I certainly agree that it is about time AMHR instituted better ID practices for horses it registers! I also think that DNAing should be done in AMHR, but I don't see it happening soon, because I believe AMHR is VERY afraid of losing the registration income from the same kind of lazy, breeding-only-for-the-money folks who left the AMHA when it had the audacity to institute some up-to-date procedures...and that those same kind of people WON'T, in large measure, quit breeding, but WILL simply sell unregistered-or as already noted, 'on application', and without revealing what that may entail. This is already happening, as everyone knows--but it might indeed become even more prevalent, if/when stricter registration procedures are instituted.
On the subject of the DNA results-though I very much agree that it SHOULD be possible to utilize ONE testing for BOTH registries-as things are now, I do not think that is possible. I believe that the statement claiming ownership by AMHA of the 'DNA results' is actually related to the fact that when the DNA program was first instituted, a horse could NOT be PQ'd without the permission of the owners of the pertinent sires/dams-in other words, even if the sire/dam had been DNA'd, an offspring couldn't be PQ'd without the permission of the OWNER(s) of the SIRE/DAM. Reason, IMO? That often, the DNA's very possibly would NOT match, due to 'fast and loose' breeding practices of all sorts! Then, braver, AMHA instituted the rule that the 'results' belong to THEM, not to the horses' owners, so AMHA WOULDN'T NEED the sire/dam owners' permission to PQ offspring. The problem with using the AMHA DNA results(sent to the owner by the testing lab for AMHA, UCDavis)-for AMHR, is that there is NO solidly reliable way to verify that these are the DNA results for the SAME horse as the one being submitted for AMHR! MANY horses have different registered names in AMHA vs. AMHR-and a name is really no "ID" at ALL. Even the other info-breed,age, sex, color,birth year, sire and dam(remember, this will be under their AMHA designation!), is not REALLY 'proof' that this is one and the same horse. See where this is going(or, NOT going?) Seems to me what's needed is a provision to submit COMPLETE information, including current photos, if necessary,to correctly and verifiably identify an individual horse, to perhaps a 'clearing house' agency(OR, heaven forbid, for the two valid North American miniature horse registries to actually COOPERATE!!, and agree how to 'split' the fee), so that DNA results can be prepared and supplied to BOTH registries(along with the horse's owner) by the testing lab. Surely seems 'doable' to me! Unfortunately, I don't see it being possible under the current arrangement to use the AMHA DNA results one may already have,but I do believe it would be possible to work out a way to do so in future.(In my own case--I only own two-both double-registered, breeding age mares-who are DNA'd AND will be PQ'd-just did pull and mail the hair on the second one, who goes AMHA Perm. this year. I see no need to DNA/PQ the geldings I raised/bought, nor my 24 yr. old matriarch-nor will I do so until I am either going to sell a horse with breeding potential, OR they have reached breeding maturity/potential and are to remain in my ownership.
Margo
