For details and questions about the ABCR registrations rules, ask the ABCR Registrar or ask your District Rep.

When sending the DNA form to UC Davis for your Curly friend's ancestral DNA test it is important to pull hair correctly. ABCR Vice President, Angie Gaines, shares a short video of how to do this making sure you pull the hair bulbs which are located on the end of the hair. This is where the DNA is found. We hope you find this video helpful.

Ownership of a registered animal may be transferred as follows:

• SELLER, at time of sale, shall
  • OLD CERTIFICATE (no Transfer section on back): forward registration certificate of animal along with Transfer of Ownership/Bill of Sale form to the ABC Registry for transfer by the Registrar.
  • NEW CERTIFICATE (Transfer section on back): forward registration certificate of animal, documenting the Transfer at the back of the registration certificate along with Bill of Sale to the ABC Registry for transfer by the Registrar.
• SELLER 
  • OLD CERTIFICATE (no Transfer section on back): must sign the Transfer of Ownership/Bill of Sale form. Seller’s name must be listed as the legal owner of said animal being sold, as recorded at the ABC Registry or a power of attorney showing authorization to sell the horse for the owner must be filed with the ABC Registry.
  • NEW CERTIFICATE (Transfer section on back):  and BUYER must sign the Transfer of Ownership at the back of the registration certificate. Seller’s name must be listed as the legal owner of said animal being sold, as recorded at the ABC Registry or a power of attorney showing authorization to sell the horse for the owner must be filed with the ABC Registry.
• Transfer of an ABC registered horse will be duly recorded by the ABC Registrar, who will then forward the certificate directly to the new owner.
• Either the buyer or seller may pay transfer fees.
  • OLD CERTIFICATE (no Transfer section on back): Fees must accompany the Transfer of Ownership/Bill of Sale form, and registration certificate before the transfer can be processed and completed.
  • NEW CERTIFICATE (Transfer section on back): Fees must accompany the registration certificate/Bill of Sale before the transfer can be processed and completed.
• Each time an ABC registered horse is sold,
  • OLD CERTIFICATE (no Transfer section on back): a Transfer of Ownership/Bill of Sale form along with the associated fee must be sent to the ABC Registry.
  • NEW CERTIFICATE (Transfer section on back): the registration certificate duly signed by SELLER and BUYER at the back and the Bill of Sale along with the associated fee must be sent to the ABC Registry.
• In the event an ABC registered horse is sold multiple times without the appropriate transfers, the Registrar will proceed with the following procedures:
  1. New owner requesting transfer of ownership must be a current member
  2. New owner must submit original ABCR certificate, if any
  3. New owner must submit Bill of Sale or transfer of ownership from current owner to new owner.
  4. New owner must submit four current pictures; front, back and both sides of the ABC registered horse being transferred.
  5. New owner must submit notarized letter stating they have the ABC registered horse in their possession, that they have the original certificate, if any, four pictures to be sent in, and would like the ABC registered horse transferred into their name.
  6. Two current transfer fees shall be paid:
     • One for registered owner as recorded with ABCR to current owner and
     • One for current owner to new owner

If there is not an original certificate the new owner must provide the complete name and/or registration number of the ABC registered horse along with the four (4) pictures and current fees for a duplicate certificate to the Registry before a new certificate will be issued. Ownership of a registered animal may be transferred as follows:

• SELLER, at time of sale, shall forward registration certificate of animal, documenting the Transfer at the back of the registration certificate along with Bill of Sale to the ABC Registry for transfer by the Registrar.
• SELLER and BUYER must sign the Transfer of Ownership at the back of the registration certificate. Seller’s name must be listed as the legal owner of said animal being sold, as recorded at the ABC Registry or a power of attorney showing authorization to sell the horse for the owner must be filed with the ABC Registry.
• Transfer of an ABC registered horse will be duly recorded by the ABC Registrar, who will then forward the certificate directly to the new owner.
• Either the buyer or seller may pay transfer fees. Fees must accompany the registration certificate/Bill of Sale before the transfer can be processed and completed.
• Each time an ABC registered horse is sold, the registration certificate duly signed by SELLER and BUYER at the back and the Bill of Sale along with the associated fee must be sent to the ABC Registry.
• In the event an ABC registered horse is sold multiple times without the appropriate transfers, the Registrar will proceed with the following procedures:
  1. New owner requesting transfer of ownership must be a current member
  2. New owner must submit original ABCR certificate, if any
  3. New owner must submit Bill of Sale or transfer of ownership from current owner to new owner.
  4. New owner must submit four current pictures; front, back and both sides of the ABC registered horse being transferred.
  5. New owner must submit notarized letter stating they have the ABC registered horse in their possession, that they have the original certificate, if any, four pictures to be sent in, and would like the ABC registered horse transferred into their name.
  6. Two current transfer fees shall be paid:
     • One for registered owner as recorded with ABCR to current owner and
     • One for current owner to new owner

