AQHA Transfer FAQs

young woman holds horse head and smiles at sunset (Credit: AQHA)

Updating the ownership of an American Quarter Horse represents a vital part of AQHA's mission statement: Protecting the integrity of the American Quarter Horse breed.

As stated in the post AQHA Transfers: The Multiple Transfer Process, it's important to make sure the horse you're purchasing has an updated ownership record. Even then, there are a few bumps you might hit along the way. Read on for the five most common issues we see when completing ownership transfers.

Need to transfer your horse? Find transfer forms and other paperwork on AQHA's Forms and Resources page.

Question: How do I transfer ownership of an American Quarter Horse with AQHA?

Answer: Submitting a transfer of ownership report is a vital step of owning an American Quarter Horse. By completing the official transfer document and submitting the form to AQHA, a new registration certificate can be generated and mailed, listing the new owner as the owner of record.

To transfer your American Quarter Horse:

Make sure you have the most recent original certificate of registration in hand. *For horses born January 1, 2027 the certificate used to conduct business will be digital and the seller can transfer the horse instantaneously on their myAQHA account. Paper transfers submitted for horses with a digital certificate will still be acceptable and processed by AQHA staff normally.
Did the seller not provide an original certificate of registration? Here’s how to handle that situation.
Download a transfer report here. The transfer report must be signed by the seller and list your name and AQHA ID number on the buyer line.
Make sure the seller you are purchasing the horse from is the last recorded owner on the horse’s papers. If the last recorded owner is not who you bought the horse from, this is called a multiple transfer. Read here for more information on how to complete a multiple transfer.
The date of sale is the date you took the horse into your possession. AQHA does not have a deadline as to when a transfer report should be submitted, nor do we charge a late penalty. If you find a transfer you forgot to send in, now is the time to submit it!
The remainder of the information needed for the report can be found using the registration papers. If there are any discrepancies or questions in regard to completing the report, please contact the AQHA Member Services Team at 806-376-4811.
To complete the process, ensure you complete the FEES section of the transfer report. If you are a current AQHA or AQHYA member, $40 will complete the transfer. Non-members will be charged a one-year membership for $65 and youth non-members will be charged $25 in addition to the transfer fee of $40 per horse, upon the receipt of a transfer.

Question: Can I submit a transfer online?

Answer: Right now, AQHA transfer forms or reports must be mailed to AQHA with the original certificate of registration. *Starting with horses born on January 1, 2027, Certificates of Registration will be in a digital format and will be transferred by the seller using their myAQHA account.

Question: How much does it cost to transfer AQHA papers?

Answer: Current AQHA membership is required to transfer the ownership of an American Quarter Horse. If you are a current AQHA or AQHYA member, the cost to transfer ownership is $40.

If you are not a current member:

Youth ownership transfer: $25 (membership) + $40 (transfer) = $65
General ownership transfer: $65 (membership) + $40 (transfer) = $105

Question: Why did I get charged for a new membership? I already had one!

Answer: When filling out the buyer's line of the AQHA transfer report, your name must read exactly as it does on your AQHA membership card. If what you wrote doesn't match anything in our records, we think it's a new owner and therefore create – and bill for – a new membership for that person. To correct this issue, AQHA requires a signed statement if the ID number was not included on the transfer report. When in doubt, contact AQHA Member Services for your member ID number or any other assistance you may need.

Question: Why is the person I bought the horse from not the last person listed as the owner, according to AQHA records?

Answer: Since AQHA needs to make sure its records are as accurate as possible:

We do not knowingly skip an ownership.
We do not have a deadline or penalty as to when a transfer should be submitted to AQHA.
Nor do we charge any type of additional fees, only one $40 transfer fee is required.
We do not require in-between buyers to be current members.
Only the ultimate buyer is required to have a current AQHA membership.

That said, a transfer report will be needed from each person who owned the horse, along with the horse's original certificate of registration.