With registration numbers trending downward in most equine breeds, we’re curious about how you view registered vs. unregistered horses. Which of the following answers best reflects your opinion on whether horses need to have registration papers or not?

1. PAPERS MATTER--A LOT. I wouldn’t own anything BUT a registered horse, with a documented pedigree and breed/show/race eligibility.

2. I’M INDIFFERENT. It’s the individual animal that matters to me, not its registration status. As the saying goes, you don’t ride

the papers!

3. IT DEPENDS. When I have a breed-specific use for ahorse, it has to be registered accordingly. Otherwise, a grade horse will do just as well as a registered one.

Let us know your thoughts!

--The H&R Editors

Juli Thorson:

1. PAPERS MATTER--A LOT. I wouldn’t own anything BUT a registered horse, with a documented pedigree and breed/show/race eligibility.

2. I’M INDIFFERENT. It’s the individual animal that matters to me, not its registration status. As the saying goes, you don’t ride

the papers!

3. IT DEPENDS. When I have a breed-specific use for ahorse, it has to be registered accordingly. Otherwise, a grade horse will do just as well as a registered one.

It's a toss up for me between 3 and 1. The showing I do, they have to be registered... so I tend to look for ones with papers. With today's horse market, you can get some pretty nice registered horses for the $$.

Another thing to consider, with the genetic issues out there, I'd be wary on those non registered horses - wondering if their papers had been pulled based on their bloodlines or status and then not knowing just what I may have purchased based on the lack of papers. There are many sellers out there advertising grade horses to which the papers had been purposefully lost.

At this point in my life, I am definetly #2 Indifferent. I do not show and I am no longer breeding so it really does not matter to me. When I was doing a little breeding years ago, they had to be registered. I have 2 horses at home, 1 is registered, 1 is not. The biggest advantage for me at the moment with the registered horse is that I am able to go on the breed website and register for their frequent rider program that logs your hours on horse back and gives you small rewards for the hours you put in. The rewards are small but they are enough to give a goal to try to acheive and feel good when you get there.

I prefer horses with papers.  This way you can check with the breed registry before you buy to make sure the horse you're buying is who they say he is through photos etc.  You can track down previous owners and at the very least you'll know your horse is the age he's supposed to be.  I was very disapionted when the grade horse I had got "older" the more people looked at him.  Seller to us=11y/o;  vet at vet check=at least 16-17y/o;  equine dentist=19+if a day.

It really does depend, so I'm a #3. I love breed shows, arabian, morgan, etc, so having a nice registered Arabian around to ride in those is majorly cool. We have an American Warmblood registered filly who could have been registered Trakhner (I give up on trying to spell that) but there was some screw up with her grand sire's papers and its a complete drag, all my dressage friends always talk trash about how American Warmbloods are like mutts and basically not nice horses, but she is really a lovely filly...  So at least making sure to get the registration correct is a big deal. I wouldn't refuse to look at an unregistered horse, but my preference would be to have all the proper paperwork.

Papers have never mattered to me.  It is true you can't ride papers.  I have had both registered and horses that were not.  I have bought horses just for their temperment.  I have had many people try to sell me a horse that they start giving me their whole pedigree and then show me the horse just to find out the horse is 10 years old and never been broke to ride but "boy isn't he pretty?".  Not to me.  Because if I have to pick myself up off the ground because the horse is a "flake" it doesn't do me any good.  I have 3 horses now, one of which is a mustang and I wouldn't trade my mustang for nothing with papers in the world.  She's as solid as a rock on the road and trail.

Barb from Michigan

 I agree with txspots. None of my horses are registered, but when it comes down to it, it depends on what I'm using the horse for.

Number 1.

 I breed and show my horses.

#3 - I don't show or breed right now, but if I wanted to I"d like to be able to have the papers.  Otherwise, I'm looking for temperment/physical ability over anything else.

#2

 Papers don't ride.  And I know that some bloodlines can be predisposed to certain things, but the truth of genetics is you never know 100% until you have the horse in hand.  He can have the most gorgeous bloodlines in the world and still turn out a sour-tempered, crooked, sickly cuss.  I don't care who his momma and daddy were, I want to know who HE is.

Sprague - haven't read farther, but you can also enroll in the "all breed" version of it at AQHA for your non registered horse ... :) I've got both Mojo and Slyder enrolled.... and log hours. :)

I believe it depends. I breed so papers and bloodlines are important to me as well as temperment , confirmation,  good bone and feet.  I believe preserving  bloodlines and having a consistant structured breeding program.  I do not believe in "fad" type breeding. I believe in the quality of the animal I am breeding so as would it be something I would want own. I do it for the love of the animal , not the money. I stay small and focused.

  As far as unpapered horses they can be equal in value if trained properly.  I do own horses that I had purchased knowing they did not have papers but I do not breed them. Some people selling unpaperd animals do not care or do not know how to paper the animal, thus yet another slips through the cracks joining the ranks of yet another grade type equine. This does not make them any less as good of horse , since a horse is what you make him.  For the typical "down the rode" rider papers then do not really matter. That is unless you wish to know your animals heritage. Certin traits and temperments can be predicted in knowing these things. 

 One of my "grade" horses has been a trusted partner and friend for over 22 years. When I bought him he was considered an unsaledable horse , due to behavior problems from bad attempted training. He could have been papered but by the time I found his sire and dam he was 8 years old and I was not willing to fork out the hundereds of dollars for the papers at this point. I just could not show in a AQHA show.

 He was very athletic and I never gave up on him and kept teaching him different things.   We have shown open and rodeo'd for years , he headed steers, done trail , barrels , poles , keyhole , pulled wagons  and carts, done TV comercials and parades, hunted off him, drug or slung deer over him, he saw myself as well as my daughter to our first trophies, gave countless children and adults their first rides , climbed any trail crossed any river I asked of him and put up with me and our three day wagon strings and camp outs I even taught him a couple simple tricks.   All I know is he done these things very well and willingly, we have many memories. He turned 25 March of 09 . He still looks great and still thinks he is 5! 

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p224/Foreverseeking/100_0737.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p224/Foreverseeking/100_2638.jpg

My opinion is that papers are for those who want to breed or show registered horses.  My first horse was not registered; he was my best friend; I wouldn't have traded him for the world.  I purchased my second horse not even  knowing he was registered until the owners told me.  Again, I would't have done it differently.  My current horse is papered, but I bought him because I fell in love with his kind eyes; didn't know he was registered.  He is an absolute angel.  People should judge the horse, not the papers.  I showed in local shows and did well with my first registered horse, but never went to a breed show because I don't believe in the slow, crippled gaits the judges pin.  I refused to do that to my horse, so stayed in local circuits and had even more fun, I think.  We won a couple of Reserve Championships of our state for the years he was shown.  If he hadn't been registered, we still would have won the same things!!

#2 is my answer. Papers are nice but the temperment of the horse means more to me. I agree with the saying "you don't ride the papers"