why and how

Horse Registration
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Why

Register your Horse

Registration provides official identification of the horse, which may be requested for equestrian competitions and/or breed classes by event/show committees. It may also identify a person as the owner/lessee of a horse. Note that, for Standardbreds, HRA (Harness Racing Australia) papers may also serve a similar purpose.

The SAQ provides owners who are SAQ Members of pleasure Standardbreds with the opportunity to register their horses for non-racing equestrian disciplines. Often when horses start their non-racing competition careers owners do not have the horse’s Harness Racing Australia (HRA) registration papers.  This is often as original owners do not want their horses to race again and therefore they do not pass on the horses papers.

Registration

At A Glance

  • Applications for registration will only be accepted from financial members of SAQ.
  • Registration is free for financial members of SAQ.
  • All costs of DNA testing of Part Bred or NRS Standardbred horse and either the sire or dam (if required) must be paid by the member during the registration process.
  • All fees paid are non-refundable.
  • Registration is for the life of the horse.
  • For horses under the SAQ Horse Adoption program, registration will automatically occur at the end of the lease period as part of the transfer process.
  • Acceptance of registration is at the discretion of the registrar, or in the case of dispute, the SAQ Committee.
  • SAQ will not enter into any disputes regarding registration/ownership of a horse.
  • As we are an organisation run by volunteers, please allow a minimum of 6 weeks for full processing of registration.
Choosing

Your Horse’s Name

All owners that apply for horse registration with the SAQ must use their horses registered harness racing name. The SAQ follow the rules of Harness Racing Australia and therefore horses are not allowed to change names except under special rules.

For a horse that is unnamed with Harness Racing Australia, you can apply for a name through the registration process.  You will not be able to use the same name of a horse already registered with HRA – Check HRA OnLine for name availability. 

If a SAQ registered and named horse is found to have the same name as a horse registered with HRA, the name will need to be changed.

Can I Register

Unbranded and Partbred Horses?

For Unbranded and Partbred Standardbreds, the National Non Racing Studbook (NRS) and the National Partbred Register are produced by Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association of Victoria (SPPHAV) in conjunction with Harness Racing Australia (HRA) on behalf of all Standardbred Horse Associations of Australia (SHAA) members and their members within. 

Only equestrian groups that hold membership to the ‘Standardbred Horse Association of Australia’ (SHAA) have the ability to process NRS and partbred Standardbred registrations.

    Sample Registration Card

    Front 

    Back

    To complete the registration process:

    1.  Complete the SAQ Membership Application if you are not already a member.
    2. Complete ALL of the horse information on the appropriate registration form. With the freezebrand or racing name of the horse, you can find this information at www.harness.org.au/hra.cfm.
    3. If you are registering an unnamed horse, please provide 5 alternative names in order of preference. While SAQ allows registration with your choice of name, the name cannot be the same as that of a horse already registered with HRA or SAQ.
    4. Please provide the following photographs of your horse, without saddlery or harness:
      • A clear close up photograph of your horse’s brand. If horse is in winter coat, please clip the brand area for ease of reading.
      • A full body side-on view of the off-side of the horse, clearly showing the horse’s freeze brand on the neck.
    5. Please send competed form, photos and fees (if applicable) to:

    Horse Registrar
    SAQ Inc
    PO Box 348
    Rosewood QLD 4340

    If you need help to register your horse, please message our registrar using the form below.

    2 + 6 =

    More about the NRS (Non-Racing Stud Book) Stud Book and Partbred Register

    Commonly Standardbred horses, in Australia, are identified by their freeze brand.  Since 1993 six state Standardbred Pleasure Associations have formed and the recognition of the breed, within the showing and other equine activity areas, has grown significantly.  Over the years there have been a number of people who bred a purebred Standardbred for non-racing purposes; horses that do not display a recognised racing freeze brand.

    In order to validate the authenticity of these horses,  negotiations over a number of years, by Rebecca Lund (Founder of the Standardbred Pleasure and Performance Horse Association of Victoria – SPPHAV) and Harness Racing Australia – HRA, resulted in a program that provides for the certification of these horses via DNA testing of the relevant bloodlines of horses involved.  Within those negotiations was the inclusion of certification of partbred Standardbred horses that carried no less than provable 25% Standardbred bloodlines.

    Australians who wish to breed a purebred Standardbred horse but not register it for racing purposes can do so providing the horse is certified as a purebred Standardbred horse via DNA testing.

    Similarly, people wishing to show a partbred Standardbred horse also need to prove the Standardbred component of the horse’s bloodlines via DNA testing before it can enter an event as a partbred Standardbred.

    To register a purebred Standardbred horse that is bred for pleasure and/or performance other than harness racing and, more importantly, a horse that will not be freeze branded OR a partbred Standardbred, owners are now required to verify the bloodlines via DNA testing which is done through Harness Racing Australia. Once DNA confirmation is received these horses will be registered in either the Non-Racing Stud Book Standardbreds (NRS Standardbreds) or the Partbred Standardbred register, also managed by Harness Racing Australia

    Rules governing DNA testing of these horses are available here:   SPPHAV – NRSSTUDBOOK

     The following members of the Standardbred Horse Association of Australia (SHAA) have the ability to process NRS and partbred Standardbred registrations:

    Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Horse Association of Victoria SPPHAV

    Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Horse Association of South Australia SPPHASA

    Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Horse Association of New South Sales SPPHANSW

    Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Horse Association of Tasmania SPPHAT

    Standardbred Association of Queensland SAQ

    Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Horse Association of Western Australia SPPHAWA

    Registration and Transfer Forms and Guidelines

    Registration Form - Purebred Standardbred

    Use this form to register a purebred, branded, Standardbred horse.

    Registration Fee: free to SAQ members.

    Transfer Form - Change of ownership

    Use this form to transfer the ownership of a horse to another person. Ownership can be permanent, or temporary (such as by lease agreement).

    Registration Fee: free to SAQ members, $15 for non-members.

    Transfer Form - Change of state association registration

    This form is to be used when transferring the horse’s registration from another state’s Standardbred Pleasure & Performance Association.

    Registration Fee: free to SAQ members, $15 for non-members.

    Registration Form - Purebred NRS

    Use this form to register a Non Racing Standardbred (NRS) – purebred and unbranded. See guidelines below.

    Registration Fees: free to all SAQ members. Owner is responsible for paying all costs of DNA testing of the horse to be registered, plus the sire or dam if required.

    Guidelines - registering a purebred NRS

    The basics of registering a purebred Non Racing Standardbred (NRS).

    Registration Form - Partbred Standardbred

    Use this form to register a partbred Standardbred horse.

    Registration Fees: free to all SAQ members. Owner is responsible for paying all costs of DNA testing of the horse to be registered, plus the sire or dam if required.

    Guidelines - Registering a Partbred Standardbred

    The basics of regsistering a Partbred Standardbred.