DNA and Parentage Verification
June 16, 2009
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 finger print. 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
10 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.
October 6th, 2009 at 10:23 am
[...] registered with AQHA who is breeding has to have a DNA type on file. One of my previous posts, DNA and Parentage Verification, details the process and some reasoning behind this [...]
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
March 4th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
[...] of antibiotics for use in animals greatly improved animal health and productivity. Today, genetic testing, gene therapy and the identification of genetic markers for certain diseases offer an even bigger [...]
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
June 11th, 2010 at 6:02 am
[...] embryo develops into a normal, complete individual that has two different DNA types. He or she might have kidneys that developed from one DNA type and a heart or skin cells from the [...]