AQHA Registration Certificates
August 16, 2011
Feel more confident when purchasing an American Quarter Horse with the security features on our new certificate!
Change isn’t always easy, but it’s usually for the better.
Last Fall, in response to member feedback, AQHA released the newest version of the certificate of registration. The new cert sports easy-to-spot security features and a better display of your horse’s program enrollments and the markings, brands and other physical characteristics that make him unique.
Your horse’s certificate is verification of his authenticity as an American Quarter Horse. To ensure your certificate is as versatile as your American Quarter Horse, AQHA requested feedback from members of all walks of the equine lifestyle. The input we received was phenomenal and helped us come up with some pretty awesome features on the new certificate. Read on to see an example and a feature-by-feature explanation.
As technology advances, security features had to advance as well. The new AQHA certificate of registration contains two distinctive characteristics that will tell you if you are receiving a copy or the real thing.
- Heat-reactive seal: In the bottom right-hand corner of the certificate, the AQHA seal will fade if exposed to mild heat. For instance, if you hold the seal between the palms of your hands, it will fade, then re-appear when it reaches room temperature. The seal will not be heat reactive when photo copied.
- Micro-printed borders: In each corner of the certificate, there is decorative box. If you look at the border of the box, AQHA is micro-printed around the border. This feature is visible with a magnifying glass. If photo copied, the border appears as a blurred line when magnified.
- There is no longer a color differential for the Appendix and Quarter Horse registries. “Appendix Registered” will appear at the top of the certificate in blue for horses listed in the Appendix registry.
- If the horse is enrolled in any programs such as the Bank of America Racing Challenge or Incentive Fund, the emblems for these programs are printed across the bottom of the front side of the certificate.
- The breeder and current owner of the horse are listed on the front. Their name, city and state of residence is the only information included. AQHA will provide the current mailing address of a member if requested. Member phone numbers and e-mail addresses are confidential.
- The parentage verification seal appears at the bottom of the certificate alongside the program logos if the horse has been parentage verified.
The front of the certificate also features a three-generation pedigree, foaling date, color of the horse and, if applicable, indication that the horse was conceived via embryo transfer or other extraordinary methods.
- One of the biggest changes to the certificate is the allocation of photos and markings diagram. There can be up to five photos of the horse cropped and printed on the back of the certificate, or if no photos were provided at the time of registration, the actual markings diagram from the application can be cropped and printed in place of the photos. This, along with the markings description, helps you be more confident the horse you are buying matches the certificate you receive.
- The lab case number for the horse’s DNA type is listed on the back of the certificate.
- All identifying characteristics belonging to the horse are listed on the back beneath the photo section.
- The name, city and state of three previous owners are listed on the bottom, above AQHA’s mailing address and contact information. The names of any other existing previous owners of the horse can be acquired by contacting AQHA Customer Service or by purchasing a Master Ownership Record from AQHA’s online record research system.
- The mailing address on the top of the backside is the address the certificate was mailed to. This is printed on the certificate to enable quick mailing via a window envelope. Printing this information on the certificate helps ensure the certificate is being mailed to the proper recipient.
- The two bar codes on the back of the certificate help AQHA quickly enter the horse and owner’s information into the computer system when the certificate is returned for transfer or correction. The certificate issue date is listed in the upper-right-hand corner of the backside.
The transfer report was removed from the certificate to allow more room for AQHA to focus on the horse, as well as help owners feel more secure. If your horse goes to a sale and is not purchased, you do not have an open transfer attached to the certificate. As with the previous version, the certificate is re-printed each time it is submitted to the office for transfer or correction.
Want a New Certificate?
If you currently have an older-style certificate and want to upgrade, you don’t have to wait until you have work to submit on the horse or a transfer. Send the certificate to AQHA with a written request and a $10 replacement fee, and AQHA will re-print the certificate for you and replace it with a new one. You can also submit current photos with your request to have them added to the certificate.
Questions? Leave a comment!
Kayla Randall
Comments
18 Comments on “AQHA Registration Certificates”
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February 10th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Not a comment, but a question.
Since I like to give a copy of the mares certificate to the stallion owner (to help insure the correctness of the breeders certificate), can the seal be preserved by covering it with a small piece of paper when copying? With that corner blanked out, it would be proof positive that it is in fact a copy, regardless of what color the copy is.
In the past, as a precaution, I copied the certificate in black, and would continue to do so.
February 11th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Delbert,
The security features are in place mainly for sale purposes. The seal on the certificate will not react to heat and the borders will change if the certificate is photo copied, so that if a good color copy is ever sent in to AQHA for transfer, we can verify authenticity. Consumers will also be able to verify the authenticity of a certificate upon purchasing a horse utilizing these methods as well.
February 28th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Can you breed a qt horse stud .To a breeding stock mare. What would the foal be reg as. terry
September 8th, 2010 at 7:43 am
I would much rather have my original certificates. I send them in for any reason and I get back ugly. I think the Association could have done much better.
September 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
I never received the orginal foal registration forms
thanks
Sue Sistrunk
October 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am
[...] Shorty doesn’t care what color we put on his registration certificate. He’s a solid, reliable 2002 gelding who knows his job and does it [...]
