I don’t think the seller is trying to be deceitful. I just want to have the knowledge so I know what I’m talking about! To me, papers and registration makes the horse more valuable.
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Definitely not pink papers. My horse has these.
I’ll have to ask when I see them in person.
Yes, pricing is important! The seller/trainer has been very upfront with me and has answered every question clearly, except the one about being registered. I haven’t spoken directly to the trainer, I’ve been back and forth with her assistant whom has been very helpful. I’m trying to go into this with some knowledge. It’s been over 20 years since I’ve purchased an imported horse.
Ah, thought of another thing. Someone mentioned foal inspection scores, but Oldenburg does not score foals. They will name top quality foals as “premium” though, and that designation would be indicated on the horse’s passport.
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Great news! I emailed the Oldenburg Horse Breeders Society. They were able to tell me that he IS registered and got full Oldenburg papers! He said those papers should be pink.
Thanks so much for this discussion! I learned a lot and feel that I’ll have more to consider if I decide to purchase this lovely gelding! So excited!
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This would make me suspect the horse isn’t registered. If it were me and registration were important, I wouldn’t move forward until I saw the horse’s paperwork and I would let the seller know you are interested in moving forward once you have seen the horse’s papers.
ETA: Just saw the above post. Now the next step is to ensure the papers accompany the horse and that the seller has the documents to be sold with the horse. Good luck on your purchase!
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Thank you!
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That is great news indeed! Also FWIW - the Oldenburg Horse Breeders Society is the official North American arm of the German Oldenburg Verband (or GOV as it is commonly referred to here in NA).
Congrats on getting things sorted out - and I would still ask the seller where the pink passport is. 
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Thank you! I will definitely ask them about it! I’m super excited to meet him and try him!
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Well if you want to show a horse in Europe the vaccinations in the passport need to be up to date…. They get checked during shows on a regular basis…
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Why GOV instead of DOV?
Go see the horse.
I am! So excited!!
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German Oldenburg Verband. Not sure what DOV is.
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It will influence your ability to resell if he’s unregistered AND his pedigree can’t be verified. He should be chipped at his age in which case his parentage should be recorded.
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I found out he’s registered and chipped!
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Hope he turns out to be all you want him to be!
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You don’t drive your car registration either. But you have one to identify your car…
Having the horse’s registration info is an important way to identify the horse and keep track of it as it gets handed off from one owner to another. Ask breeders in the US and Europe who have lost track of their horses because people thought papers don’t matter and “the papers were lost”. Breeders put in the time and investment to carefully choose bloodlines and find the right cross. They identify the young horses by inspection and registration, breeding stock or not. Breeders are the ones who bring the foal to life and later on send it to hopefully a good home. The registration papers have meaning.
Europe developed the UELN (Universal Equine Life Number) as a way to identify horses so there would be a common database between registries and studbooks, and the movement of horses across international borders could be more closely tracked. If it wasn’t important to identify horses, the project wouldn’t have gotten off the ground.
How many COTH threads have been posted looking for missing horses, or a horse someone used to own and show, but has disappeared because USEF records say Sire Unknown/Dam Unknown, there’s no registry reg. number, or the horses’ name has been changed ? It’s “No one knows nuthin’ no more”.
You may not care about pedigrees.
But at least care about your horse’s origins and identification.
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Me too! Hope he doesn’t get sold before I get to meet him.
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What a great response! Thank you for your insight!
