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A Controlled Pathway to AQHA Appendix Registration
The Quarter Horse Heritage Project is not proposing automatic AQHA registration for Paint Horses, nor are we proposing that every APHA-registered horse should qualify.
We are proposing a carefully defined pathway into the AQHA Appendix Registry for horses that can demonstrate substantial documented American Quarter Horse ancestry and meet strict pedigree, DNA and registration requirements.
The Appendix provides the opportunity. Performance earns advancement.
Step 1 — Establish an Eligible AQHA Connection
To enter or continue through the proposed pathway, the pedigree must contain the required connection to AQHA through a qualifying parent.
This may include an AQHA Numbered Registry parent or, where permitted under the proposed continuation provisions, an AQHA Appendix parent admitted through the Historical Quarter Horse Bloodline Pathway. You MUST have at least one AQHA parent for qualification.
This requirement creates a controlled point of entry and prevents the proposed rule from simply opening AQHA registration to the entire APHA population.
Step 2 — The APHA Parent Must Qualify
APHA registration alone is not enough.
The qualifying APHA parent must possess at least:
1. 30% Weighted AQHA Ancestry within the first four generations of its pedigree.
2. Only ancestors whose AQHA registration can be documented are included in the calculation.
OR the Horse in question must possess a minimum of 60% documented weighted AQHA ancestry within the first four generations of its pedigree
Step 3 — DNA Parentage Verification
Every horse entering AQHA through the proposed pathway would be subject to DNA requirements.
Parentage must be verified to the qualifying parents, and AQHA would retain authority to require additional DNA testing, registry verification, photographs or other documentation when necessary.
Modern DNA technology provides safeguards that simply did not exist when many of the original registration policies were written.
Step 4 — Appendix Registration Is Not the Finish Line
Qualifying under the proposed pathway does not automatically make a horse an AQHA Numbered Registry horse.
It earns the horse admission to the: AQHA Appendix Registry
From there, the horse must satisfy AQHA's existing advancement requirements before becoming eligible for advancement into the Numbered Registry.
That means these horses are being given an opportunity to prove themselves, not automatic recognition.
We are not asking AQHA to lower the bar. We are asking that qualifying horses be given the opportunity to reach it.
How the 30% Is Calculated - or 60% in cases similar to Like a Diamond
AQHA Ancestor Appears As:
Parent
Grandparent
Great-grandparent
Fourth-generation ancestor
Contribution:
50%
25%
12.5%
6.25%
Each pedigree branch is counted only once.
Once a qualifying AQHA ancestor is reached within an individual pedigree branch, AQHA ancestors farther behind that horse are not added again.
This prevents double-counting and ensures that the final weighted ancestry calculation cannot exceed 100%.
If the same AQHA horse appears through two separate pedigree branches, however, each position may legitimately be counted because each represents a separate contribution to the pedigree.
A Real-World Example: Like A Diamond
QUALIFYING AQHA ANCESTOR:
Grays Starlight
Jet Dial
Sixteen Tons
Rose Burnett
Babette (recognized by AQHA)
POSITION:
Parent
Fourth-generation ancestor
Fourth-generation ancestor
Fourth-generation ancestor
Fourth-generation ancestor
CONTRIBUTION:
50%
6.25%
6.25%
6.25%
6.25%
TOTAL: 75.00%
Required: 30% APHA Parent
OR in Like A Diamond's case, his dam does not meet the 30%, however, LAD meets having over 60% himself - therefore qualifies.
Like A Diamond: 75.00% — QUALIFIES
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