by: Lelia Berry and Donna Palmer

We would like to welcome the Sable breed to the fold of ADGA's officially recognized breeds. Many of the Sable breeders are not new to ADGA. Some, however, are new members and are interest-ed in the establishment of the Sable as a stand-alone breed. Whatever the reason you are interested in Sables, the ADGA Registration Committee is dedicated to assisting you in understanding the Rules of Registration and Recordation.

A number of ADGA committees are involved in the admission and services to any new breed. This includes the New Breeds Task Force, Breed Standards, Type, Shows, Judges Training, Linear Appraisal, Artificial Insemination, and Production Testing committees. This article will cover only the topics addressed by the Registration Committee.

The ADGA Office, the International Sable Breeders Association and the Registration Committee have been receiving questions about the new Sable herd books that are scheduled to open in January 2005. We will answer many of these questions in this article.

Where do the Sables come from? Sables are colored Saanens and have had an ADGA board approved breed standard since 1981, have registration records dating back to the imports and were previously registered as Saanens before the Saanen breed standard changed to disallow any color but white or light cream.

When the original Saanens were imported from the Eastern Hemisphere, some of them were colored animals and this is well documented in the ADGA History and by Allen Rogers in his book "Saanen Roots". As time went on the persons working with the Saanen breed decided that they preferred the White Saanens. The breed standard was then changed to allow only white or light cream-colored animals to be registered with any other color being a disqualification. However, the gene for color was still genetically carried within the Saanen breed, which still resulted in colored animals being born and often destroyed or sold as unrecorded grades.

Almost thirty years ago, a group of Saanen Breeders decided that this was not acceptable and chose to save these 'colored' animals and record them in the experimental register. The Sable Breeders Association was formed in 1975 by Don West, a man with the vision to see value where most others saw none, and this was the beginning of the organized Sable Breed. In 1981, the SBA requested that ADGA approve their breed standard with the intent that Sable breeders would eventually request herd books for Sables. The SBA worked within the Experimental herd books for the next several years while they also registered and tracked Sable data themselves. Then in 1996, the International Sable Breeders Association was formed and continued registering Sables and tracking their data where the SBA left off

Unfortunately, for most of these years, the Sables that were submitted for registry in the experimental herd books, were recorded with the incorrect percentages, dropping them from 100% Saanen genetics to 50% Saanen genetics. This proved to be a difficult hurdle for Sable breeders trying to establish the Sable breed until this mistake was corrected by ADGA. Even though the percentages on these animals have been corrected, a lot of the genetics were already lost. Five years ago ISBA approached the ADGA BOD seeking official status for a Sable herd book. They requested that the Sable breed be based upon the already BOD accepted Sable breed standard with animals that had the required percentage of Saanen genetics and meeting the Sable breed standard be accepted directly into the Sable herd books

"CATCH 22" or "What we have here is a failure to communicate" - Strother Martin to Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luck". The Sable Breed Standard that was passed by the Board in 1981 was in actuality more than that. It described what the Sable Dairy Goat should look like, which is the Breed Standard, but it also included qualification for entry into a herd book, which is a Rule of Registration. By not recognizing this fact, the Sable Breeders, Directors, Registration and Breed Standards Committees, had difficulty finding a middle ground. The Sable breeders would periodically come to the Registration Committee and say "we have been following the rules that were passed, now how about a herd book?" The Registration committee would say, " No, you have to show four generations of colored animals first". Last year, we untied this Gordian Knot by agreeing with the direct migration, which had already been included in the original action passed in 1981.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? While all Sables are of Saanen genetics, not all Saanens are Sables. In 2002, the BOD instructed the Registration Committee to explore the possibility of Sables being a sub-group of the Saanens. This was presented to both the Saanen breed club and the ISBA. The Saanen breeders did not want to pursue this method, as it would keep the colored genetics linked to the Saanen gene pool. The Sable breeders also preferred a separate herd book. In contacting the American Kennel Club, and various other animal registries, we found that another model was possible. This model would allow the extraction of animals of Saanen genetics, with color other than the accepted white or light cream required by the Saanen breed standard, as a variety of that registry group while allowing direct migration into a new registry. This was the method proposed by the ISBA and approved by the ADGA Registration Committee in 2003 and the ADGA Board of Directors on October 30, 2003. The following information is in compliance with what was approved for the Sable herd books by the ADGA BOD during the 2003 ADGA convention

The first item that will have to be accomplished is the initial extraction of animals who qualify as Sables from the Experimental and Grade Experimental herd books. If you have an animal that qualifies by the criteria below, you will be able to have your registration papers revised for a fee upon verification. (The actual fee hasn't been established yet.) You will need to get the registration papers revised if you plan on showing that animal after 1-1-05 as it will have been extracted from the Experimental herd book or Grade Experimental herd book and placed in the appropriate Sable herd book. Even though the ADGA data will correctly indicate your animal is a Sable after the initial extraction and all records of subsequent registration of offspring will show the correct Sable parentage, your previous registration papers will still list that animal as a GE or E and you won't be able to show the animal without updated papers since it will no longer qualify to show as a Recorded Grade.

STEP ONE... The initial extraction process: Such identified and coded does which are at least 87.5% Saanen heritage but less than 100% Saanen heritage and have met the required three generations of Sable coloring and breed standard will be extracted from the Experimental and/or Grade Experimental herd books and placed in the American Sable herd book.

