| Branding Reminder | 12 Feb 2010 |
 A reminder to breeders that all foals and weanlings should be freeze branded in sufficient time for their brands to be discernible by the 31st March of their first year of life. Brands must be clearly visible as permanent white hair markings before horses are microchipped and sampled. Breeders can check which month their microchipping kit will be issued by entering the dam’s name and selecting the ‘Unnamed Produce’ option. If you have not registered your brand and been issued with a Brand Index Number, please download a ‘Brand Registration’ form, located under the ‘General Information/ Forms’ option, and fax or post to the ASB as soon as possible. |
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| Was Your Mare Not Served In 2009? | 01 Feb 2010 |
| A reminder to breeders to lodge Not Served mare returns as soon as possible. You can lodge them online by going to the Online Services header / Mare Returns / Lodge Mare Return and follow the steps. |
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| AUSTRALIAN THOROUGHBRED BREEDERS DEFY GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS | 29 Jan 2010 |
| Michael Ford, Keeper of the Australian Stud Book, reported that with most of the coverings for the 2009 season now lodged, it was obvious that the Thoroughbred breeding industry had proved more resilient to the global financial crisis than he originally expected. ‘Major yearling sales, both here and overseas, were down 30%, and with my faith in the hardiness of Australian Thoroughbred breeders, I thought that the number of coverings may decrease by only 15%, yet it looks like being less than 10%’, Mr Ford explained. At 28 January 2010, there were 23,660 mares reported as being covered in the 2009 season by 725 stallions, compared with 26,480 in 2008, a drop of 10.5% but still below the 2007 equine influenza affected total of 24,580. Mr Ford believed that when late reports are lodged, the total will achieve 24,000, indicating only a 10% decrease from 2008 which is heartening for the industry. |
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| Reminder to Stallion Proprietors | 05 Jan 2010 |
| A reminder to Stallion Proprietors that Declarations of Service for any covering which occurred 1 December to 31 December are due 15 January 2010. Studs lodging service dates Online - log on via the home page and select the 'Online Services' / 'Declarations of Service' menu on our website. Studs lodging service dates electronically through a stud management program (Ardex, Equimaster or Stable-Eyes), please email your file as soon as possible. |
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| Mare Return Reminder | 03 Dec 2009 |
| A reminder to lodge your 2009 live foal mare return within 30 days of birth. The fee is $104.50 if lodged Online and includes the DNA testing fee. To access the Online Mare Return program, log on via the home page and select the 'Online Services' header. |
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| New Website Feature | 12 Oct 2009 |
 An enhancement has been released on the ASB website to display white markings for produce born 2003 onwards. The new details are located under the "Brands and Markings" menu on the single horse toolbar. The information displayed is a replica of the reverse side of the Foal or Thoroughbred Identification Card and will ensure, along with microchip number, that a Thoroughbred can be identified if the Identification Card is not readily available. The provision to display two microchip numbers has also been added to the horse header if the horse has two microchips implanted. |