Registration Problems?

Question

Help! I bought a mare several months ago, and my trainer has not given me her APHA papers. I have tried contacting the APHA, and there is no horse ever listed as being under my trainer's name, or the owner before the trainer. I also gave the APHA her name, and they can't find her at all. She is a sabino/splash mare, who is all white with little freckling, and I was told that she was born looking like a red roan, although I have not seen pictures of her as a baby. What else can I do? Her barn name is Stella, but I'd prefer not to say her name that I show her under on a public place like that. If you e-mail me at [e-mail], I will though.

Any other ideas on tracking her down? I know she has some TB blood in her. I can also provide pictures of her.

Answer 1

Never, ever buy a horse expecting it to be registered without actually seeing the registration papers.  Don't hand over your money without being handed back the papers correctly signed.  

In fact, it's a good idea to get a copy of the papers and contact APHA to ensure they are legitimate.

If APHA has got no record of the horse or the person you bought it from, it's not an APHA registered horse - you got took.

This is common among the let's just save "less honest" horse traders out there looking for someone just like you.  Even an honest horseperson who's had problems getting papers processed through these registries for some reason should be willing to sign some sort of contract stating they will make good on them and provide money back if they fail to deliver.

All you folks out there who go looking for a registered horse and meet up with a seller who's had registration problems with the horse, beware.  Don't trust, ask for a copy of the papers or the horses' registered name or number to find out what you've got.  

I've even heard of lots of horses stolen lately of awesome breeding - they can be sold to unsuspecting buyers who don't know how registations work for way more than they're worth without the papers.

Answer 2

ask your trainer to give you her papers right now because you really need them. her registered name may have been changed. maybe you need to register again, and if apha finds your horse's info, then everything should be good.

Answer 3

Could be that her papers got "lost" or never existed.  Unless you have her exact registered name you won't be able to track her down.  

I have a friend that bought a horse that they were told was 15 years old. Of course, the papers were "lost" so they didn't get them but it wasn't a big deal to them because he was a gelding.  

I took one look at him and thought he looked very much like my then 19 year old gelding's sire.  Which, of course would make him considerably older than 15, if you do the math.  

It turned out that he WAS my gelding's sire and he was at least 23 years old.  They were taken in by a horse trader who sold them a horse that was 8 years older than they thought he was.  The girl was trying to barrel race him and put some money into training and what not but the horse had had two bowed tendons and couldn't be run anymore which is why is was sold in the first place and ended up at the horse traders.

I'm not saying this has happened to you but you never know...