Al Khamsa Registrations from a Poll and How-To

In 1980, North America saw the registration of 622 Al Khamsa Arabians, a fractional percentage of the rising totals of yearly foals. Of the afore-mentioned 30,000+ horses registered in 1985, just 1,196 (<4%) of them were Al Khamsa Arabians. This number would remain fairly stable through the 1990s and into the turn of the 21st century, with the total number of AK registrations coming in at 1160, roughly 11.5% of the total 10,075 registrations. By contrast, two decades later, AK registrations for the year 2020 came in at 179 horses, just 10.3% of the 1,733 total registrations — approximately a 91% drop in registrations for the past 35 years, with total AHA registration numbers on par with the level of breeding North America saw in the latter half of the 1950s, nearly 70 years ago.

Within modern Al Khamsa registrations, the gene pool continues to skew strongly toward Straight Egyptian breeding, carrying over from their success in the mid-to-late 20th century. In the 1980s, approximately 20-30% of all Al Khamsa registrations were other than Straight Egyptian: Egyptian-sired, Egyptian-influenced in the pedigree, or the rarer horses with no Egyptian breeding in their pedigrees whatsoever (the Davenports and the Blue Stars comprise this group.) In the 2010s, the cut ranged at approximately 5-12% and averaged at 8% — 3–4 times less than the 1980s. The Straight Egyptian population has continued to dominate the total Al Khamsa population, with a very small percentage (an average of just 3%) of Al Khamsa horses containing no Egyptian breeding whatsoever within their pedigrees. That’s not to say that Straight Egyptians are not rare or in danger, to say nothing of the multiple Code Red and Code Orange elements within that particular population. The raw numbers show that less than half the numbers born in the 00s were born in the 2010s. Anything not Straight Egyptian is simply rarer still — to put it in perspective, the total number of all these other horses born 2000–2020 is less than the total number of Straight Egyptians registered in 2000–01. Interestingly, despite total Arabian horse registration steadily declining overall throughout the 00s, in the lead up to the market crash of 2008, Al Khamsa registrations actually held fairly stable, with small increases and decreases in numbers. Following the 2008 market crash, the number of Al Khamsa Arabian registrations also began to swan dive. Despite this, the past two decades have shown that Al Khamsa Arabians actually command a significant percentage of yearly registrations. At its lowest, 10.3%; at its highest, nearly 17%; with a two-decade average of 13.6% of all AHA registrations. This is 2–3 times more than the 5% cited circa the 1990s. The overall breed pie is much smaller, but today Al Khamsa Arabians comprise a much larger piece of it.

This, as Joe Ferriss put it, suggests an enduring interest in Al Khamsa Arabians despite an overall depressed breed and economy.

An Al Khamsa Facebook Poll about Registration of Al Khamsa Arabians

Al Khamsa conducted an online poll of Al Khamsa Facebook enthusiasts, asking about registration practices. All Arabian horse registrations are down, and while Al Khamsa registrations are not down as much as the rest of the breed, it is important for us to understand the problems causing the decline.

The biggest issue, of course, is lack of production of foals, and it has many causes, of which the most difficult to tackle are cultural and financial. The culture we live in now is farther and farther removed from the country and suburban living where horses were easily kept on one’s own property.

Financial issues come in waves, and the last fifteen years, with the Great Recession and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have been particularly rough.

However, one issue is more easily attacked: non-registration of a produced foal, or crossing a mare outside the breed, or outside of Al Khamsa bloodlines.

Registering Your Foal

A foal is born! And it is wonderful! The proposed mating worked out, the mare got in foal. The pregnancy went well, the mare foaled easily, the foal is up and nursing! The foal is just what you dreamed it would be. One thing you need to do is to register that foal, so it can take part in the ancient and beautiful Arabian breed.

How does that happen? What do you need to do? Go to the Arabian Registry website: https://www.arabianhorses.org/registration/ registrations/. Ask them for help if you need it!

Fill out the application with care – don’t forget to include: • The foal’s information – name, foaling date, gender, color • Sire and Dam names/registration numbers • All necessary signatures • Type of service (pasture, in hand, artifical insemination, use of chilled or frozen semen) • Breeding dates • Markings (dampening the area may be needed to see the markings on the skin)

All Purebred Arabians must be DNA tested and qualify to their Purebred parents. DNA Typing for the foal included with registration. When your paperwork and fees are on file with the Registry, they will send you what you need and instructions on getting the mane hair follicles, which is where the DNA is stored.

Good advice is to get AT LEAST preliminary information on the registration application and AT LEAST part of the fee, so that your foal is in Registry records. Done within the first six months, this preserves the least expensive fee. It is also worth joining the Registry, as the registration fees are considerably cheaper that way. What if it isn’t that simple?

Maybe the foal wasn’t registered right away, and there are problems in the chain of ownership, or someone or dam or sire has died. Maybe one or both of the parents of the foal were not DNA-typed. (This is happening less, as it is now a requirement of registration.)

Jenny Krieg, our Al Khamsa expert in these matters, has some advice. “In my experience, the Arabian Horse Association registry has been very helpful. First, what is the issue? • Paperwork — lack of signatures. You may need to locate past or present owners and will need detective work. • Identity — Lack of genetic material for parentage testing.

The first parentage testing was done using blood-typing, and some older horses only had blood typing done. Blood samples can only be compared with blood samples. The testing lab may still have blood in storage. “DNA typing has been used for some years now. But DNA can only be compared with DNA. Is there any hair (with roots) from the deceased horse: hair pulled from its mane or tail or a saddle pad that was only used with that horse? Are there available skeletal remains of the deceased horse? DNA may be able to be extracted from bones or teeth. “As a last resort: after AHA cancels the registration application, you can ask for a registration hearing where you can present documentary evidence of the horse’s identity. Don’t give up!”