November 23rd, 2010 at 9:40 pm
I am looking at a horse for sale. I was given his AQHA # as 5149568
The seller was the breeder and the papers have the owner of the mare’s name on them with a signed transfer.
Where do I go from here to know exactly where this horse is in his paper work and what I need to do next.
Thanks for you advise.
February 23rd, 2011 at 9:43 am
I just wanted to say, I have a color copy of a horses papers I was going to buy, I cannot tell the difference between the copy and my real set of papers. This Worries me and no one will get a color copy of my papers. And also can you all actually use a nicer quality paper at least like what the old papers were printed on.
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:17 am
Obviously not all members were asked about the change in papers because there are A LOT of them who hate the papers. Here is a link to a current conversation regarding the papers. Seems like AQHA should have asked the membership as a whole what they wanted since we are the ones affected by the change and we are the ones paying in our membership fees. I would think you would want the membership as a whole to vote on it or have a say on it.
http://forums.barrelhorseworld.com/forum/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=343460&start=61&posts=66
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:48 am
I agree with Stormi!!!!!! & Brittney…
The paper quality is CHEAP, and the new style doesn’t look professional at all. Hard to keep in a 3 ring binder with my other registration papers as well. I would like the orginal papers(the blue papers that worked just fine for over 50 years) back. They had alot more information on them for a buyer to see without having to wait to get on the internet to research a horse, and pay AQHA more higher fees for records.
I’ve been a member since I was very young(3 yrs. old), and a breeder also. As a member, my opinion was never asked for either. AQHA needs to remember there wouldn’t be an association without the members & our money! I asked about the change in a phone call and was told a “few” members sent letters in claiming the wanted something to frame and hang on the front of stalls. That’s rediculous! Who would do that? The equine industry is having enough problems preventing halters, tack, and horses stolen at shows. Why would you leave your papers out for a thief too???
I have also commented on the forum thread Stormi mentioned and posted the link for. BHW is not the only forum this topic has been dicussed on, and 90% of members that have replied to the forum threads I have read all Hate the last 2 “new” styles! I don’t know of anyone personally that I have spoken with that like them either. AQHA needs to stop raising the fees, and stop making rediculous changes. An association such as AQHA needs to start acting more professional, and consider it’s members opinions as a “whole”…not what a few people would like.
February 23rd, 2011 at 7:27 pm
I would have kept the papers the way they were and let the owners have the option of using either photos or the diagram for the markings. If I wanted to show off the fact that I own the great horse I do, I would take a professional picture of her and hang that on my wall. There are some sick people out there who take anything and my horse’s pedigree is not a paper I would like displayed for the taking. I agree with the majority…you should have posted your survey in the AQHA magazine so everyone could contribute. The little man should have a say too. I want pedigree papers that look offical, not ones that look like a congratulation coupon. AQHA could bring back the regular papers as pedigree certificate and let the fancy, new paper be something extra that owners could buy if they wanted a display paper. It could have no important information posted, it could have an embossed seal or watermark for securty purposes, and the special border. That way it is not forced on the rest of us, it would a luxury…AQHA can make eneryone happy that way.
July 5th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hi we bought a aqha mare and have her old registration form from the previous owner but he didn’t get a new one for her but recommended that we did.So if i have this right all i need to do is send in a request to aqha of what new information i want on there and they will send it to m for $10? Thanks!
August 18th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I bought my QH last year from someone who never had him registered in their name – he is still registered to the owner who had him prior to 2000. (he is now 24 years old) How can I go about getting him registered in my name?
September 1st, 2011 at 9:11 am
I bought a 2 year old filly, El Ramona. She was foaled in 2009 and is by El Romeo. I found her pedigree on Allbreeds.com. The previous owner said she has lost the filly’s papers. I did some online research and was horrified to read about HYPP through Impressive. He appears several times in her pedigree. How do I find out if she was ever really registered? Is it true that if she had the genes for HYPP that she would be unable to be registered? I hope I wasn’t swindled. Thanks.
November 12th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
you can check on the get of the horse thats out of impressive. if they are N/N you are fine. Yes horses with HYPP can be registered, if they are N/H, H/H (double positive) cannot be registered, there are not many of them and you would know by looking at her if she is double positive, just because she should be HUGE. I believe you can send in a blood sample to test DNA if you are really worried, but see if you can find the information on the baby that is out of impressive.
January 15th, 2012 at 12:16 pm
January15,2012at11:15 Yes I would like to know where should I send my horses new cerficate of registration to get stamped?Can you please send me all the information!Sorry for the inconviences and thank you very much.
January 15th, 2012 at 8:19 pm
I recently purchased a registered quarter horse, I received the original registration paper work from the most recent owner . The transfer paperwork had the signature of a previous owner. This is where it gets crazy, my dog actually ate a large portion of the paperwork, including the signature portion.
How can I Get a replacement for these documents?
May 19th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
Just received AQHA papers on my 3 year old colt. The papers are in certificate form anf gold, but no X in front of number. He has one Thoroughbred on his pedigree. I thought the gold pedigrees were non existent now and only blue papers were issued? WHat does his gold papered pedigree mean?