I bought a mare and one of the things I tried to be very careful about (having been stung this way before) was to make sure the mare was registered and registered in her then owners name and that the owner would send me the papers.
So it turns out somehow the owner had a photocopy of the registration,(never thought to ask if she had the original) which is in her name, but now to transfer to me apparently she needs to ask for a replacement registration then complete the transfer. She says she is doing this. This came out after I bought the mare and she wasn’t able to complete the transfer to me.
Anyway this has me wondering how do you know the registration you get is for the horse you bought? Do warmbloods do DNA typing? In some cases the description is so specific there would be no doubt but some horses are pretty generic. Even with a lip tattoo (TB) many can’t be read.
How do I know - I have only bought from ethical, honest sellers. In my case it was the breeder both times and I checked on them before purchase and they had stellar reputations. . Yes WB’s are DNA tested but not in sales transactions. It would show up when a foal from the mare or stallion was registered though. I do know in some registries the DNA is stored at UC Davis ( and maybe other sites) and I suppose you could go that route with hair pulled from the horse in question. You might have to have the owner of record give permission. I have no idea about TB’s.
Lots of horses are microchipped now too, so that allows you to make sure they are who they say they are.
Yes microchips would be even easier to trace. GOV has been microchipping for a while. I think AHS has starting doing it but it might be optional. I would check with the registry the horse is in and inquire with them the best way to prove that the horse is who she is supposed to be and their rules about transferring papers.
Microchip was the means that I had to insure/identify/verify that the mustang I purchased was the age his teeth indicated and the area from which he was captured.
As for my registered stock, I’ve only dealt with breeders/owners who were/are trustworthy and had a reputation at stake. The breeds I deal in are relatively small so secrets do have a way of coming out and can ‘ruin’ or at least ‘dog’ those who may have made some less than admirable decisions; but in the end those breeds require DNA for registration.