Such identified and coded bucks which are at least 93.75% Saanen heritage but less than 100% Saanen heritage, which meet the color requirements and breed standard of the Sable breed AND are offspring of does identified and coded above (NOTE: Does coded above are American Sables) AND whose sire is either purebred or American Sable or Saanen, will be extracted from the Experimental and/or Grade Experimental herd books and placed in the American Sable herd book.

Such bucks and does identified and coded which are registered as 100% Purebred Saanen heritage, and meet the breed standard and color requirements of the 1981 board approved Sable breed standard, will be extracted from the Experimental herd book and placed in the Purebred Sable herd book.

Such bucks and does identified and coded which are registered and verified as 100% American Saanen heritage or a combination of American and Purebred Saanen heritage and meet the breed standard and color requirements of the 1981 board approved Sable breed standard, will be extracted from the Experimental herd book and placed in the American Sable herd book.

In addition to the above eligible animals, the BOD approved the acceptance of the Sables that have been registered with the International Sable Breeders Association, born prior to 1-1-05. This was done to include the animals that have already been recognized as Sables by ISBA.

The ISBA has historically included in their American herd book any doe of at least 87.5% verifiable Saanen genetics that meets Sable breed standard. Upgraded does of at least 87.5% Saanen genetics, that were born before 1-1-05 need to be registered with ISBA. Bucks born before 1-1-05 and of at least 93.75% Saanen genetics who are out of ISBA registered dams and meet breed standard should also be registered with ISBA as American. These animals must meet required percentages and Sable breed standard and meet the criteria of the ISBA registry. A copy of the ISBA registration needs to be submitted with the ADGA application for registry in the sable herd book.

As additional Sables (colored Saanens) are born from the American or Purebred Saanen herd books, they will be migrated directly into the American Sable or Purebred Sable herd books as appropriate.

What will the herd books be after the initial extraction? The Sables will have the same set of herd books that the other six standard size breeds have. These are Purebred, American and Grade. We will give you a brief description of these herd books.

The Purebred Sable herd book

Sire and Dam are both Purebred Saanen and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

Sire and Dam are both Purebred Sable and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

Sire and Dam are a combination of Purebred Sable and Purebred Saanen and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

In addition, the purebred herd book will be open, just as the LaMancha purebred herd book is. This means that when an individual animal's Sable ancestors have been in the American herd book for three generations, or if one parent has 3 generations of American Sable and the other is Purebred Sable, its offspring will be eligible for registry in the Purebred Sable herd book if that offspring also meets Sable breed standard.

Sables registered with AGS will automatically be accepted for registration by ADGA in the Purebred Sable registry upon application and in compliance with the rules for registering an AGS registered animal with ADGA.

Sire and Dam are both American Saanen and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

Sire and Dam are a combination of American and Purebred Saanen and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

When one parent is an American Sable and one parent is an American or Purebred Saanen or Sable and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

When one parent is a Purebred Sable and one parent is an American Saanen or Sable and the animal meets Sable breed standard.

Females only can be registered as American Sables when the sire is an American or Purebred Sable and the dam is 75% or higher Saanen/Sable genetics in the Grade, Grade Experimental or Experimental registries. The doe to be registered, as well as her dam and her maternal grandparents must meet correct Sable breed standards including color.

Animals of at least 50% Saanen/Sable genetics may be entered into the Grade Sable herd book on application by their owners. The Grade Sable herd book will parallel the existing grade herd books.

SOME COMMON QUESTIONS:

What happens if a white offspring is born to a Sable dam?

This individual will be eligible for the Experimental herd book, as it does not meet the Sable breed standard. Then it is the option of the owner to decide to breed it to a Sable buck to breed towards the American Sable herd book, a Saanen buck to breed toward the American Saanen herd book, or another breed for upgrading into another American program by the rules of the Experimental registry.

Can I keep my animals in the Experimental herd book if I want to?

The ADGA Board of Directors voted to extract all animals that qualify as Sables into their appropriate Sable herd books as a separate breed designation. The Experimental herd book has been ADGA's "big tent", allowing some flexibility for breeders to work within the recognized standard dairy goat genetic pool towards a breed herd book and is where animals that DON'T meet the requirements of one of the regular breed herd books are kept and bred from until offspring do meet the standard, generations and percentages required to qualify for one of the breed herd books, at which time those offspring automatically enter an American herd book of a breed. The Experimental herd book has requirements just as the standard breed herd books do. Specifically, that the animal does NOT meet the requirements to be in a standard breed herd book by the rules of the Experimental program. If offspring of two Saanens meet all other breed standards of Saanens other than color, they DO meet the Sable breed standard and that is the only place they would be qualified to go. They would NOT qualify for the Experimental herd book.

Will we have to apply for revised registration papers for each animal?

Yes, you will submit an application for each animal if the individual is already registered or recorded in the Experimental or Grade Experimental herd book and you will send in those papers with the application. You will need a revised registration paper on any animal you plan on showing or having on milk test or linear appraisal after 1-1-05.

We hope this article has answered most of your questions. If you have other specific questions, please contact one of us. We will do our best to help you.

Donna Palmer, International Sable Breeders Association Registrar at webslave@cybergoat.com or Lelia Berry, ADGA Registration Committee Chairperson at Leliaberry@aol.com