The American Drum Horse Association was established to promote and preserve the Drum Horse breed in America. To this end we have established three registration categories: Drum Horse, Foundation, and Partblood.

The Drum Horse Studbook is for those approved horses that meet all the criteria for registration as a Drum Horse. These horses must be proven to be a combination of any of the following breeds: Shire, Clydesdale, and Gypsy Horse, where no single breed listed above exceeds 7/8 of the total make-up, and the percentage of Gypsy Horse blood does not fall below 1/8. Only horses that are approved and meet all the criteria will be allowed in the Drum Horse studbook. Click for registration forms.

The Foundation Studbook is for those horses that are approved and certified for the breeding of Drum Horses. These horses are approved fullblood Clydesdales, Shires, and Gypsy Horses or approved combinations of these breeds that do not fit the criteria for registry as a Drum Horse. Foals that are born from a cross between a certified Foundation Horse and a Drum Horse which meet the criteria for registry as a Drum Horse will be placed in the Drum Horse studbook. The crossing of two Foundation Horses will result in a horse registered in the Foundation studbook, unless the resulting foal meets the criteria to be registered in the Drum Horse Studbook. Click for registration forms.

The Partblood Studbook - is for those approved crossbred horses whose sire or dam is an ADHA Drum Horse. Horses in this studbook cannot be registered as Drum Horses, nor can they be used to create Drum Horses. These horses can be either heavy or light horse crossbreds. Click for registration forms.

Horses in all studbooks must have DNA on file with the ADHA in order for their foals to be considered for registration or certification. Please refer to the Drum Horse Standard for further explanation of the Studbooks.