How to Research Horse Pedigrees

If you own a registered horse, researching the animal's pedigree can give you important clues about its talents and abilities. Throughout the years, horses have been carefully bred to compete in races, horse shows and other competitions, and some lines have proven their talents in certain areas. There are a number of tools available to make researching your horse's pedigree easier and more productive.

Things You'll Need

  • Registration papers
  • Internet access
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Instructions

    • 1

      Log on to the allbreedpedigree.com website and enter the full or partial name of the horse you are researching. This website contains a large database of equine pedigrees, including information from many different breeds.

    • 2

      Click on the underlined links in the horse's pedigree to see more information about that particular ancestor. The information contained in the pedigree database includes the name of the horse, year of birth and any show or race records that are available.

    • 3

      Find a copy of your horse's registration papers and locate the name of the registration body that issued those papers, i.e. AQHA for American Quarter Horses, APHA for Paint Horses, Jockey Club for Thoroughbreds.

    • 4

      Log on to the website of the registering body and search for the name of one of your horse's ancestors. Review any show or race accomplishments listed there.

    • 5

      Continue to research your horse's ancestors as they are listed on the registration papers. Look for patterns that could provide clues as to what the horse you own will be best at. For instance, if you find a long line of successful roping horses in your horse's recent history, he may have a future on the rodeo circuit. If your horse comes from a long line of race winners, a career on the track might be in his future.