Registration

So i've been reading alot and i'm sort of frustrated because people seem to think that "grade" horses or unregistered horses aren't as good at horses that are, I think it's frustracting, it's only a piece of paper that says IMO "this horses decendants are QH, Paint, ect or this horse has at a certain coloring required and decendants" i'm not sure if this has been bugging anyone else..my main point a grade horse can be just as good as any registerd horse...

Well registering does make a difference. It proves ownership, shows blood lines, and you can ride in the breed shows. I would rather have a registered horse than a non.

If a horse is registered usually the club will offer alot of benefits.

I have three that are not registered and 2 that are. I do ride in breed specific shows and that's where the papers become a neccessity....

Registering horses preserves their known pedigrees, which allows buyers to know the potential for certain traits and talents, as well as if the horse has the potential of genetic defects that comes through certain lines.

So does a bill of sale and personal records of lineage. The entire thing comes down to "you can ride in the breed shows."

What benefits does a club offer that you can not get from paying your yearly fee?
What did we do before " clubs" were formed? I belong to the APHA, the Jockey Club and the AQHA, and can tell you I find no benefits greater than a magazine from them.
Registration does NOT make the HORSE any better and I think that was the original *rant* of the OP.
Not knocking clubs or registred horses, just don't believe one is better than the other when push comes to shove.

Someone can fake a bill of sale and/or lose it. Where as if the horse was registered the organization will keep records. I've had friends lose a bill of sale before and trust me, it wasn't pretty. If that person for some reason wanted to take them to court and say that they never sold the horse to them, the people who lost the sale would be SOL.

I'm not saying a horse isn't any good without being registered, I've had horses before that weren't and they were great. But what it all comes down too is a horse that is registered will look better in any buyers eyes. Like it or not, there is noting any of us can do about that.

I think the unregistered horse can be as great as registered. Although both my mares have papers. The reasons were #1 I REALLY wanted to be sure in their age as I know number of people getting ripped off with the age (much younger or older then the seller said), and also I wanted to know the pedigree. But other than that those papers just sit in my closet unneeded.

Not to mention, it isn't just for our benefits either. It helps the associations keep count on all of the specific breeds, how many are out there, who's being bred, what lines are being continued, eta.. the list is endless.

I think what they meant was:

Unregistered horses aren't as good for EVERYTHING as registered horse, everything being breed shows and breeding, not that they aren't as good.

BUT I think what the OP is saying is that there are unregistered horses that can jump several feet, perform beautifully in dressage, and cut a cow just as well as some registered horses...

CURIOUS QUESTION - Do horses have to be registered to show high-level dressage?