Farm in eastern Pennsylvania, where she stands the stallions Shakespeare RSF and Shavane. She has bred about 450 foals, including 37 Elite Mares and Elite Mare Candidates and four State Premium Mares for the American Hanoverian Society and the German Hanoverian Verband; and 29 Special Premium mares, 12 Verbands Premium mares, 184 Premium Foals, and 48 Foals of Distinction for the German Oldenburg Verband, plus nine licensed stallions.

Swanson got her equestrian start in hunters and jumpers, then rode dressage up to the Prix St. Georges level, earning her USDF bronze and silver medals in 2018. Her homebred Hanoverians and Oldenburgs have earned top-10 national dressage rankings and have won many titles both under saddle and in hand. She has consistently been highly ranked in the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year, the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Sport Horse Breeding Breeder of the Year, and the US Equestrian Dressage Breeder of the Year standings. She won the Adequan®/USDF DSHB Breeder of the Year title in 2016 and 2018, and in 2020 she was named the Adequan®/USDF Dressage Breeder of the Year. She has also been the USEF Dressage Breeder of the Year every year since 2014.

Rolling Stone Farm sells young stock and about 20 to 25 riding horses a year. Swanson’s greatest pleasure has been breeding suitable horses for the amateur market in the discipline of dressage with an emphasis on ridability and movement.