# Breed registration vs ownership



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

Possession is 9/10ths of the law. Why are you concerned - did you not get your papers after 6 months? If you don't - per that contract the other person is in the wrong and you can pursue them in small claims for the papers.

You have the contract in writing, etc - you are fine. While registration papers can help towards proving ownership and they help increase value - they are by no means the only way to prove ownership and any sales contract with signatures will usually override a set of papers pretty easily. Many horses out there don't have papers because they were either not transferred properly or never had them. 

As long as you stick to your end of that signed contract you will be fine.


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## Deerly (Apr 18, 2010)

Thank you! Yeah the papers have to be "found" and my mom was sending me very worried vibes that I didn't have them and I just wanted to make doubly sure I was in the clear. I don't think anyone would try anything but you can't be too careful!

Thank you!


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I am sure you are all good. 

About 15 years ago (I lived in CA at that time) I adopted a horse that the owners had issues with and just left (they were minor siblings). The papers were in their fathers name. As I knew this family well, there was no contract and the dad said as soon as he remembered where he put the papers he'd give them to me.

5 years later the kids are now grown up. The father (who was a second father to me) passed away. His office was then gone through to find his insurance documents but they also found my horse's papers, I was thrilled. Unfortunately, the now grown kids had a drug problem. They claimed that the horse was still theirs, came to my stable and took her so they could turn around and sell her for drug money  I took them to court.

The ONLY reason I lost was that I had no contract. The judge said it didn't matter who her registration was in and that if I had a paper that said I had bought or adopted her there would be no question that she was legally mine.

YOU have ALL your ducks in a row, and I really doubt ANYONE can contest that he is YOUR horse!!!


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## Amarea (May 25, 2010)

Do you at least know his number? Or registered name? You can file for a hardship registration with AQHA. I am in the process of it right now. Stiffler's previous owner never transferred his papers and I can't get either of the previous owners of record thru AQHA to get in touch with me.


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