ICHO Curly Breeders Information Center
ICHO welcomes all breeders and the freedom to choose what type of Curly breeding program they want to pursue. With so many options the sky is the limit, Western stock horse, Working Ranch horse, Sport horse, Pleasure horse, Gaited Pleasure horse, Curly Mustang, pony and miniatures.
We encourage breeders to choose their program and have their stallions live inspected as well as their breeding mares through NACHIP or have their conformation evaluated by a vet or judge. Breeding horses should be chosen by picking the best in conformation, movement and temperament, all three qualities being of equal importance. Preservation Breed Lines are also an important breeders option to save the original lines and their original Coat Gene type. For more info - Preservation Curly Breed Lines
Overall health and Genetic health is also at the top of the list. Test for genetic diseases known to be found in the breeds your Curly carries before breeding, such as HYPP, HERDA, GBED CA, PSSM1, DSLD/ESPA, OCD in certain Curly lines, to name a few. (Links and documents about Genetic disease are provided for education and may or may not reflect the views/policies of ICHO)
Genetic diseases found in the:
Quarter Horse: http://www.aqha.com/News/News-Articles/2013/April/04292013-Genetic-Testing.aspx
Arabian: http://www.arabianhorses.org/education/genetic/
General Equine: DSLD/ESPA Awareness (no genetic test yet, affected horses pass it to offspring) http://dsldequine.com
OCD- (no genetic test yet, seems to follow certain bloodlines) Symptoms and Treatment
ICHO Genetic DNA Panels: ICHO Mini Panel, ICHO Pro Panel and Genomic Inbreeding Value offered by ICHO, tailor made for Curly Horses with their wide and varied genetic background, the panel tests for many genetic diseases, tests for color, Curly Coat Genes KRT25 & SP6, the gait gene and more and also includes DNA satellite markers! We encourage breeders and owners to use this test for their breeding Curly horses and for owners to know the genetic health of their horses. Go here for details and DNA PANEL Form payment link is on the page.
Genomic Inbreeding Value- Know your horses inbreeding coefficient by pedigree or Genomic Inbreeding Value by genetics before breeding. Many Curly Horses have been inbred through the years, inbreeding causes inbreeding depression affecting health, longevity and reproductive health. The goal is to have foals under 5% inbreeding coefficient COI, to keep the health of Curly Horses at it's best. No inbreeding is our goal to help sustain the Curly Breed lines.
Curly Coat Genes- Keep all Coat genes separate, KRT25 should only breed to KRT25 horses or Smooth Coats or straight other breeds. SP6 should only breed to SP6 horses or Smooth Coats or straight other breeds. Mixing of coat genes has been shown to cause balding issues.
Also see the comprehensive list of Equine Diseases & DNA tests compiled by Donna Vickery below.
ICHO welcomes all breeders and the freedom to choose what type of Curly breeding program they want to pursue. With so many options the sky is the limit, Western stock horse, Working Ranch horse, Sport horse, Pleasure horse, Gaited Pleasure horse, Curly Mustang, pony and miniatures.
We encourage breeders to choose their program and have their stallions live inspected as well as their breeding mares through NACHIP or have their conformation evaluated by a vet or judge. Breeding horses should be chosen by picking the best in conformation, movement and temperament, all three qualities being of equal importance. Preservation Breed Lines are also an important breeders option to save the original lines and their original Coat Gene type. For more info - Preservation Curly Breed Lines
Overall health and Genetic health is also at the top of the list. Test for genetic diseases known to be found in the breeds your Curly carries before breeding, such as HYPP, HERDA, GBED CA, PSSM1, DSLD/ESPA, OCD in certain Curly lines, to name a few. (Links and documents about Genetic disease are provided for education and may or may not reflect the views/policies of ICHO)
Genetic diseases found in the:
Quarter Horse: http://www.aqha.com/News/News-Articles/2013/April/04292013-Genetic-Testing.aspx
Arabian: http://www.arabianhorses.org/education/genetic/
General Equine: DSLD/ESPA Awareness (no genetic test yet, affected horses pass it to offspring) http://dsldequine.com
OCD- (no genetic test yet, seems to follow certain bloodlines) Symptoms and Treatment
ICHO Genetic DNA Panels: ICHO Mini Panel, ICHO Pro Panel and Genomic Inbreeding Value offered by ICHO, tailor made for Curly Horses with their wide and varied genetic background, the panel tests for many genetic diseases, tests for color, Curly Coat Genes KRT25 & SP6, the gait gene and more and also includes DNA satellite markers! We encourage breeders and owners to use this test for their breeding Curly horses and for owners to know the genetic health of their horses. Go here for details and DNA PANEL Form payment link is on the page.
