How to Find Vital Records for Horses

If you own a purebred horse or pony, you can find out a great deal about the animal, including the names of the people who owned it throughout its life, the name of the individual or farm that bred the animal and the names and performance records of the horse's ancestors. You need to start by knowing the breed of the horse and the name of the breed association. Once you have that information you can research the performance, race and show record of the animal you own.

Things You'll Need

  • Registration papers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Visit your veterinarian and have him scan the area around the horse's neck and withers. Many breeds, including Friesians and many Warmbloods, now require all newborn foals to have a microchip implanted at birth. This microchip contains the horse's registration number, as well as information about its lineage.

    • 2

      Lift the horse's lip and look for a tattoo or identifying number. Every Thoroughbred is tattooed with a unique number and that number is recorded by the Jockey Club, the organization responsible for Thoroughbred registrations. Quarter horses may also have a tattoo if they were ever raced.

    • 3

      Check the registration papers of the horse for its registration number. Those papers may also include either a short or long-form pedigree which shows the dam and sire going back from two to six generations or more.

    • 4

      Log on to the website of the breed association for your horse and look for the records section. Enter the registration number or tattoo number you found in your research to get further information about your horse, including any race or show records and any foals produced. Please note that you may have to be a member of the breed organization to get this information.