Wait, WHO is this horse registered with?

I read a lot of ads daily. So many that sometimes I actually don't read the ad fully, just skim it for possible blog fodder. However, I came across this one a week or so ago, and have had it waiting in the background for a day like today where my 'to-do' list is a mile long, and only have a limited time to get things accomplished. 


The text is rather innocent, nothing much stands out horribly... except one thing. 





Ad Text: Eleven year old gaited pant gelding, He is registered (PGHR). Spanish mustang/Missouri fox trot mix.

High spirited and fast. needs some one who will ride often and is experienced!
Loves a 20-50 mile ride, thunder lightning dogs traffic no problem. Loads &
stands for farrier. This is an all out endurance horse with a short back stands at 15 one, more sure footed than a mule!!! This horse wants to go. He has a recent coggins test. Teeth floated one month ago. Feet are perfect. No injuries ever this is a solid animal!!!! Needs some one with more time than I have.

Sounds like a decent horse - once you overlook the fact that the horse is more MUTT than horse... a Mustang / Trotter cross? To me that sounds like the neighbors half broke mustang stud managed to get out and "oops" breed a Trotter mare... and then the owners of the Trotter mare didn't ovbiously WANT the mixed foal... cause really, who would BREED that combination? Theres NOTHING about either of those breeds that scream "cross me" with the other. Nothing. 

Yea, and looking at the picture of the poor unfortunate unwanted baby all grown up.... he's um... special? Not what I'd certainly call magazine cover material here. Head is just huge, the neck just looks weird, though it may be the way he's colored, and what the hell is up with his withers? Either he's wayyy swaybacked at 11 (wayy too young for that)?  OR... yea. Special. At least his legs look pretty solid. For an endurance horse, thats important. Looks, not so much, thankfully.

So we have our ooops foal, he grows up (at least someone had the brains to geld the beast), and he made a living for a while as a decent endurance horse. This is good, because endurance horses really don't have to be purebred, and it gives these types of 'mutt' horses a decent job. Which it sure looks like he does, judging by the giant saddle sweat mark on the picture. Just. Lovely. (At least we know he takes a saddle!)

Which is wonderful. But thats not ALL the ad said... "He is registered (PGHR)." 

HUH? 

What is the PGHR?

Sooo.... google being our friend, turns out the PGHR, (oh, yea, you know its coming...) is its own registry! The Painted Gaited Horse Registry!

O. M. G. 

"The Painted Gaited Horse Registry’s purpose is two fold. One, to promote this beautiful and unique horse and secondly, to provide an affordable Certificate of Registration depicting a Horse of Quality, Beauty, and Smoothness of Gait that the owner can be proud to own."
Um, yea - don't the NORMAL gaited horse registries do the same thing? We have to have another?

"The Painted Gaited Horse Registry (PGHR) was formed by a group of Gaited horse enthusiasts that liked a lot of color.  Many felt alienated by the existing Registries and Associations.  They wanted a Registry that would welcome any Gaited horse of unusual markings or color other than the typical solid horse and that all Gaited breeds be accepted equally with no preference given to any one gait, color or markings."

Seriously?!? I worked with Paso Fino horses for nearly 6 years. "Purebreds" that were showed at some of the highest levels in the breed shows, both state and national, and who won some pretty heavy breed titles even! Their registry allows pretty much any color - including pinto colored horses. As does Fox Trotters, Walkers, and nearly ALL the others. The one off the top of my head that I can think of that doesn't already allow pinto type markings is Peruvian Pasos - and I'm not even 100% sure that they don't. I can't really ever remember ever seeing a pinto Peruvian Paso - but that doesn't mean they don't exist. Saying you feel alienated because you can't register your horse thats allowed to be registered is nonsense. 

Even in the all gaited breed shows, its only in the fun type classes that the different breeds compete against each other. The gaits are simply too different to try to judge as one class, unless its a best of breed type class where each horse is STILL judged against the standards of their breed and judged as to which horse represents their breed the best. 

