Frequently Asked Questions

No, photos are completely optional and not required for DNA testing.

If you choose to include a photo, it will be featured on your horse’s breed certificate and the cover of your DNA report. Many of our customers enjoy this added personal touch, especially when sharing results or keeping them as a memento or gift.

You can print the DNA sample submission sheet by clicking here.

Our main mailing address is:

All results are delivered by email. This allows us to provide a faster turnaround while also reducing paper usage.

You’re welcome to print your results at home or through a professional printing service if you’d like a physical copy.

No problem at all! Simply email your horse’s photo to info@dnamyhorse.com.

Please include the name the order was placed under or your order number so we can match the photo to your test.

Each horse receives a personalized DNA report delivered by email. If you submit a photo of your horse (optional), it will be featured on the report cover and on the breed composition certificate. The certificate can be printed for display or shared on social media.

Your report identifies the most likely breed influences detected in your horse’s genetic makeup and includes an explanation of the results. Depending on the breeds found, the report may also include breed-specific information such as origin, uses, temperament, conformation, nutrition, and health concerns commonly associated with those breeds.

Please note that horse breed testing is not an exact science. The results are intended to provide insight into the most likely breed influences present in your horse’s DNA, but not every possible influence may appear. In some cases, one or more of the reported breeds may be closer to ancestral influence rather than recent breed composition, and closely related breeds may receive similar probabilities due to shared genetic foundations. Exact breed percentages cannot be provided.

Please note that our horse breed composition test does not include a DNA Typing Report. DNA typing may be purchased separately for an additional fee.

The free parentage search included with your test allows us to perform parentage confirmation when your horse’s DNA is submitted along with possible sire and/or dam samples under the same account, provided all samples meet testing requirements and each horse has a prepaid test. Please note that we do not currently offer database-wide parentage searches. At this time, parentage confirmation is limited to horses submitted under the same account.

Our testing process is designed to provide meaningful insight into the most likely breed influences present in your horse’s DNA. However, no medical, scientific, or genetic test can be considered 100% accurate, and horse breed testing is not an exact science.

While the laboratory methods used are highly accurate, there are limitations that can affect results. These may include sample quality issues such as contamination, degradation, handling problems, allele dropout, and human or environmental factors during collection, packaging, handling, or transit before the sample reaches the lab. In addition, the complexity of equine genetics means that some horses, particularly those with highly blended backgrounds, can be more difficult to interpret with certainty.

In general, horses with simpler or more distinct breed backgrounds are more likely to produce clearer results. As breed backgrounds become more mixed or complex, the probability of a less definitive result increases.

It is also important to note that we do not test for every horse breed. If a breed is not represented in our testing system, the analysis may instead identify the closest related or most genetically similar breed influences available in our database. In addition, many modern horse breeds, including popular breeds such as the Quarter Horse, were historically developed from combinations of other breeds. Due to these shared foundations and overlapping genetic traits, closely related breeds may receive similar probabilities in the analysis. As a result, one related breed may appear in the results even when a similar breed is more recent in the horse’s background. This is because DNA testing measures genetic similarity to known breed profiles, not registry status or documented pedigree.

Our breed test is intended to identify the most likely breed influences detected in your horse’s DNA, but it may not capture every possible influence. In some cases, reported breeds may reflect deeper ancestral influence rather than recent breed composition. While our algorithm is designed to target recent breed composition as much as possible, some influences may originate further back in the pedigree.

For these reasons, DNA testing should be viewed as an informative tool rather than a definitive registry determination. A horse may genetically align strongly with a breed, but DNA testing alone cannot confirm official purebred status without registration records, verified pedigree documentation, or confirmation through the appropriate breed registry.

As outlined in our Terms and Conditions, results of any kind are not guaranteed and remain subject to the limitations of sample quality, database scope, breed similarity, algorithmic interpretation, and the overall interpretive nature of horse breed analysis.

At this time, we can only perform parentage confirmation, not an open-ended search for unknown sires or dams. If you submit your horse’s DNA along with possible sire and dam samples under the same account, we can compare those samples for a potential match, provided each horse has a prepaid test and all samples meet testing requirements.

Please note that we do not currently offer database-wide parentage searches. Parentage review is limited to the samples submitted under your account and does not include searching across other customers’ horses or our broader records.

A match cannot be considered unless the relevant comparison samples are submitted and meet testing standards. Results are not guaranteed and remain subject to sample quality, testing limitations, and the information available at the time of analysis.

To order a horse breed DNA test, simply place your order through our website. After checkout, print the DNA Sample Submission Form and mail it to us along with your horse’s hair sample using a regular envelope and stamp. Hair collection and mailing instructions are provided on the form.

Once your sample is received and logged, we will send a confirmation email. Results are then delivered by email in a personalized DNA report, along with a breed composition certificate that you may save, print, or share on social media.

For privacy and security reasons, we are unable to manually accept payments. All test purchases must be completed through our website so your payment and order information can be securely processed and matched to your sample.

Please note that a prepaid order must be placed before a sample can be accepted for testing. As each sample must be matched to a corresponding order, we are unable to process samples received without an associated prepaid purchase. Unmatched biological samples may be discarded in accordance with our handling and disposal procedures.

While every precaution is taken to support accurate testing, there are occasions where a horse’s DNA test may return as inconclusive. This means our breed identification algorithm was unable to meet the required parameters to confidently determine recent breed composition.

Inconclusive results may occur for a variety of reasons, including sample quality issues such as contamination, degradation from heat, moisture, or handling; natural DNA variation such as low concentration or allele dropout; or breed complexity, particularly in horses with highly blended or overlapping backgrounds that are more difficult to interpret with confidence.

Some breed combinations can be more challenging for the algorithm to resolve. This is especially true where closely related breeds share strong ancestral overlap.

If your horse’s results are deemed inconclusive, you will receive a full refund of your test purchase. Refunds are issued back to the original form of payment, subject to the policies and processing times of the payment provider.

Please note that results of any kind are not guaranteed, as some horses’ genetic backgrounds may fall outside what our current algorithm can fully resolve.

You are welcome to resubmit or retest a horse whose results were previously inconclusive. However, while some retests do produce clearer results, a conclusive outcome cannot be guaranteed, particularly if the limitation relates to the horse’s genetic background rather than the sample itself. Retests may also require additional procedures and can take longer than standard processing times, in some cases up to 30 days.

No, a DNA test cannot determine your horse’s exact age. Our test is designed to identify breed influences within your horse’s DNA, not estimate age.