Grade horse questions
Plain answers about grade horses, papers, microchips, ownership, and what Grade Horse Registry charges. Prices match the pricing and transfer pages.
What is a grade horse?
A grade horse is a horse that does not have papers from a breed registry. The term is used for horses of unknown or mixed breeding, and for horses that were never recorded with a breed association. Grade is not a breed, and it does not describe training, temperament, or ability.
Can you register a grade horse?
Yes. Grade Horse Registry registers horses that do not have breed-registry papers. Registration creates a GHR registry number, a certificate, and a public record. It does not assign the horse a breed, and it is not a substitute for papers from a breed association.
How do I get papers for a horse with no papers?
Create an account, then open Register a horse and enter the horse. A photo is required before a paid registration is saved. Pay the registration fee ($35 one-time, or $19.99 if your optional membership is already active). GHR then issues a registry number and a certificate, and the horse is on the public lookup. These are Grade Horse Registry papers. They do not recreate papers from another registry.
Grade horse vs crossbred?
A crossbred horse has parents of two known breeds. A grade horse is a horse without breed-registry papers. A crossbred can be grade if no breed papers were filed, and a horse of unknown breeding is also called grade. Crossbred describes parentage. Grade describes the lack of breed papers. GHR does not certify which breeds are in a horse.
Can a grade horse be shown or compete?
GHR registration records identity and ownership. It does not enter a horse in a show. Whether a grade horse can compete depends on that show's own rules. Some open and all-breed classes accept horses without breed papers. Breed-restricted classes follow that breed registry's rules. Read the prize list before you enter. Show results that organizations record with GHR are listed on Equine Circuit, the Grade Horse Registry show platform.
Why microchip a grade horse, and can I register its chip?
A microchip is a permanent ID number implanted by a veterinarian. The number stays with the horse if it is sold. GHR does not sell or implant chips. If the horse already has one, enter that number on the registration form. Once it is stored on an active record, anyone can look it up in search, on the microchip lookup page, or at /api/microchip/<number>, which returns a horses array.
How do I prove I own a grade horse?
The public horse page names the owner on the GHR record, and the certificate is the registry's registration document. That certificate is not a government title, and by itself it is not a bill of sale. When you sell, the registered owner starts a transfer. After the transfer is completed, the record lists the buyer as owner, and that transfer has a bill of sale.
What does GHR registration include and cost?
Registering a horse is $35 one-time per horse. That includes a registry number, a certificate, and a public page that can show the photo, microchip, and owner. A photo is required to finish. Optional membership is $35 per year and is not required to register. While a membership is active, a horse registration is $19.99. Membership also includes barn tools for health records, training, and invoices. An ownership transfer is a separate charge. The transfer fee is $35 one-time. The buyer can instead subscribe to the optional $35-per-year membership to finish the transfer.
How do transfers work when I sell?
The registered owner starts the transfer and enters the buyer's name and email. GHR emails the buyer and the seller. The transfer stays pending until it is paid. The transfer fee is $35 one-time, and the buyer is asked to pay it. Membership is optional and is not required. When payment completes, the horse's owner on the record changes to the buyer, and the completed transfer has a bill of sale.
Lost papers: is it now a grade horse?
Not automatically. If breed papers are lost, that breed registry may still have the horse on file and may issue a duplicate. Ask that registry before treating the horse as grade. A horse is grade when there is no breed-registry record to recover. You can still open a GHR record. GHR registration does not replace or restore another registry's papers.
How to look up a horse by microchip or registry number?
Open Search and enter the horse's name, microchip, GHR registry number, UELN, BLM number, or FEI number. No login is required. The microchip lookup page searches by chip number. Programs can call GET /api/microchip/<number>. A match returns JSON with a horses array. If nothing matches, found is false.
Is GHR a breed registry like AQHA?
No. AQHA is a breed registry for American Quarter Horses. Grade Horse Registry is not a breed registry. It issues its own registry number and certificate for horses that need a public record, including grade horses. A GHR number does not make a horse a registered Quarter Horse, or a registered horse of any other breed.
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