In analyzing 30 years of American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) registration data, AQHA discovered some trends that could help breeders and owners of American Quarter Horses make business decisions for the future. These trends, which are based on foal registration numbers–not all horses registered in a calendar year–were shared with AQHA members at the 2010 AQHA Convention in Kissimmee, Florida.

"This is the first time we have reported our stallion breeding numbers in this nature," said AQHA Executive Vice President Don Treadway, Jr. "Historically, we have reported registrations completed during the year. That includes weanlings to 4-year-olds. To gain a different perspective and look for trends, we looked at the number of registered foals by foaling year in hope of giving our members more information to make decisions.

"Our purpose in doing this is to provide as much information as possible, in a timely manner, so our members can make knowledgeable breeding decisions based on accurate statistics," Treadway added. "After reviewing these reports, breeders have the opportunity to analyze future markets for prospective foals with more information than they have previously had available."

In early 2008, when it was obvious that the United States economy was beginning to tank, business owners began taking a good, hard look at their numbers. AQHA was no different. The AQHA Executive Committee, along with the AQHA Investment Oversight Committee and members of the AQHA staff looked at past American Quarter Horse industry trends, hoping those examples would help them predict when the economy might start climbing back out of the hole it fell into