Registration

REPRODUCED FROM THE RMHA WEBSITE WITH PERMISSION

Registration provides advantages for you, as an individual owner, and for the Rocky Mountain Horse breed as a whole. As an owner, you will find that registered Rockies have a greater value than unregistered Rockies, because future owners can breed and register offspring from a mare or stallion. In addition, sanctioned shows and competitive trail rides require registration for any gelding, mare, and stallion. Registration papers also provide a history of ownership and breeding, while providing important information on heritable traits if future owners consider breeding. Finally, registration information helps the RMHA track the number, gender and bloodlines of this rare and wonderful breed, helping to ensure quality in the future.

When considering the purchase of a Rocky Mountain Horse, you can make sure that the horse has already been registered by requesting to see the registration paper issued by the RMHA.

The Rocky Mountain Horse Association advocates sound breeding practices which require that both the sire and the dam be certified prior to breeding and before a resulting foal would be eligible for registration in the Rocky Mountain Horse Association. However, in the event a foal is conceived before both the sire and the dam are certified to breed the resulting foal will NOT be eligible for registration until both parents have been issued the “GOLD” seal of certification as outlined in the Rules of Registry of the Rocky Mountain Horse Association.

If you breed Rocky Mountain Horses and a foal is born, the first step for registration is to retrieve the yellow copy of the breeding certificate that is issued by the sire’s owner when the mare is bred. Then take four photos clearly showing the horse’s left, right, front and back sides. Next you need a DNA sample. This is done by pulling a minimum of 35 to 50 hairs from the tail making sure that the root is attached (this is where the DNA is). These hairs should be sealed in a white envelope that has been clearly identified with the sire and dam names & registration numbers, foal’s sex and date of birth, your name and contact information.

The next step is to complete the Application for Registry Form available on the Forms page, found on the Association tab of the RMHA website, along with a Fee Schedule.

NB: Applications for equine passports in Europe should only be made following registration of foals with the primary studbook of the RMHA.