 If there is not an original certificate the new owner must provide the complete name and/or registration number of the ABC registered horse along with the four (4) pictures and current fees for a duplicate certificate to the Registry before a new certificate will be issued.

Life is full of changes! The good news is ... reporting changes to ABCR is easy!

Let us know any change regarding your address or your horses. Horse related changes are:

• Stallion has been gelded
• Horse deceased
• Color of the horse has been changed etc.

You can find our online change form here, or send us a quick note at [email protected].

For Horse Transfers, please use the back of the horses pedigree.

Please help us to keep the books updated! THANK YOU!

Register your Curly Horse at ABCR include the following advantages:

• Identification of your Curly Horse by DNA and description/pictures documented in the ABCR database and in the pedigree certificate you receive
• Recording of your Curly Horse’s bloodlines, approved by DNA in the Full and Blood Percentage Book which is important for breeder’s programs 
• By making the data of your horse available to the large database driven collection of registered Curly Horses (containing more than 5,600 entries of Curly Horses worldwide) you support further research on the unique traits of the Curly Horse.

Before a closed book was implemented at ABCR, every horse with a curly coat and known or unknown parentage could be registered. Then, in the 1990s, the CS Fund, a grant-making, California-based foundation, gave some scientifical advice to close the books. The following excerpt explains about the reasons for this and is taken from Equus, March 1990:

"... In an effort to prevent the loss of these minor breeds' gene pools, the CS Fund commissioned a pilot study of the American Curly Horse, a breed numbering fewer than 1,000, whose signature kinky coat and obscure origins set it apart from the mainstream of modern horsedom. What the study found may help save the Curly Horse as well as provide the means through which other threatened domestic equine breeds, including the Shire, Cleveland Bay, Hackney, and Lipizan, may survive.

The CS Fund's study combined three approaches:

• laboratory analyses,
• pedigree searches, and
• painstaking examination of written and oral historical records

to define the Curly breed.

A research study performed in 1975 by Keith Farrell, PhD, of Washington State University, had already disclosed that the only significant difference between curly horse hair and straight horsehair is in the shape of the shaft. As with human hair, curly horsehair is oval in shape while straight hair is round.

When D. Phillip Sponenberg, DVM, PhD, of the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia, examined the first two stud books of the American Bashkir Curly Registry, he discovered that two mechanisms appear to govern the appearance of curly coats in offspring. Some registered Curly Horses had been produced by two straight-haired parents, and, therefore, the characteristic had resulted from a recessive gene. This genetic "hiccup," if you will, can pop up in nearly any breed of horse, but it probably occurs most often in Percherons. The majority of the registered Curly Horses, however, were products of matings in which at least one of the parents was also curly coated, suggesting the existence of a dominant gene. In other words, the coat characteristic must be visible in the parents to appear in their offspring.

An important genetic distinction exists between the two varieties. "The recessive type," says Shan Thomas, administrative director of the CS Fund, "is first and foremost a member of his parent's breed. He is a Missouri Fox Trotter or Quarter Horse upon whom nature bestowed a curly coat. The second, dominant type might be a breed." Currently, the American Bashkir Registry does not distinguish between the two types.

Blood-typing of 200 curly-coated horses as well as 12 straight-haired horses of Curly Horse pedigree were then performed by An Bowling, PhD, of the serology laboratory at the University of California-Davis. The intent was not to verify parentage, as is usually the purpose of the procedure, which identifies and compares blood components. Instead, the CS Fund was hoping the blood would provide some clues as to how a horse becomes curly coated, whether the Curly Horse is distinct genetically from other breeds of horses, and whether there is any difference between the recessive and dominant types.

