For those people off to buy at the sales, remember to ask whether the ponies that you maybe interested in buying have been tested for HWSD.
Yearlings and foals have all been HWSD tested as part of the registration process. The results of the test is included in their passports and should be easily accessible.
However with ponies older than yearlings, testing is voluntary. When older ponies are tested their results are not included on their passport unless the owner/breeder has made the effort to return the passport to the CPBS to have this included on the record.
Ponies tested by laboratories other than Weatherby's Ire should have a 'certificate of test result' available. Ask to see this, if you are enquiring about the HWSD status of any particular pony.
HWSD results on ponies are still being sent to the CPRG; 95% of these are from countries other than Ireland. Distressingly, a large number of the results of affected ponies, are from ponies exported from Ireland to these other countries. Geldings, purchased for performance careers, are presently the highest category of affected ponies recorded since the beginning of the year.
Many of these ponies are listed on the Tested Ponies Page; ponies are listed under the countries of residence as opposed to country of origin. Consequently this page is being reworked to show country of origin.