# Purchased horse, APHA registry issues, not sure what to do



## westonsma (May 19, 2009)

As far as I know, L will have to have him transferred into her name, then transfer him to you. Wait... Does it have her name on it at all? Or just the original owner's name?


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## luvmyperch (Oct 5, 2009)

Contact his breeder. I had the same situation with Danny. I found his breeder, explained the situation (after giving a complete update on how wonderful he is with pics), and asked if she would help me with his papers since she was still the registered owner. We did a new transfer record to me. It would have been completely impossible to track down four previous owners and have their registrations completed.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Cinny, if he was never registered to her, why not just cut out all the hassle and have him registered in your name without referring to her as a previous owner?

The registry won't _know_ he was owned by someone else unless you tell them.

If he's still shown as a stallion on his original registration and he's now a gelding, just put down the date you think he was gelded. 

Really, it's not that big of a deal. If he was a breeding animal then yes, it might be a problem, but he's a gelding.

His coggins is useless to you, because once you took possession of him you should have had a new coggins pulled in your name. 

The shot records are only useful in determining what shots he might need in the coming months, and if his previous owner tells you what he had done and on what dates, you're covered.


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## wyominggrandma (Nov 4, 2009)

I agree with the past posts, been there done that.If L's name is not on the registration certificate, then just fill in the blanks and send it in. If her name is on the certificate, then contact the breeder and ask them to fill out a new one, explain that L is not very cooperative and won't help you register him.
You might have to pay a fee for late registration, unless the breeder will give you a new certificate and put a current date on it.
Good luck.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

The only thing on the certificate is the breeder's signature and a 2003 date of sale. I do know in their rulebook there can be fines and the such if they find out that there was an in between owner, so I'm really on the fence.


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## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Cinny, if you're that concerned, then contact the breeder. Maybe he'd be willing to re-sign a registration copy with a more current date.

If he's a reasonable guy, I don't see why that would be a problem. As long as you offer to pay for the copy, so he's not out any funds.

The papers _will_ be sent to the registered owner though, which means the breeder. If you feel you can trust him to re-sign and then send them to you, then you don't have to worry about even listing the horse's previous owner.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

I found his original breeder online, they actually have a boarding stable about half an hour from here so I plan on contacting them. Let ya know what happens.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

I had something very similiar to this happen with me, and while it was a massive pain in the **** (because I had a heck of a time tracking down the mares breeder) it did get all done in the end.
What you will need is a bill of sale, more than likely, from the breeder to yourself. 
APHA, I believe they are like the Arabians, penalize for registration fees when it comes to age. So although the date is 2003 (hence why I think you'll need a bill of sale), it is his age that they are going to penalize you for, just as they would if he were being reg'd by his breeder at, say, 18months of age. 
If you explain the situation to the breeder's they should be willing to give you a basic bill of sale just to straighten out his papers.


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

WSArabians said:


> I had something very similiar to this happen with me, and while it was a massive pain in the **** (because I had a heck of a time tracking down the mares breeder) it did get all done in the end.
> What you will need is a bill of sale, more than likely, from the breeder to yourself.
> APHA, I believe they are like the Arabians, penalize for registration fees when it comes to age. So although the date is 2003 (hence why I think you'll need a bill of sale), it is his age that they are going to penalize you for, just as they would if he were being reg'd by his breeder at, say, 18months of age.
> If you explain the situation to the breeder's they should be willing to give you a basic bill of sale just to straighten out his papers.


When I read the rulebook for APHA I thought it said age only matters if he is NOT registered at all yet, which his is. Just the last owner never transferred him to her through the registry.


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## WSArabians (Apr 14, 2008)

Oh, duh. LOL
What about transfer fees? They dock you for that, too, with CAHR. I think you've got three months, then it goes up. Then it goes up again after six months. That's what I MEANT to say up there. ^^


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

I agree with the others. Just pretend L was not in the middle and you were slow to transfer.

Another phone call you can make is to the registry and see what they have to say.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

I included a letter when I sent in registration papers a year after we bought the horse, just saying didn't have the time to send it in, etc. I don't believe there are any extra penalties if you're late sending it in. Only penalties if the original registration was late to be sent in - breeders papers.


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## Tazmanian Devil (Oct 11, 2008)

Speed Racer said:


> Really, it's not that big of a deal. If he was a breeding animal then yes, it might be a problem, but he's a gelding.



Exactly. I had the same thing when I bought my paint. There was a signature of the registered owner on the back. I filled in my info, sent in the fee and received and updated reg certificate.

Don't go making things more complicated that you need to.

I was also told to wait six months before registering, just in case the horse didn't work out. I was told it is not a good thing to have too many short term owners on a certificate - makes the horse look bad. That and the cost may be why some people skip registration. Honestly, I don't see the point of registration for a gelding/non-breeding stock. I just did it to have the fancy "paper."


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## Cinnys Whinny (Apr 10, 2010)

Tazmanian Devil said:


> I don't see the point of registration for a gelding/non-breeding stock. I just did it to have the fancy "paper."


Actually, if it's a horse that is showing, etc....then it's a way to keep track of it's points. If it is a horse that does well, then it's points also add to the value of his sire and dam and show that they pass on good performance properties.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Cinnys Whinny said:


> When I read the rulebook for APHA I thought it said age only matters if he is NOT registered at all yet, which his is. Just the last owner never transferred him to her through the registry.


You are correct. The registration fee only goes up with age if the horse has never been registered. 

Although the APHA frowns on open transfers, everyone does it, and there should be no problem using the already signed transfer paper that you have. Here is the official APHA statement...

_APHA will not process a transfer if it is known that owners existed between the present owner and the owner of record according to APHA files. It may be necessary, therefore, for the new buyer to bring the ownership history up to date by providing APHA with transfers to and from all involved parties. Transfer fees are required for each transfer submitted. To avoid potential problems, it is recommended that incomplete or "open" transfers NOT BE SIGNED_


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## Nickers2002 (Nov 25, 2009)

Think of L as a "foster" home then. I did it with my mare's papers...if I had let them know there was an inbetween person then I would have had to track her down in jail. They don't really "care" it seems as long as the horse is signed off on and transfered to the new rightful owner. It's been 8 years now and nothing has happened  

Saranna


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