# Can an unregistered horse be shown everywhere



## luke4275 (Aug 3, 2013)

A friend has a trail horse , where she was told horse was a warmblood with an injury.. flexor I think.. Now, trail horse owner thinks the horse should be sold to a show home.. My question.. if a horse has no registration papers,. not even sure of his age, or proof of what type of horse it is,. can it be shown everywhere? hunter/jumper, dressage, etc. any places that require registration? I want to explain to her that the horses value could be less than because there is no registration information on this horse.. noone knows what it really is or how old it is. thanks


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

The only shows the horse would be excluded is breed shows. As for the horses value, it's really going to depend on the training of the horse. A well trained horse with no papers is going to go for more then a papered backyard pasture puff. If the horses have equal training the papered one may go for slightly more. A horse may also gain value due to it lineage. Really, worth is made up of so many factors, not just paper.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I'd say the tendon issue is potentially more of an issue than the registration.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Registration is only relevant for breed specific classes or shows. Otherwise it doesn't matter. However resale value will be less.


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

The horses however do need to get USEF/etc numbers if your are to show more than the basic level.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

It's possible your friend's horse could be worth more than average. The downside of not having registration is that any claims about breed, pedigree, or even age will be taken with a grain of salt because there's no proof to back it up. The power of suggestion is a pretty potent force, and a lot of people would rather buy a poorly conformed Dutch Warmblood with papers (and maybe one great horse somewhere way back in its pedigree ;-)) than a somewhat nice grade horse whose seller claims it's a Dutch Warmblood but can't prove it.

If your friend is correct, the horse was probably registered at some point. Some registries require microchipping... has she had a vet scan to see if one is present?

An existing/old injury is definitely going to hurt the horse's value, since there's no guarantee the horse will be able to stay sound through the intense training schedule show horses are expected to sustain.

The other big unknown is the training level of the horse. I admit to rolling my eyes every time I see an ad for a 15+ year old "prospect." Does your friend have the show background to assess what the horse knows and doesn't know. Can she demonstrate that training for a potential buyer? If not, then it's a moot point.



equitate said:


> The horses however do need to get USEF/etc numbers if your are to show more than the basic level.


Pretty easy for the buyer obtain after buying the horse and not that expensive when compared to the amount of money they'll be spending in entry fees, though ;-)


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## KWPNowner (Sep 25, 2012)

The lack of registration papers won't impact the horse's show career at all if he's showing at USEF shows. You don't need any sort of papers to get your USEF number. Honestly, unless the horse is a young prospect or a stallion or potential broodmare, papers won't matter very much to the hunter/jumper crowd. Imported horses lose papers somewhat regularly and it doesn't make them worth any less.


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