Prefix
A registered prefix provides the owner with a distinctive name identifying their stud and is useful in tracing the pedigree of an animal. It also enables the owner to have their entries placed together in the Stud Book.
Prefixes registered with the Welsh Pony and Cob Society and the Central Prefix Register can only be used by the owner of that prefix; prefixes can be extended to family members with written confirmation from the owner of the prefix.
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Before applying for a prefix, please check that it is not already registered to another breeder. The Society cannot register a prefix already in use, even if it is registered with another society. To check, please search for the 'Central Prefix Register' website. (Please note - the Society is not responsible for the content or security of external sites). The Central Prefix Register site will also list all societies with which any prefix is already registered with.
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Registering a new prefix with the Society. To register a new prefix, please ensure you have first checked its availability against the WPCS and Central Prefix Register lists. There is a fee to register the prefix with the Society, which includes its registration with the WPCS and Central Prefix Register. Following a successful prefix registration, a certificate of acceptance is issued to the prefix owner by the Central Prefix Register.
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New prefixes must be between 2 and 20 characters long and must not contain spaces, hyphens or punctuation. The Society and Central Prefix Register reserve the right to refuse any prefix that may be seen as a commonly used second-name, or that is derogatory, offensive. Brand names, Registered (®) or Trademarks (TM) are not allowed.
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The Society does not allow the use of registered prefixes as 'second names' by breeders. However, some common words that have been registered as prefixes have been accepted by the Society for use a second names. It is at the discretion of the Society as to whether a prefix can be used as a second name. A full list of prefixes that can be used as second names can be found below.
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If a prefix is already registered, it may be possible to 'extend' the use of this. The principal prefix owner must give permission to extend the use of the prefix in all instances. This can be to either extend it's use from the society it was initially registered with, to now include use with other societies, or it can be to add additional breeders to the prefix to allow their use of the prefix. To do the latter with the WPCS, the prefix first needs to be registered or extended to the Society.
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If the owner of a prefix has died, then the prefix may be transferred to the next of kin. If the prefix was bequeathed to individual(s) in the Will, or there was a known wish of the deceased to transfer the prefix to individual(s), then the Society will require a letter of authority to transfer the prefix completed by the executor, and a copy of the section of the Will instructing whom to transfer the prefix to if it was left as a bequest in the Will.
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It is also possible to protect a prefix for the future – effectively locking its use after the owner has passed away. If you wish your prefix to die with you, please inform the WPCS Office by letter and pay a fee of £25.00. Your prefix will then be ‘protected’. It is not possible to revoke this protection.
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For a full list of prices, please visit the main Passport Services page and follow the link to the Price List.
Forms can be downloaded from the Passport Services Forms​ section on our 'Downloads' page.
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​The Society has over 16,000 registered prefixes. Below are the lists of prefixes registered with the WPCS. All prefixes are also registered with the Central Prefix Register.
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The Society also has a list of prefixes registered, that have been accepted for use as 'second names' due to the common occurrence of use as second names for registered Welsh Breeds.
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Total - 16,389
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Last updated - 01/01/2025