This also irks me because once again, we have 'color breeders' trying to distance or separate themselves from 'regular breeders' who don't focus just on color alone. There is nothing anywhere that proves a solid color horse is better or worse performance wise than a colored horse. This is a ridiculous notion.

"The name Painted Gaited Horse Registry (PGHR) was chosen to depict a unique horse since you will never see two Painted Gaited Horses exactly alike.  There are Paints, Spots, Walking Horses, Racking Horses, Foxtrotters, etc. and the Painted Gaited Horse can be a combination of any or all of these."

Why oh Why is it ok to breed a fugly horse that no one wants cause its "COLORED"? You bet you'll never see two horses alike ever! So why do we have to specify that you'll never see any two painted horses alike? All these "breeders" are doing here is giving themselves an excuse to breed fugly unwanted mutt breed horses and feel 'good' about what they are doing. By slapping this "PGHR" label on their horses they think the horse will be valued more. Well sorry, that just isn't gonna happen. 

Seriously - if they are allowing horses that look like the gelding above to stay stallions for 'the studbook' and 'foundation stock'... OMG OMG OMG! And its not like we don't already have an overpopulation of unwanted horses to begin with that have been registered with half way decent organizations such as Paint, Jockey Club, and AQHA!!!

"Our Registry is very cost conscious,  computerized and with the aid of the Web, able to reach horse lovers all over the world with fast and efficient service.  Upon Registration, the horse owner will receive a professionally printed Certificate of Registration that he or she can be proud to own and display."
OOO goody! They figured out how to use technology! WOW. Sooo impressed here! Its not like any idiot with photoshop and 3 brain cells can figure out how to make a certificate of registration. Pay someone $500 bucks or so that has some computer graphics training and you can get a pretty logo too! The real kicker... the website is  hosted by tripod...its a free site, which is fine... but not the most professional way to go. 

The website - nope sorry... its just webPAGE - just gets more annoying from there... thats just the first few paragraphs off their home page. The webpage is just that... there are no breeder lists, no pictures of registered horses, nothing but the one page, and the forms to download and send in your $20! They put those up there just fine! 

Oh here you all go... the gem of the website... their REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS. This entire paragraph is it. 

"The horse must show evidence of being Painted and Gaited. The ideal horse possesses a smooth ride with unique markings. The term Painted refers to any unusual markings that can be distinguished from the typical solid colored horse. Such as markings above the knee or hock, extended facial markings, or exhibiting contrasting colors on the tail or skin. The application must be accompanied by 4 color photos, one of each side, one front, and one back. Good photos are important since one of these photos will be used on the Registration Certificate.

The term Gaited refers to a horse that exhibits a gait other than a standard Trot. The application must also be accompanied by a short video to pass inspection for Gaited along with the appropriate fee.

The Registration fee is $20.00.

Due to numerous requests and deliberate consideration we now provide 3 Classes for Registration.

1. Painted and Gaited Class - Must show evidence of being Painted and Gaited.  Must provide pictures and a short video for gait or may submit a signed video waiver form in place of the video  along with the application.
2. Painted Class - Must show evidence of being Painted.  Must provide pictures along with the application.
3. Gaited Class - Must show evidence of being Gaited.  Must provide pictures and a short video for gait or may submit a signed video waiver form in place of the video along with the application.
We use the same application for all 3 classes."
Oh yes, cause conformation requirements don't matter, the way the horse moves doesn't matter (cause there is a right and wrong way for most of these horses to move), heck THE HORSE ITSELF DOESN'T MATTER. As long as its "Gaited and Painted" they'll take it! And the horses they take in now, simply because its a NEW registry, will become 'foundation stock', and breed more f'ked up cross bred, fugly ass horses that can't decide whether to  corto or foxtrot... heck some might corto in front and foxtrot in back. Wouldn't THAT be something to see? 


Yet its the arrogance of groups of 'breeders' like this that is behind something like this. You get a bunch of people that simply want to make up their own rules, create their own shows/awards, just so that parrot mouthed Betsy in the back pasture that's got spots and a front end that looks like a bulldog can become a "World Champion Breeding Mare!"


Time to go throw up now.