Although the blood-typing results verified the findings of the other areas of research, they did not identify characteristics unique to the Curly Horse. "There was no single marker common to all horses with curly coats," says Thomas. "If one had been found, this would have led to further study to see if such a marker were directly related to the gene for curly hair."

Genetic diversity was the primary finding of Bowling's work. Within the group of sampled horses, 110 of a possible 135 equine variants were present. This high number is not surprising, says Bowling, in a registry with an open studbook and active crossbreeding program. About half of the markers identified were "rare and unusual," a rate consistent with other breeds, but they were present in only four percent of the tested population. Blood-typing of one Curly disclosed a variant that had not been identified in any North American horse tested but only among South American horses of Spanish ancestry.

Bowling found that the blood components of the 212 tested horses most closely resembled those of the Quarter Horse and Morgan, breeds commonly used for crossbreeding. But a few of the horses also had some variants not usually found in modern North American breeds.

Interestingly, these components are present in the blood of the straight-haired feral horses of Nevada's Great Basin region. Three separate groups of Curlies from Nevada, Canada, and the Dakotas retain the most remnants of the original genetic pool, indicating that these horses are likely descendants of feral stock. The result, says Bowling, is that the horses are a "source of some unusual genetic material that can't be found elsewhere." At the same time, Curlies carry a heavy mix of characteristics common to other domestic breeds.

In the historical section of the study, four theories of the breed's origin were scrutinized. The unusual coat has variously been ascribed to the introduction of horses from Russia or from South America, mutations in native-born stock, and the remnants of pre-Spanish horses that unaccountably escaped extinction when all other equidae on the continent were wiped out eons before. Though the study did confirm the presence of curly-coated horses in both Russia and South America, it was "unable to prove that a dominant curly-coated horse breed was introduced or imported to North America," says Thomas. It also confirmed that the Curly Horse did not obtain its unique coat from the Russian Bashkir breed, which, in fact, is a straight-haired horse. Instead, evidence appears to point to a "spontaneous mutation" or adaptation of feral horses and that this adaptation can be the result of either a dominant or recessive gene.

"From both the empirical evidence and the blood work," says Thomas, "there is justification for two and possibly three coincidental mutations that resulted in curly horse breeds in Russia, North America, and South America. These three breeds have common ancestors. You don't see these mutations among horses with pony ancestors, for example. Isolated mutations are not uncommon in nature. We suspect that in these three separate groups of horses, the mutation was instigated or supported by severe environmental conditions. There is good anecdotal evidence that curly-coated horses can survive cold better than those with straight hair. And interestingly, the regions where these three curly-haired groups developed are all similar in environment, being high-altitude plains."

The fact that a curly coat remains in these horses, continues Thomas, "is only one sign of a breed that once existed and has now been nearly crossbred out of existence. The Curly Horse breed is now three distinct types: the stock-horse type from crosses with Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Paints; the Fox Trotter type; and a more-refined type from crosses with Arabians, Morgans, and Saddlebreds." Although the curly coat remains in some of these crosses, the horse is genetically more Quarter Horse or Morgan or Fox Trotter than pure Curly.

Owners and breeders of curly-coated horses can go in several directions now that breed genetics are better understood, says Thomas. "If interested, they could attempt a regeneration program. With attention to genetics and by tapping the three pockets of original gene pool left, they might be able to use linebreeding to recreate what once was. DNA research, though expensive, would help this project significantly by giving very specific information about group membership. Unless this happens, the original Curly Horse breed can be considered extinct.

"If breeders choose, alternately, to move forward from here," she continues, "it would be necessary to acknowledge in the registry the existence of the three subsections of the breed, standardize within these types, stop crossing between the types, and close the stud books."

At the 2016 Convention there was discussion about what we could do about keeping track of rescue Curly horses. The Registry started by offering DNA testing to try and identify parentage and/or relatives of these horses. If the DNA showed there was Curly heritage, but no identifiable parents, the Registry would present the owner with a Certificate of Acknowledgement of that information. But we couldn't register these horse.

