Registries
Closely associated with the breeding program of Martha Fuller, the American Morab Horse Association, Inc. was founded on July 19, 1973. This first Morab registry was also called ‘Morab Horse Registry of America’, and is often known as the 'Clovis' registry after its resident township. The registry's primary intent was the documentation of horses of Morab breeding and type, regardless of purity of registered bloodlines. In 1978, a maximum-minimum bloodline percentage ratio of 25%/75% was established, with either breed expressing one half of the ratio.
Upon the death of Martha Fuller in the early 1980s, the American Morab Horse Association was closed. Shortly following the closure, the North American Morab Horse Association (NAMHA) was founded, with the primary goal of providing an organization for the registration and promotion of Morabs so the breed could continue. It was agreed to accept all horses registered with the Clovis-based registry, despite the (initially unknown) fact that a large number of thes horses were registered on "type" rather than pedigree. After transferring the pedigrees of a number of horses from previous registries, it was noticed that many registered Morabs displayed unknown lineage, and were therefore did not meet a purebreeding standard. In light of this, NAMHA administration began a process of organizational restructuring, focusing on defining the qualifications for Morab horse registry.
In 1987 the International Morab Breeders' Association, Inc. (IMBA) was incorporated and continues today, in conjunction with the International Morab Registry, a breed registry emphasizing true Morab type based on Morgan and Arabian lineage. Much like the Morgan Registry, the Association originally accepted any Morab that was registered with any prior Morab registry, regardless of pedigree, in an effort to protect breed history and maintain continuity. In addition, the International Half Morab Registry was started in 1997 to register horses with one known Morab parent.
In early 1998, NAMHA resurfaced within the Purebred Morab Horse Association (PMHA). The focus of the PMHA is to promote horses of only documented purebred Morgan and Arabian parentage, and to create a credible name for such horses in the United States equestrian industry. Horses from the Hearst Memorial Registry and NAMHA remain active in the PMHA, but are not used for continuity of the breed, and are given separate award programs. The NAMHA is no longer open for new registration.
In 1999, a third registry was created in Illinois, called the Morab Horse Association and Register, or MHA. MHA was very active in the promotion of the Morab breed throughout the country, especially in the Midwest. MHA attended both the Midwest Horse Expo and the Minnesota Horse Expo, in addition to being invited to Breyerfest at the Kentucky Horse Park. The MHA also offered a national championship show, entitled the United Classic, which was a Class A breed show with the Arabian and Morgan horse registries. In 2008 the MHA registry merged into the PMHA. This merger was complete by late 2009, retaining the name of PMHA but carrying on many of the programs developed by both organizations.
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