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[RC] Registration Papers/Proof of Ownership - k s swigartLaney said: I guess we, the public, have somehow gotten the idea that registries have the additional function of keeping track of ownership in the same way that ownership of a vehicle goes along with registration. Because registries don't do that, it seems even sillier to me when owners refuse to pass along registration papers when a horse (dog, cat or whatever) is sold since registration papers are not proof of ownership. For California (laws in your state may vary): The "registration papers" on a vehicle and the registration papers on a horse are quite comparable. And if you are the registered owner of a horse, most courts will accept this as title unless somebody else has something else that shows clear title (like a bill of sale signed by you as the registered owner). This is true for vehicle registration as well. The registered owner and the title holder may not necessarily be the same entity, like of their is a lien on the vehicle or if the registered owner has transferred title of the vehicle to somebody else, but that somebody else has not (yet) re-registered it in their own name. Most purchasers of vehicles fairly quickly re-register it, since it is required to have a current registration for a vehicle to operate it on public roads; however, if you buy an old truck to use as a farm vehicle with no intention of ever taking it out on the road, you may not go to the trouble (or expense) of re-registering it in your name....it is still your truck as long as you hold the title (signed over by the previous registered title holder). If you have the horse, but not the registration papers, and somebody else DOES have the registration papers showing himself to be the owner, YOU had better have something else showing you are in legal possession of the horse. Otherwise, that registered owner could come "repossess" his horse. A bill of sale from an auction house is only good for title to the horse if the auction house has something from the person who consigned the horse to the auction demonstrating that THEY had title to the horse and were authorized to sell it. Auction houses require consigners to sign such statements. For a registered horse, somewhere along the line there has to be evidence of title transfer from the registered owner for the horse to legally cease to belong to that person. Some states issue brand inspections on horses (which are, in essence, title documents). The state of California (much to the chagrin of Californians who try to travel out of state with their horses) does not involve itself in this process. I had a state official once tell me that they had absolutely no desire whatsoever to try to authenticate the legal ownership of every horse in the state and that if a dispute over ownership arose, the state did not want to be in the position of having erroneously issued "title" to the wrong person. In California, the person in possession of a horse is considered the owner, unless somebody else can show clear title....and being the registered owner with some breed registry is evidence of clear title. On the other hand, the state DOES issue title for vehicles (and will reissue new titles to new owners for a fee)....however, it only keeps track of ownership through registration if those owners want to actually drive the vehicle on a public road. kat Orange County, Calif. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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