How To Register an Older Horse

Part of AQHA’s mission is to record and preserve the pedigree of the American Quarter Horse. Each horse registered with the Association is integral to staying true to the core mission of recording and preserving the breed.

The registration process is the same at any age, the first step is to get a registration application. You will complete the application the same way you do for a weanling and will need to send in pictures of the horse. A step-by-step guide is available at www.aqha.com/registration.

Oftentimes, when registering an older horse, you may encounter difficulties in locating the breeder for the appropriate signatures. If you are missing a signature or other pertinent information, submit your application anyway, and AQHA will attempt to contact the appropriate people for you to acquire the necessary information. AQHA locks in registration fees from the time the application is received. View the fee schedule.

AQHA rules require horses over the age of 4 to be parentage verified before they can be registered. This can sometimes be a hindrance if one or both of the parents has not been DNA typed and no longer available to be tested. In some cases, it is not possible to get DNA from one or both of the horse's parents. If you are in this situation, AQHA can sometimes achieve this by building a DNA type through grandparents and other offspring. This is never a definite and is handled on a case-by-case basis. AQHA charges an extra $100 fee that is non-refundable for horses whose paperwork requires in-depth research and manpower.

Remember, as long as both the sire and dam are registered with AQHA, you have a starting point. To begin the registration process, refer to the step-by-step guide at www.aqha.com/registration.  

For questions on the AQHA registration process, call 806-376-4811 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday.