A
breed registry, also known as a
herdbook,
studbook or
register, in
animal husbandry and the
hobby of
animal fancy, is an official list of animals within a specific
breed whose parents are known. Animals are usually registered by their breeders when they are still young. The terms
studbook and
register are also used to refer to lists of male animals "standing at stud", that is, those animals actively breeding, as opposed to every known specimen of that breed. Such registries usually issue certificates for each recorded animal, called a
pedigree, pedigreed animal documentation, or most commonly, an animal's "
papers".
Registration papers may consist of a simple certificate or a listing of ancestors in the animal's background, sometimes with a chart showing the lineage.