Registration Photo Requirements: What You Need to Know

Registering your American Quarter Horse online saves you time and helps catch omissions that could delay the registration process. Submitting the correct photos is also vital to completing a registration quickly, helps verify markings, may help you avoid the need for a physical inspection, and assists with the identification of your horse at AQHA shows, races, other competitions, or in the event your horse is stolen or missing.

Brush up on these photo requirements before you submit your online registration application. 

• You'll need to submit five photos of your foal – right profile, left profile, front, rear and one from a three-quarter view from the front.

• If your foal's markings are complex, extra photos detailing the markings will help AQHA’s registration department describe your horse's markings in detail on its papers.

• To ensure quality, photos must be at least 2 MB when submitted with an online application.

• Photos cannot exceed 4 MB. Photos that are larger will not be delivered, and it will delay the registration process.

For more information on how to capture the best photos of your horse, view this brochure.

Once you have all of your photos uploaded and registration application completed, you’re good to submit your application. Check out more information on tips for correctly registering your AQHA foal.

Benefits of Adding to the Registration Certificate

The AQHA certificate of registration has an advantage over the older certificates of the past. The main advantage is convenience. On the front of the certificate is your horse's four-generation pedigree, breeder and current owner. On the back, if you do not submit photos, you'll find a cropped image of the markings diagram you submitted. Your registration certificate will appear more appealing with your colored, cropped photos to denote markings, brands or scars.

Even with the extensive markings description, sometimes it just helps to have a reference. This is where the photograph comes into play. While it is not mandatory (yet), it is important to send a good photo of your horse to AQHA and have that photo updated when appropriate. Think of it like re-taking your picture for your driver’s license. We sure don't look the same as we did when we were 16. Your horse won't look the same when he's 4 as he did when he was 8 months old!

But, what about the cost? You can get a photo added for free!

• Submit a photo when you transfer your horse. If your new horse already has the new certificate, but the picture is old or not there at all, include a new one and the update is free of charge.
• Submit a photo at the time your foal is registered.
• Be sure a certificate-worthy photo is submitted with a duplicate or correction request.

If your horse doesn't qualify for one of the above circumstances, effective January 1, 2018, the fee is just $25 to add or update a photo.

So, what is this "certificate-worthy" photo? Check out AQHA's "Picture This" brochure for an example. Basically, the photo is what we call a "3/4 view." We want to see your horse's face, down the side of its body (branded side facing the camera, please!), and all four legs, all the way down to the ground. Don't cut off the ears or the hooves, either. Also, make sure the horse is standing on flat, uncluttered ground, and that there is enough space between the subject and any other horse or object for AQHA to be able to crop appropriately.