Before the 1970s there was no proper international forum for the discussion of and decision on issues which were important to Stud Book Authorities across the world.

Initially Stud Book business was included in the agenda of the International Conference of Racing Authorities (ICRA) which met annually in Paris. It soon became apparent that there were sufficient matters of concern to Stud Book Authorities to justify the establishment of a separate body. The Paris Conference suggested to the major Stud Book Authorities that they meet to find a better way to tackle and resolve these issues. Although Stud Book Authorities had spent many years in relatively insular pursuit of their task of accurately recording and publishing details of all Thoroughbreds, the growing movement of racehorses and breeding stock required a new, consistent and modern approach, and it was the formation of ISBC in 1976 which saw positive steps taken to tackle this requirement.

The first annual meeting of the International Stud Book Conference was convened in 1976 by Weatherbys and its then Chairman, Christopher Weatherby. This meeting, and that held in 1977, were attended by the Stud Book Authorities of the major breeding countries i.e. Australia, France, Great Britain and Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA, with a representative from the Organizacion Sud Americana de Fomento del Pura Sangre de Carrera (OSAF) representing the South American Stud Books.

Two further countries joined in the following years; Japan (from 1978) and India (from 1980).

Today those same Member countries continue to represent each of the Regions at the annual ISBC Conference.