Genomic Inbreeding Value- Know your horses inbreeding coefficient by pedigree or Genomic Inbreeding Value by genetics before breeding. Many Curly Horses have been inbred through the years, inbreeding causes inbreeding depression affecting health, longevity and reproductive health. The goal is to have foals under 5% inbreeding coefficient COI, to keep the health of Curly Horses at it's best. No inbreeding is our goal to help sustain the Curly Breed lines.
Curly Coat Genes- Keep all Coat genes separate, KRT25 should only breed to KRT25 horses or Smooth Coats or straight other breeds. SP6 should only breed to SP6 horses or Smooth Coats or straight other breeds. Mixing of coat genes has been shown to cause balding issues.
Also see the comprehensive list of Equine Diseases & DNA tests compiled by Donna Vickery below.
| dnatestsforgeneticdiseases.pdf |
Curly Horse Breed Lines and History
| historical_curly_lines.pdf |
Breeding Curly Coat Genes
| breeding_curly_coat_genes.pdf |
If your ICHO registered Curly has been tested positive for any genetic diseases, please send a copy of the lab report to the ICHO Office so we can record the results for your horse. The cost of genetic testing is very small compared to the cost of breeding diseased animals and the cost and care of managing a disease.
What ICHO requires of Breeders to register the offspring they have produced.
Breeding Stallions: Starting in the breeding year 2012, all active ICHO/NACHR breeding stallions are required to be DNA typed through U of KY by Feb 15, 2013. If you have DNA lab results from another lab or registry, we will record those results with U of KY for a $10.00 recording fee and a copy of the other labs DNA report. By having all breeding stallions DNA typed it will be easier in the future to have foals DNA tested if their parentage needs verified. *Note-Breeder's that use other registries that use UKY for DNA typing (ex.MFTHBA) also need the DNA report submitted and the $10.00 recording fee to be placed in the ICHO UKY DNA with their ICHO registration numbers. Registries do not share DNA results with other registries, only the owner can do that.
Breeding MARES: Starting in the breeding year 2015, all active ICHO/NACHR breeding MARES, confirmed in foal are required to be DNA typed through U of KY by Feb 15, 2016. If you have DNA lab results from another lab or registry, we will record those results with U of KY for a $10.00 recording fee and a copy of the other labs DNA report. By having all breeding Mares DNA typed it will be easier in the future to have foals DNA tested if their parentage needs verified.
*Note-Breeder's that use other registries that use UKY for DNA typing (ex.MFTHBA) also need the DNA report submitted and the $10.00 recording fee to be placed in the ICHO UKY DNA with their ICHO registration numbers. Registries do not share DNA results with other registries, only the owner can do that.
Curly Coat Gene testing- we now require newly registered horses be curly coat tested. Geldings and Smooth Coats excluded. If the Sire or Dam is tested and bred to a Smooth Coat or straight other breed, the foal will be assigned a Default Coat Gene type if no unknown genes are in the pedigree.
Stallion Reports are required of all ICHO/NACHR stallions every year even if not used. Stallion reports are due Feb. 15 for the previous breeding year. (example- 2023 breeding year, report is due Feb 15, 2024) We have easy to use fill in forms for the Stallion reports. Please type in your info so it is readable and you may email the form to [email protected] All stallion reports are recorded in our ICHO database.
Breeding Certificates are required for all owner breeding’s to verify the pedigree of parents and offspring. If you are a stallion owner you are required to issue a breeding certificate to all mare owners when you stand your stud to their mares. You may use the Fill in Breeding Certificate long form found on the webpage. You keep a copy and the other copy goes to the mare owner. The foal is required to have a breeding certificate verifying sire and dam when registered. There is also a short form of the Breeding Certificate on the top of registration form page 2. We need one or the other for all registrations to verify the pedigree. Also give the mare owner a copy of the stallions registration certificate with pedigree or a pedigree form (see bottom of page) with stallions name, reg# and complete pedigree filled out with names, reg# and Colors. These are required for the registration of offspring.
Mare owners that breed to other outside stallions also need a breeding certificate signed by the stallion owner. As mare owner you can take the long form to the stallion owner to sign and date it if they do not provide one for you. All mare owners need to be sure they get a breeding certificate for all outside breeding’s to their mares at the end of the breeding session. This is required for the offspring of the mating to have a pedigree. Also be sure to get a copy of the stallions registration certificate with full pedigree, or a pedigree form (see bottom of page) with full details including names, reg#'s and Colors, as this is required info for registering the offspring. DNA testing of the sire and dam and offspring can also prove parentage for an offspring to have a pedigree. Any Curly without verified pedigree can be registered as unknown in the U division once tested for coat genes, if KRT25 or SP6 are present they will do in D Division. BLM born Curly horses will be placed in the D division once they are coat gene tested. If the coat gene is Unknown they will go in U division.