The Board discussed this several times since that Convention and decided to put a vote to the membership about creating a new book so that these horses could be registered. This book would be for any Curly coated horse with no verifiable registered Curly parents. These horses and any curly coated offspring would not move out of this book.

After discussion, a motion was made to create a Curly Coated Book, it was seconded, and the motion passed. The current registration process will apply for this book.

Curly Horses come in many coat types, just as human's hair varies, so does a Curly's. Some Curly Horses are even born without any apparent curl to their coats, and these we call Smooth-Coated Curlies. When you see an asterisk in front of the Curly's name it means that they have curls in their coat.

Curly horses com in all colors and vary a lot regarding their size and type. The winter coat expresses itself in a variety of patterns commonly described as Marcel Wave, Crushed Velvet, ...Curl and Micro Curl. The summer coat also offers varieties ranging from smooth to wavy. The manes and tails vary from ringlets, corkscrews to dreadlocks.The hair in their ears and on the fetlocks is wavy or curly, too, and the eyelashed are often considerably curled up.

Around a quarter of all Curly Horses are born with a straight coat, mane and tail. They do not show the characteristics as described above, however, their coat is considerably different to those of other breeds. Especially in winter it is thicker and much softer than the coat of other horse breeds, like bunny hair. Straight Curly Horses seem to have the same hypoallergenic trait like their Curly relatives.

First of all, Curly Horses are horses and act like other horses do. So if you are not very familiar with horses, it is a good idea to have a skilled friend or trainer around to help you. As a beginner, you might want to look for an older, experienced and trained Curly Companion instead of a foal or youngster. However, it is true that Curlies often have a calm temperament  and a gentle disposition. Usually they are very curious, people-oriented and often comparably easy to handle, which can make them a real good choice for beginners for sure!

One of the most cherished qualities of the Curly Horse is their calmness and extremely gentle disposition. We do feel that this is one of their finest features. Many have been taken off the open range, even full grown animals, and in a day or two, they are gentler than horses that have been handled for years. Nothing seems to ruffle them. They do not tend to resort too flight when frightened, which has been claimed the horse's greatest means of survival. Most of them soon respond to kindness and affection because of their inherent gentle nature. They will tend to freeze in a tight spot so seldom get themselves hurt, even if caught in dangerous situations. They will delight in human companionship and love to be talked to.

Curly Horses can do anything at all! Curlies are known for being versatile, hardy, gentle horses. In equestrian sports, they are actively used in most of the standard disciplines for other horses such as: competitive and classical dressage, hunter/jumper, eventing, and combined driving. There have been Curly Horses used also in the western disciplines of barrels, reining, gymkhana, and Western pleasure. You will find them being used as trail and pack horses. They compete in endurance and competitive trail. Many are used as 4H & Pony Club mounts or therapeutic horses and are wonderful with these children due to their usually gentle nature. CURLIES CAN DO IT ALL!

Well, this certainly depends on how you want to define the terms “Curly Horse” or "breed".
ABCR defines a breed as follows: “A breed is a specific group of domestic animals or plants having homo...geneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species and that were arrived at through selective breeding.” (Wikipedia)
Based on these experiences and recommendations of the old time Curly Horse Breeders, ABCR has developed a breeding standard of the “ideal ABCR Curly Horse” that can be found here.
We encourage our breeders to breed for ALL characteristics that compose the ABCR Curly Hors such as a gentle disposition, a sound and sturdy confirmation, the hypoallergenic trait or the hard hooves.
Research is still going on to find out the genetic settings responsible for these characteristics. ABCR considers DNA typing of the Curly Horses registered with us both as a contribution to this research as well as a proof of parentage which is important for our breeders to make the best breeding decisions possible regarding the horse health and breeding standards.

Hypo-allergenic means that, in this case, the horse is less likely to cause a person who is allergic to horses to have an allergic response. That does not mean that the person will not have an "allergy attack", but that often the symptoms are less severe if they are present at all. So if you visit a Curly Horse, and you are allergic to horses, be sure to take you medicine with you! We do not know exactly why this is so, and studies are on going. We think it may be because the Curly Horse's hair is different than a regular horses, or that the proteins in their skin are different.

