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registration
Registration Application: Application for registration is to be submitted to the registrar on the official registration application forms provided. Along with fees and other requirements of registration as stated on the application for registration form. Please complete the registration application with as much information as you have available. If additional information is needed for registration the registrar will contact you.
Registration Photos: Please provide clear photos of the pony standing square. Photos of the following views of the pony are required: right side, left side, front, back, and full face. All identifiable markings should be visible.
Registration Sections: There are two sections to the registry; Full-Blooded Chincoteague and Half Chincoteague.
Registration Numbers: The ICPAR registry will issue registration numbers based on the order in which registration applications are processed. Half Chincoteague registration numbers begin with HC.
Pony Names: No pony will be registered by a name that has exactly the same spelling as a pony already registered. The registrar reserves the right to refuse a name that may be deemed to be confusing or unsuitable.
Replacement Registration Certificate: To obtain a replacement registration certificate which has been damaged but still identifiable, the owner of the pony must send the original registration certificate for identification and pay the replacement fee. Upon approval the ICPAR will issue a new registration certificate to the owner.
Owner Name Change: If an owner changes their name it is not necessary for the Registration Certificate to show the change. Notify the ICPAR of the name change. If the owner desires a corrected Registration Certificate, mail the original Certificate with notification of the name change and appropriate fee to the ICPAR.
Ownership Transfer: To transfer the recorded ownership of a registered pony the recorded owner must complete and sign the transfer portion of the Certificate of Registration. A scan or copy of the transfer must be sent to the ICPAR.
Gelding/Spaying: After a stallion/colt is castrated or a mare/filly is spayed the registration certificate, including the date of castration/spaying and the signature of the owner, must be submitted to the registry with the original certificate of registration and appropriate fee to ICPAR. An amended registration certificate showing the pony as a gelding/spayed mare will be issued to the recorded owner.
Updated Registration Certificates: Due to the main breeding group being a feral herd linage may need to be updated and/or changed with new research. The ICPAR will issue updated registration certificates upon request of the owner.
Pricing for registration and other services related to registration:
New Registration: $35 ($10 discount when you register 5 or more ponies in one name)
Corrected Certificate: $5
Transfer of Ownership: $15
Gelding or Spaying update: $10
Registration Certificate Replacement: $50
Registration eligibility
Eligibility Guidelines: The ICPAR will only register ponies that are eligible. The ICPAR may deny registration/certification or cancel registration/certification if there are reasonable grounds to believe that the pony does not meet the standards or requirements for registration, or that any information on the registration form is false or incorrect.
Island Bred Ponies: All Chincoteague Ponies purchased directly from the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (CVFC) are eligible for registration. There are ponies from the CVFC that are known to be half or part other breeds that were introduced to the CVFC’s herd. These ponies are eligible for full Chincoteague Pony registration. Half or part Chincoteague from other breeders are only eligible for Half Chincoteague Pony registration.
Land Bred (Non-Island Bred) Ponies: Ponies from other breeders are eligible for registration with documentation. Parents of the pony must be documented Chincoteague Ponies through the following:
Identified as having been bred by the CVFC
ICPAR Registered
Registered with the Chincoteague Pony Association, Chincoteague Pony Registry, or National Chincoteague Pony Association
Identified as Chincoteague Ponies through the ICPAR’s Identification Program
Registration Transfer: The ICPAR accept papers from the Chincoteague Pony Registry, Chincoteague Pony Association, and the National Chincoteague Pony Association. Please provide a front and back copy of the certificate(s) when submitting the registration application. The ICPAR reserves the right to change the information from existing registration papers if there is sufficient evidence to make the change.
Chincoteague Pony Identification: If the parentage of a pony is unknown or if it is unknown if a pony is a Chincoteague Pony please contact the registrar prior to submitting a registration form.
Please send photos showing any identifying markings. Documentation or information that could help with identification would be appreciated. Documentation examples:
Photos of the pony on Assateague or with the feral herd.
Photos of the pony alongside a known Chincoteague dam.
Pony Penning auction receipt.
Pony Penning auction number.
Documentation that the pony was purchased from a known breeder.
Ponies with Unknown Parents: Ponies with one or both parents that are unable to be determined are eligible for registration. The pony must be proven to be a Chincoteague Pony through documentation such as:
Photos of the pony on Assateague or with the feral herd
Registered with the Chincoteague Pony Association, Chincoteague Pony Registry, or National Chincoteague Pony Association
Documentation that the pony was purchased bred by or purchased from a breeder
Identified as a Chincoteague Pony through the ICPAR’s Identification Program
MAryland assateague horses
Maryland Assateague Horses: The feral Assateague herd in Maryland is owned and managed by the National Park Service. The removal from Assateague and private ownership of these horse is extremely rare. The ICPAR will register privately owned Assateague Horses that are no longer part of the National Park Service herd. Documentation that the pony is an Assateague Horse and is now privately owned living off of Assateague is required. Feral Maryland Assateague Horses are included in our pedigree database as many Chincoteague Ponies have Maryland Horses in their ancestry.
The non-profit Assateague Island Alliance (AIA) runs a foster horse program and auctions/raffles the rights to name feral Assateague Horses. Participation in these programs does not constitute ownership of the horses and feral Assateague Horses are not available for registration with the ICPAR.
posthumous registration
Posthumous Registration: The ICPAR will accept the transfer of papers of ponies that are deceased if you were the owner of the pony at time of death. Deceased ponies can be registered with the ICPAR if you can prove you were the owner of the pony at the time of death. The death date of the pony will be listed on the registration certificate.
death of a pony
Death of the Pony: Upon the death of a pony the owner should send a notice to the ICPAR with the death date.