If you are the owner of both sire and dam at time of breeding you fill out the breeding certificate yourself and sign and date the long form or top of page 2 of Registration form.
Leasing Breeding Stallions and Mares- if you are leasing your stallion or mare, make it official with a lease report and file it with ICHO. This could save some problems down the road if a lease goes sour. By having it recorded with ICHO you have an official document. Also always use a lease contract with terms spelled out clearly so the owner and lessee are protected from any misunderstandings of the terms. For mares leases, also spell out clearly who owns the foal when born if the lease includes a breeding to a certain stallion. Be sure to cover clearly what happens in case the stallion dies before breeding or mare does not take. Also who is responsible for vet fees during the lease and what arrangements should be taken if the horse dies while on lease. Cover all your bases.
Mares and Foaling- The mare owner who owns the foal at birth is the Breeder and First owner of that foal. If you bought a pregnant mare, the original owner at time of breeding is the Breeder and current mare owner is the foal owner. (Exception- original breeder has foal rights and this was arranged before foaling in a contract with current mare owner.)
If the foal is sold at any time in the future, the buyer becomes the Second owner. To register the foal for the first time in Second owner’s (Buyers) name, requires the registration forms filled out and a transfer form, all fees, required items and signatures and dates. The Registration Certificate will list the mare owner as breeder and the new Buyer as owner. Sellers are required to provide all the necessary paperwork to the buyer so the foal/horse can be registered in ICHO. Only breeders can provide this documentation so it is your job as Breeder to provide this paperwork for all buyers.
It is suggested that all breeders register all foals before selling them. Then all the buyer needs is a transfer form, original certificate and fees. A transfer only takes a few days to complete where a registration can take several months to process.
Selling already registered horses is the fastest easiest transaction for all sales, especially for overseas sales. We no longer offer rush services for domestic USA sales. If you are in a rush for an overseas sale, the penalty fee is $300.00 per horse to have your registration processed in time for quarantine. (Check first to see if it can be done in time.) Plan ahead because you never know who may contact you from another country wanting to buy your Curly/s even if they are not listed for sale. Don’t miss out on a sale because your horse is not already registered. Be prepared. This benefits you as a breeder and buyers will spread the word on how easy a sale it was and how you were prepared with all documents at time of sale. Buyers remember these things and will send other buyers your way. Protect your reputation as a Curly breeder by being a step ahead.
All breeders need to keep horse records, go here for tips on keeping horse records found on our NACHR Registry page and also at the bottom of this page.
If you have any questions please contact the office at [email protected]
All registrations, transfers, DNA forms, etc must be sent to the ICHO Office for processing by email or postal mail.
Do not send them to the Registrar as that causes delays in processing. They must come to the office first. Thank you!
ICHO Office
322 Tulie Gate Rd
Tularosa, NM 88352 USA
What ICHO requires of Breeders to register the offspring they have produced.
Breeding Stallions: Starting in the breeding year 2012, all active ICHO/NACHR breeding stallions are required to be DNA typed through U of KY by Feb 15, 2013. If you have DNA lab results from another lab or registry, we will record those results with U of KY for a $10.00 recording fee and a copy of the other labs DNA report. By having all breeding stallions DNA typed it will be easier in the future to have foals DNA tested if their parentage needs verified. *Note-Breeder's that use other registries that use UKY for DNA typing (ex.MFTHBA) also need the DNA report submitted and the $10.00 recording fee to be placed in the ICHO UKY DNA with their ICHO registration numbers. Registries do not share DNA results with other registries, only the owner can do that.
Breeding MARES: Starting in the breeding year 2015, all active ICHO/NACHR breeding MARES, confirmed in foal are required to be DNA typed through U of KY by Feb 15, 2016. If you have DNA lab results from another lab or registry, we will record those results with U of KY for a $10.00 recording fee and a copy of the other labs DNA report. By having all breeding Mares DNA typed it will be easier in the future to have foals DNA tested if their parentage needs verified.
*Note-Breeder's that use other registries that use UKY for DNA typing (ex.MFTHBA) also need the DNA report submitted and the $10.00 recording fee to be placed in the ICHO UKY DNA with their ICHO registration numbers. Registries do not share DNA results with other registries, only the owner can do that.
Curly Coat Gene testing- we now require newly registered horses be curly coat tested. Geldings and Smooth Coats excluded. If the Sire or Dam is tested and bred to a Smooth Coat or straight other breed, the foal will be assigned a Default Coat Gene type if no unknown genes are in the pedigree.
Stallion Reports are required of all ICHO/NACHR stallions every year even if not used. Stallion reports are due Feb. 15 for the previous breeding year. (example- 2023 breeding year, report is due Feb 15, 2024) We have easy to use fill in forms for the Stallion reports. Please type in your info so it is readable and you may email the form to [email protected] All stallion reports are recorded in our ICHO database.
