Naked Foal Syndrome Testing

The ATAA continues to support NFS Testing. For $40, the ATAA will have your horse tested for NFS. The ATAA has will pay half of the testing fee ($20) for stallions currently at stud and broodmares in foal provided it is not the offspring of tested parents that are already proven to NOT be carriers of NFS.

Naked Foal results are now printed on ATAA registration certificates. If your horse has been tested through the ATAA, the ATAA Registrar has a copy of the test result. The results will be printed on the ATAA Registration certificate. We ask that owners who paid privately for this test, share those results with the ATAA Registrar to help us prevent future cases of NFS.

The offspring of tested parents that do NOT carry the recessive lethal gene for NFS will NOT be carriers of NSF.  This too will be indicated on the ATAA registration papers. 

Want to learn more about NFS testing? Visit our NFS webpage. Not sure your horse or its parents have been tested? Check on the NFS result page. How to read the results on the certificate is listed HERE.

If you should have any questions, please contact the Registrar for assistance:

ATAA Registrar
Amrita Ibold                                        
2097 West Valley Road                                                    
Friday Harbor, WA 98250                                          
(360) 378-8386                                                            
ibolds@rockisland.com   

Naked Foal Syndrome (NFS) DNA Sample Collection Instructions:

  1. The genetic tests for horses are performed by extracting DNA from a hair sample collected from the horse’s mane and/or tail. To collect a sample of your horse, first make sure the horse is not wet when collecting a sample. A sample is collected by pulling 30-40 mane and/or tail hairs from a horse. It is important to pull the hairs and confirm that the actual root of the hair is attached. The root of the hair is what contains the genetic material of your horse. Therefore, hairs that break off or cut hairs do not provide an adequate sample of your horse. The mane hair of a foal can be very fine and not have much of a root for us to work with. When collecting a sample from a young foal, it is often better to collect the hair from the tail of the horse instead of the mane.
  2. Once the hair has been collected, place the sample in a paper envelope that is labeled with the horse’s name. It is important that the hair sample is not wet. Moisture and warmth might give bacteria an opportunity to grow which could damage the DNA.
  3. Download the DNA Testing form (below on this page) and complete the Owner Information and Horse Information blocks on the form for each horse being tested.  Mail DNA testing form, payment, and DNA sample to: ??

          ATAA Registrar
          Amrita Ibold                                        
          2097 West Valley Road                                                    
          Friday Harbor, WA 98250     

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