The ABCR Breed Standard describes an American Bashkir Curly as being on average 14 to 16 hands and weighing 800 to 1250 lbs. The head is of medium size with a well-defined jaw and throat latch. The eyes are wide set with eyelashes that curl up. Ears are short to medium in length with curls inside. The neck is of medium length and deep at the base where it joins the shoulder. The back is noticeably short and deep through the girth. The legs are heavy boned with short cannon bones as compared to the forearm. They have a curly coat in wintertime and generally display a notable gentle disposition.

Yes, we have! One of our breeders, Barbara Carroll from Stag Creek Farm, TX, was on TV in The Horse Show with Rick Lamb. So sit back, relax, enjoy watching it and learn more about the Curly Horse!

Cushing’s Disease in horses typically develops as the horse enters its senior years. Equine Cushing’s disease is a result of a number of hormone related problems that derive from changes in the brain.
Unlike the Curly Horse, Horses with Cushing Syndrom have a hard time shedding their coats in spring. Excessive thirst and urination, increased appetite with no weight gain, loss of muscle over the top line as well as chronic laminitis are symptoms for Cushings, too.
Another difference is that the 'curls' of a horse with the Cushing Syndrom are seen only in body hair,  it's ear hairs, fetlocks, mane, and tail are straight.
The curly coat of a Curly Horse is NO SIGN for a disease at all, but a wanted characteristic of the Curly Horse breed! On the picture here, we are definitely looking at a Curly Horse. Their curls in ears, mane, fetlocks and tail do not shed in spring, but are also visible in summertime!

There have been many theories on this, some believing that the "curly" part of the horse came from the Bashkir region of Russia, some feeling perhaps from the Lokai horses of Tajikistan. To this date nothing has been accurately proven. What is known is that the earliest documented Curly Horses in North America were with Native Americans in the Winter Count of 1801-2. At this time it was said that the Sioux had stolen Curly horses from the Crow. From then to now, several ranchers/breeders have been responsible for maintaining Curly Horse breeding. Some of the names you will hear are: Damele, Eli Bad Warrior, Berndt, Neidhard, Skjonsberg, and Fredell. There are also Missouri Foxtrotters who, for an unknown reason, carry a dominant Curly gene. The founding sire of that line is *Curly Jim". Additionally, some curly horses carry a recessive gene for curly coats, two of which are Missouri Foxtrotters and Percherons.

Curly Horses were originally found in Western North America. From there they have spread to the Eastern side of the continent, to Europe, and to Australia. There are less than 4,000 registered Curly Horses alive!

Curlies are horses. When we keep horses in a domestic environment we need to do things for them that wild horses may not require. Curlies, like any other, do best when their vaccinations, farrier work, and de-worming is kept up to date for their home area. Many Curly Horses are not shoed because they tend to have naturally round and hard feet; however, depending on where they live and what they do, you may find them with shoes.
Most Curly Horses do get some grain or other feed supplement, again depending on where they live. Each region brings its own vitamin and mineral requirements that the horse cannot get from their hay ration. It is best to speak with a local veterinarian to find what is best for your area; however, many Curlies are "easy keepers" and do not need as much grain as a different breed of horse. Again, check with your veterinarian!

Deriving from the Arabian Horse, Cerebellar Abiotrophy is a recessive disease that affects the coordination controlling area of the brain. Latest studies found that it can... be passed on to other breeds that carry Arabian breeding influence. Carriers of the CA gene seem to be healthy and show no clinical symptoms.  Owners of Curly Horses can test their horses for CA before breeding e.g. at UC Davis: http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/horse.php. Use your current account or create one and order the CA Test for your horse. You can also buy CA-DNA testing in our shop.
Further information about CA and the Curly Breed can be found in this article.

Like in other horse breeds such as Quarter Horses, genetical diseases can occure in the Curly Horse breed as well. For more  information about PSSM, have a look here.

ABCR provides a quality assured online pedigree database for ABCR horses to help breeders determine possible risks due to the parentage of their Curly Horses.
We would like to encourage all of our breeders to have a closer look at this topic and act accordingly. ​

We found this Top Ten Mistakes that even experienced horse buyers make for your consideration.

We found this neat FAQ for you on the Internet.

You can find an idea about this and other related information here.