Breeding Certificates are required for all owner breeding’s to verify the pedigree of parents and offspring. If you are a stallion owner you are required to issue a breeding certificate to all mare owners when you stand your stud to their mares. You may use the Fill in Breeding Certificate long form found on the webpage. You keep a copy and the other copy goes to the mare owner. The foal is required to have a breeding certificate verifying sire and dam when registered. There is also a short form of the Breeding Certificate on the top of registration form page 2. We need one or the other for all registrations to verify the pedigree. Also give the mare owner a copy of the stallions registration certificate with pedigree or a pedigree form (see bottom of page) with stallions name, reg# and complete pedigree filled out with names, reg# and Colors. These are required for the registration of offspring.
Mare owners that breed to other outside stallions also need a breeding certificate signed by the stallion owner. As mare owner you can take the long form to the stallion owner to sign and date it if they do not provide one for you. All mare owners need to be sure they get a breeding certificate for all outside breeding’s to their mares at the end of the breeding session. This is required for the offspring of the mating to have a pedigree. Also be sure to get a copy of the stallions registration certificate with full pedigree, or a pedigree form (see bottom of page) with full details including names, reg#'s and Colors, as this is required info for registering the offspring. DNA testing of the sire and dam and offspring can also prove parentage for an offspring to have a pedigree. Any Curly without verified pedigree can be registered as unknown in the U division once tested for coat genes, if KRT25 or SP6 are present they will do in D Division. BLM born Curly horses will be placed in the D division once they are coat gene tested. If the coat gene is Unknown they will go in U division.
If you are the owner of both sire and dam at time of breeding you fill out the breeding certificate yourself and sign and date the long form or top of page 2 of Registration form.
Leasing Breeding Stallions and Mares- if you are leasing your stallion or mare, make it official with a lease report and file it with ICHO. This could save some problems down the road if a lease goes sour. By having it recorded with ICHO you have an official document. Also always use a lease contract with terms spelled out clearly so the owner and lessee are protected from any misunderstandings of the terms. For mares leases, also spell out clearly who owns the foal when born if the lease includes a breeding to a certain stallion. Be sure to cover clearly what happens in case the stallion dies before breeding or mare does not take. Also who is responsible for vet fees during the lease and what arrangements should be taken if the horse dies while on lease. Cover all your bases.
Mares and Foaling- The mare owner who owns the foal at birth is the Breeder and First owner of that foal. If you bought a pregnant mare, the original owner at time of breeding is the Breeder and current mare owner is the foal owner. (Exception- original breeder has foal rights and this was arranged before foaling in a contract with current mare owner.)
If the foal is sold at any time in the future, the buyer becomes the Second owner. To register the foal for the first time in Second owner’s (Buyers) name, requires the registration forms filled out and a transfer form, all fees, required items and signatures and dates. The Registration Certificate will list the mare owner as breeder and the new Buyer as owner. Sellers are required to provide all the necessary paperwork to the buyer so the foal/horse can be registered in ICHO. Only breeders can provide this documentation so it is your job as Breeder to provide this paperwork for all buyers.
It is suggested that all breeders register all foals before selling them. Then all the buyer needs is a transfer form, original certificate and fees. A transfer only takes a few days to complete where a registration can take several months to process.
Selling already registered horses is the fastest easiest transaction for all sales, especially for overseas sales. We no longer offer rush services for domestic USA sales. If you are in a rush for an overseas sale, the penalty fee is $300.00 per horse to have your registration processed in time for quarantine. (Check first to see if it can be done in time.) Plan ahead because you never know who may contact you from another country wanting to buy your Curly/s even if they are not listed for sale. Don’t miss out on a sale because your horse is not already registered. Be prepared. This benefits you as a breeder and buyers will spread the word on how easy a sale it was and how you were prepared with all documents at time of sale. Buyers remember these things and will send other buyers your way. Protect your reputation as a Curly breeder by being a step ahead.
All breeders need to keep horse records, go here for tips on keeping horse records found on our NACHR Registry page and also at the bottom of this page.
If you have any questions please contact the office at [email protected]
All registrations, transfers, DNA forms, etc must be sent to the ICHO Office for processing by email or postal mail.
Do not send them to the Registrar as that causes delays in processing. They must come to the office first. Thank you!
ICHO Office
322 Tulie Gate Rd
Tularosa, NM 88352 USA
Fill In Pedigree Form- Feel free to use this form if needed to document pedigrees
| pedigree__for_horse.doc |
BREEDERS CHECK LIST- print this condensed check list to refer to, everything you need to remember on one page.
| icho_breeders_check_list.doc |
Keeping Horse Records- Tips for easy simple record keeping
| keeping_horse_records.doc |