Sable x Saanen NG Programming Update
The American Dairy Goat Association is pleased to share updates on completed programming for the Board-approved actions that affect member records and registration information in Next Generation (NG) for Board-approved changes related to the registration of Sables bred to Saanens.
These changes clarify how Sable and Saanen ancestry is treated when determining whether an animal may be registered as Purebred Sable, Purebred Saanen, American Sable, or American Saanen.
The approved changes appear in several areas of the 2026 Guidebook, including:
- VIII. Rules for Registration and Recordation – Foreword
- A. Rules for Registration of Purebred Dairy Goats
- E. Rules for Recordation of Grades
- F. Rules for the Registration of American Breeds
Under the updated language, Purebred or American bucks must generally be the offspring of parents of the same breed and registered in the Purebred or American herd books of that breed, with an exception for kids from Saanen-to-Saanen and Sable-to-Saanen breedings that meet the Sable breed standard. In those cases, the breeder may choose at the time of registration to register the kid as a Sable or an Experimental.
The Guidebook also clarifies that qualifying offspring with a combination of Sable and Saanen ancestry may be entered in the appropriate Purebred or American herd book when the required ancestry percentages are met, and the animal conforms to the applicable breed standard.
For American Sables, the updated language recognizes animals whose pedigree includes Sable and Saanen ancestry when the required percentage of same-breed ancestry is met. Depending on the pedigree percentage, qualifying animals may be eligible for registration as an American Sable, while animals meeting the applicable Purebred requirements may qualify as Purebred Sable.
These changes are not retroactive and apply moving forward under the updated registration rules. Previously registered or recorded animals will not have their registration status changed as a result of this rule change.
These changes are reflected in the 2026 ADGA Guidebook online and should be referenced when registering animals with combined Sable and Saanen ancestry.
