Registry Associate

American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid holidays

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Retirement plan with employer match

Remote work on Fridays

PSLF eligibility

Job summary

American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association is seeking a Registry Associate in Lexington. You will process registrations and transfers, manage records, and serve as the primary contact for members by phone and email. The role requires attention to detail and comfort representing the association at shows and events.

The position offers Fridays remote work, a collaborative small team, and opportunities to become an expert in Saddlebred pedigrees and registry rules.

Qualifications

• You must have a high school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience in administrative/registry work is preferred.
• Knowledge of Saddlebred or equine industry is helpful but not required.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds and sit/stand for extended periods.

Responsibilities

• Process registrations, ownership transfers, name changes, DNA requests, and stallion service reports.
• Maintain horse, ownership, pedigree, show, and prize program records.
• Prepare and verify registration certificates and official documents.
• Serve as first contact for members by phone and email.
• Follow up on missing paperwork and incomplete applications.
• Escalate disputes and policy questions to the Registrar.
• Represent ASHBA at horse shows and events, staffing booths.

Skills

Customer service

Records management

Microsoft Office

Team player

Attention to detail

Education

High school diploma

Tools

SharePoint

Job description

About Us

For 135 years, the American Saddlebred Horse and Breeders Association has been the keeper of one of America's original horse breeds. We are the registry of record for more than 291,000 American Saddlebreds, and our archives hold over eight decades of pedigree history. If a Saddlebred exists, we can tell you where it came from.

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based at the Kentucky Horse Park, with a team of fifteen servingroughly5,000members,29Charter Clubs, and12Youth Clubs across the country and beyond. Our work runs from recording pedigrees and transfers to funding youth scholarships, welfare grants, and free introductory riding programs that bring new people to the breed.

About the Role

The Registry Associate is the person members reach when something needs to be recorded correctly. Reporting to the Registrar, you will process the registrations, ownership transfers, name changes, DNA results, and stallion service reports that keep the registryaccurate. A registration certificate follows a horse for its entire life and travels with it through sales, breeding decisions, and competition records for generations.This is acustomer facingjob. You will be on the phone and in your inbox with members most days, and several times a year you will be outat eventsrepresentingthe Association in person.

This role follows established registry procedures, catches incomplete or inconsistent submissions, and brings anything requiring policy interpretation to the Registrar. It is based in our Lexington office with remote work on Fridays, and it includesoccasionaltravel to horse shows, our annual Convention, and member events, some of which fall on evenings and weekends.We’rea small team, and during show season everyone pitches in, sometimes outside of their normal day to day.

What You'll Do

• Process registrations, transfers of ownership, name changes, DNA requests and results, and stallion service reports arriving by mail, email, and the online portal

• Maintain horse, ownership, pedigree, show, and prize program records in the registry database

• Prepare and verify registration certificates and other official documentation before it goes out the door

• Serve as a first point of contact for members by phone and email on registration requirements, documentation, DNA, and fees

• Chase down missing paperwork and follow up on incomplete applications, which is often the difference between a file that closes in a week and one that sits for a month

• Escalate disputes, policy questions, and judgment calls to the Registrar

• Represent ASHBA at horse shows, Convention, and educational programs, staffing booths and helping exhibitors, breeders, and owners face to face

• Grow, over your first year, into a working expert on Saddlebred pedigrees and registry rules

About You

• You bring administrative, records management, customer service, or registry experience, and you take real pride inaccuratework

• You enjoycustomersserviceand building relationships remembering to everyone you interactwithyou’retheassociation

• You are a team player on asmall team;busy stretches depend on everyone stepping into support each other and the association as a whole

• You notice when something is off: a misspelled name, a date that does not line up, a signature that never made it onto the form

• You are comfortable telling a member their application is incomplete, and doing it in a way that keeps them a member

• You are steady with repetition and find satisfaction in clearing a queue

• You work confidentlyand are proficientin Microsoft Office(Word, Excel, Outlook, and SharePoint)andhave the ability to learn new databases and project management tools quickly.

• You know the difference between a call you can make and one that belongs to your manager

• A high school diploma or equivalent isrequired

• Helpful but nuestrorequired: knowledge of the American Saddlebred or the wider equine industry, experience with a breed registry, horse show organization, or equine association, and familiarity with pedigrees, ownership transfers, or DNA parentage verification. If you grew up in the barn and have been looking for a career path in the industry, this is one of the few desks where that background is a direct professional asset

• The role involveslifting upto 25 pounds for filing and shipping, and sitting or standing for extended periods

More about working at ASHBA

• More than 4weeks of paid vacationplus paid sick leave

• 14 paid holidays, the full week between Christmas and New Year's Day, and a floating holiday of your choosing

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, with ASHBA coveringthe large majority ofthe employee premium

• Retirement plan with an employer match

• Remote work on Fridays

• As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, ASHBA is a qualifying employer under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program