The ISBC started its life as a Conference but by 1979 it had moved on to operate as a Committee. Interest in the forum in those early years had grown rapidly and the original Members found that they needed to find an effective means of communicating with the many Stud Book Authorities around the world.

The nature and complexities of the subjects on the agenda meant that convening a meeting attended by all the Stud Book Authorities of the world was an impractical proposition and would make decision making difficult. It was decided that a better approach would be to operate via an annual meeting of a limited membership of principal Authorities, which would be timed to convene prior to the Paris Conference and tasked with communicating to all other Stud Book Authorities through the Secretariat and through regional meetings and conferences.

This arrangement prevails today. The membership of the International Stud Book Committee is therefore restricted and each member is charged with representing its Area of the globe and with liaising with all Stud Book Authorities in their Area.

Currently, the ISBC Regional Bodies are organised as follows:

Northern and Central America & Caribbean (7 Stud Books)
South America (O.S.A.F.) (9 Stud Books)
The European and African Stud Book Committee (34 Stud Books)
Asian Stud Book Committee (ASBC) and Oceania (19 Stud Books)

An annual meeting has been held every year since 1976. In 2015 the ISBC celebrated its 40th anniversary.