DNA and Parentage Verification
May 3, 2011
The low-down on AQHA’s genetic testing requirements.
AQHA Customer Service Rep Kayla Randall
Since the inception of AQHA, science and information technology have advanced by leaps and bounds. Today’s society doesn’t shrug its shoulders at a question; it diligently locates the answer. An AQHA requirement that I have been hearing a lot about – DNA testing and parentage verification – seems to leave many people wanting more information.
I frequently receive calls from people asking me to explain the differences between DNA typing and parentage verification. Well, there isn’t much of a difference. A DNA test will derive the genetic markers of an individual horse. Think of it like a fingerprint. Each horse has its own unique genetic marker. Parentage verification still obtains that genetic marker, but it also compares it to the sire and dam recorded for that horse. Basically, parentage verification makes sure the dam is the horse’s mother and the sire is the horse’s father. AQHA has made genetic testing a requirement in some instances. Check out the list below to see if your horse needs to be DNA typed or parentage verified.
DNA typing is required if:
- Your horse is a stallion that is breeding mares.
- Your horse is a mare that is being bred and was born in 1989 or later.
Parentage verification is required if:
- Your horse’s sire or dam was under the age of 2 at the time a foal was conceived.
- Your horse was the result of embryo/oocyte transfer.
- Your horse was conceived by the use of frozen semen or cooled semen that was transported.
- Your horse is more than 48 months of age at the time the application for registration is received by AQHA.
- Your horse’s dam was exposed to more than one stallion within a 30-day time period.
- Your horse has excessive white markings, as specified in Rule 205(d).
- Your horse is foaled after January 1, 2007, and is a decendant of the stallion Impressive 0767246 (see Rule 205(c)).
- Your horse is going to be raced.
- Your weanling is going to be entered into an AQHA World Show.
- The AQHA Executive Committe deems parentage verification is necessary.
If your horse qualifies under one of the stipulations listed above, or if you just plain want to have the DNA test done, click here for an order form or contact AQHA Customer Service to order a kit by phone with a debit or credit card. Current fees for genetic testing are $50 for a registered horse and $40 for a test that is ordered on a registration application for a foal.
Genetic testing only needs to be performed once in a horse’s lifetime. Another genetic testing fact is that a horse cannot be parentage verified if his sire and dam are not both DNA typed. AQHA automatically parentage verifies horses that are eligible and reprints the certificate of registration once parentage verification is complete.
So, if you think about the opportunity science has given us, you’ll see us coming to a road where all American Quarter Horses are verified and all American Quarter Horses have been genetically tested and have their ‘fingerprints’ on file. The next time you purchase an American Quarter Horse and notice that the markings don’t quite match the certificate, think of what DNA testing can do to resolve your fear and worries about the true identity of that horse.
As Always, At Your Service…
Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service
Comments
22 Comments on “DNA and Parentage Verification”
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June 17th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
if a foal is parentage verified will it be necessary to DNA test if it will be used for breeding purposes.
June 19th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Michael,
Thank you for your comment! A Parentage Verification test is the same as a DNA test. It simply take the test a step further and compares the foal’s DNA with that if its sire and dam. So, a Parentage Verification test will provide what you need for breeding purposes.
If you would like to speak with me or another AQHA Customer Service Representative, please contact us at 806-376-4811 Monday-Friday 8-5 CST.
Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service
June 24th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
If I purchased an 8 month old already registered Quarter horse Stallion, a decendent of Impressive, with his registration papers stating he is HYPP N/N does that also mean that he was DNA typed in order to be registered?
August 11th, 2009 at 11:07 am
[...] Since 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. The only problem I see people encounter is locating the breeders for the appropriate signature and, in some instances, DNA. [...]
August 28th, 2009 at 7:58 am
Hi, I had a mare that was registrated, But I don’t have her anymore and I had a foal in 08. She (mare)was 21 years old and I don’t believe the owner before me had her DNA done(or that it was required then). The Sire was DNA is on record, so how do I get my filly registrated and DNA?
Thanks for any help you can give me..