At the request of the owner the ICPAR will replace the registration certificate with a new one that lists the death date of the pony. The owner should send the original registration certificate along with the “Correct Certificate” fee.
change in color or markings
Change in Color or Markings: The recorded owner may request changes in the coat color or true white markings. The original Registration Certification and along with a “Correct Certificate” form must be submitted to the ICPAR. Clear and discernable color photographs of the pony showing full views of the left, right, front, full face, and rear of the pony must be included. All markings must be visible. Additional information such as DNA color testing may be requested at the owner's expense. Upon approval and fee payment, an updated Registration Certificate will be reissued to the owner.
half chincoteague pony
Half Chincoteague Registration: Ponies with one Chincoteague Pony parent are eligible for Half Chincoteague Pony registration. One parent must be a full Chincoteague Pony under ICPAR eligibility parameters. Half Chincoteague ICPAR registration numbers are prefixed with HC.
Non-Chincoteague Parent: The other breed parent does not have to be registered with a registry. If the parent is registered, please provide the registry name. Please specify the breed of the non-Chincoteague parent or describe as Grade if unknown.
buyback
Buyback Guidelines: Buybacks are ponies sold at the Pony Penning auction for the purpose of being returned to the feral herd on Assateague. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company retains ownership of the pony, the purchase price is a donation to the CVFC, and the purchaser is allowed to name the pony. Buyback donors are not eligible to register their buybacks through normal registration.
Breeder guidelines
Stallion Owner Responsibilities: After breeding a mare, the stallion owner will complete, sign and date a Breeding Certificate. If the mare is re-serviced during a subsequent cycle, the stallion owner notes the date of re-service on the Breeding Certificate. If the mare is pasture bred, use the starting and ending dates the mare was exposed to the stallion. Stallion owners will also provide Breeding Certificates for semen used in artificial insemination and in embryo transfer.
The stallion owner will provide a copy of the Breeding Certificate to the mare owner and retain a copy for their records. The mare owner will send a copy of the Breeding Certificate to the ICPAR with the Application of Registration.
Mare Owner Responsibilities: Ensure the stallion owner provides a copy of the Breeding Certificate. A copy of the Breeding Certificate must be sent to the ICPAR with the Application of Registration.
If the mare is sold prior to the birth of the foal, ensure a copy of the Breeding Certificate goes to the new owner.
Frozen Semen Frozen semen can be used while the stallion is alive and for an unlimited time after a stallion’s death or castration.
prefix registration
Prefix Guidelines: The ICPAR offers prefix registration for breeders. A registered prefix is a combination of letters, words, or names proceeding or following a registered name and is used exclusively by the owner of the prefix. It is not required for prefixes to be registered.
Prefixes must meet the following criteria:
The word is not the complete name of a Chincoteague pony that has lived in the past one-hundred years.
The word cannot be the complete name of a Chincoteague pony that has registered offspring.
The prefix applicant shall not have another registered prefix on record with the Registry.
The prefix application has been correctly completed and submitted with the appropriate fee.
The Register does not deem the prefix to be confusingly similar to a name or prefix previously recorded or otherwise unsuitable.
Owners are not required to register all of their foals with their farm prefix.
testing
DNA Testing: The ICPAR highly encourages parent DNA verification, but it is not required at this time. If your Chincoteague Pony has been parent verified, please enclose a copy of the testing report with the registration application.
Color Testing: The ICPAR does not require but encourages pony owners to color test their ponies. Color testing contributes to breed documentation and knowledge. If you have color tested your pony please enclose a copy of the testing report along with the registration application.
Pedigree database
The ICPAR’s database is the Chincoteague Pony Pedigree Database. ICPAR registered ponies have the ICPAR logo on their database record. Other registries are listed by name on the record. Ponies do not have to be registered with the ICPAR or any registry to be submitted to the database. Access to the database is open and free. For additions or corrections to the database please contact the registrar. Submissions to the database will be vetted by the Chincoteague Pony Identification Team. The ICPAR reserves the right to change submissions to the database if there is sufficient evidence to do so.
In the database buyback ponies are donated with a “B” superscript by their name, non-buyback feral ponies with a “F” superscript, and Misty descendants with a “M” superscript.
denial of registration
An application for registration or transfer may be denied if all requirements are not met relating to a registration or transfer or is deemed unsatisfactory to the Registrar. If it appears that irregularities or false information is provided on any application for registration or transfer for any pony the Registrar may require the applicant(s), owner(s), or Lessee(s) to furnish other information. The burden of proof is the responsibility of the applicant. The Registrar reserves the right to deny any application and to remove any pony that does not meet the ICPAR registration requirements and rules.
Cancellation of registration
The ICPAR reserves the right to cancel the registration of a pony if it finds that the pony does not meet the requirements for registration or that a pony identified as the subject of a registration certificate is not the subject of that certificate. Procedure will depend on the circumstances of each incident and may result in cancellation of entries made with respect to the descendants of that pony as well. The owner will be responsible to provide necessary documentation of proof as required by the Registrar.
*Registry Rules & Regulations last updated 9-30-21