Gail Hebets
Aguanga Ca.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Hello I just learned I had to have my mare dna tested. I didn’t know aqha required this. I can see why they require it but there are too many ways people can be dishonest about it. I was shocked to see that after I had paid a sizeable fee for stud services the only way I could get my colt registered was to pay fifty more for the dna test. Are you saying they will require me to dna test the colt before I can register it? i think this is going a bit too far. Not everyone can afford these charges even though some may think fifty dollrs is jut a drop in the bucket. What happened to Old fashioned trust. If they’re doint this to prevent false papers I am sure there are plenty of people out there who will find ways around it. Thanks for your time. Burl Ford
April 13th, 2010 at 10:52 am
I understand the need and purpose for DNA testing. I bred my fully registered AQHA mare last year. In order to register her filly, I had to DNA test my mare. Her DNA test excluded the dam on her paperwork as the correct dam. After hours of research, I haven’t been able to locate the correct dam. Some of the possible dams do not have DNA on file, so I can’t match my mare to the correct dam. I am frustrated that the AQHA will be revoking my mare’s paperwork for a mistake that I did not commit. The breeder only had quarter horse mares on his property so the dam has to be a quarter mare. The correct sire has been identified as a quarter horse sire. There should be a grace period for horses that fall between the required DNA registration and the previous non-requirements. Why can’t the dam be listed as “unknown?” Thanks, Cindy Holland
September 18th, 2010 at 12:05 am
I have to get a parentage verification test on my mare before I can register her colt. I was hoping to be able to register him before he was 7 months old due to a smaller registration price. On average, how long does it take to get the parentage results of the mare after the test is sent in in order to register the colt?
September 27th, 2010 at 7:42 am
I have a 1988 AQHA mare that has not had any DNA/Parentage Verification done, though she is fully registered. She has never been bred. I am planning on breeding her in 2011 for a racing prospect. Will the foal be eligible for Parentage
Verification?
December 9th, 2010 at 9:06 am
Can you register a 6 yr old mare if the sire died in a barn fire? He died only a couple of months ago but i can recieve confirmation by the breeder and i do have the broodmares papers as well as the can get the sires papers.
How do i find if he is dna typed?
March 3rd, 2011 at 11:13 pm
I’m curious why the parents need to be tested again if they’re already on file with the AQHA. I have a fantastic filly that I can’t register because of an ownership dispute involving her mother. Why can’t her DNA be presented to AQHA and they use the parent’s file to prove parentage?
May 16th, 2011 at 11:22 am
We have aquired a 7 year old mare. She is beautiful with a good disposition. We would like to breed her. The only problem is that 2 years ago she was left at a deer camp to starve and was rescued. She looks like a quarter horse but we have no other history on her. Can she be registed through DNA testing if she is ends up being a Quarter Horse and how do you go about doing this.
May 18th, 2011 at 4:09 pm
I have the same question as Brooke about a mare at 6 years old who was rescued by myself. She is a quarter horse, but the last owner who chose not to treat her right or feed her, will not give any info about her lineage. I was just really curious since she has more intelligence than any horse I have ever owned. I wondered if you can find out about her breeding by DNA like you can with people. I know it sounds off the wall but I was just curious. She is such a great horse,I was just wanting to know who she was.It won’t matter because I can’t say enough good about her. She’s here to stay. Like I said, just like to know… Thank you
July 13th, 2011 at 12:08 am
I purchased a horse that came with a certificate of registration Parentage verified 1yr ago, but I lost the origianl certificate. How do get another one? I dont remember the original name of the horse nor the person’s name I got it from. I do know I purchased it from someone in Washingtion State last year. If I would like to sell it, how do I prove the Parentage verified? Thanks.
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:10 am
I have the same question as Brooke and Sandra. I do have an 13 year old Quarter Horse mare. I own her about 3-4 years now. She is not registered because she was sold when she was 2-3 yaers old by people who where not interested in that, because there was a problem with the people’s health. I do not know her sire or dam. I wondered if you can find out about her breeding by DNA. She is a good and beautiful mare, I would like to breed her. Can she be registed through DNA testing if she is ends up being a Quarter Horse and how do you go about doing this? Thank you.
September 13th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
I also have the same question as Brooke and Sandra. I have a are that is a quater horse, sheis aproximately 25 years old. I would love to know what breeding she is from for I would like to find another horse with her breeding. She is a beautiful mare, to look at her ou would thing she is between ten and fifteen not the 25+ that she is. She is the best horse I have ever owned and I have owned a few. It would be wonderful to be able to find out how she is bred and look for another one of the same breeding. Please help for I know she will not live forever. Thank you
September 14th, 2011 at 4:56 pm
I also have the same question. I bought a loving quarter horse that has no papers and no information on him. The owner passed away and his friend took him in. is there any way to tell if he is a quarter horse?
September 19th, 2011 at 12:12 am
I have the same problem. I got my gelding from Canada and I have recently gotten into aqua shows. However I can only enter the open classes. The judges told me he has all the characteristics of a quarter horse but I have no way to tell. If there is a DNA test I could give him to tell what breed and if he was registered that would be fantastic.
November 5th, 2011 at 2:01 am
Hi there,
Does anyone read and answers the questions above?
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:52 pm
For everyone looking for info on getting an older horse registered or finding information on them, try this link: http://americashorsedaily.com/how-to-register-an-older-horse/
Good luck!
November 30th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
What about a clone? How do I do a dna on a clone?
January 10th, 2012 at 8:35 am
is it possible to DNA test a horse that has no known information of sire and dam to see what breed he is or who his parents were???