has anyone done it to verify parents? We acquired a gelding with no back story. We was told he was papered at one point in time. It's pretty irrelevant since he is a gelding but I'd like to know his back story and why he is the way he is. He is about as perfect as one can get as far as confirmation goes and he has a pretty halter horse head and he naturally carries head level like a pleasure horse. If it's relevant we think he's around 10 give or take a year. 

Yes. A friend did and just got results--found her mare's papers. 

It doesn't exactly work like that!  

How does it work? 

Im curious, cause I think it would be cool to be able to do this

You have to have the names of the horses for them to check the DNA with. They can't just run your horses DNA through & tell you the parents.  

 This. If you have a horse that has registered parents, you have to know who the parents are if AQHA or APHA. I have no idea if another breed because I have not dealt with any other breed. To find who parents are is not going to happen. If you buy a youngster and want to register it, you have to know mother and father, you do a DNA test to verify parentage which proves mother and father which again you ALREADY know. The mother will be on a stallion report saying that she was actually bred to said stallion.  The stallion owner will give or send you paperwork ( a breeder's certificate) that says the mare was bred to the stallion and all fees have been paid so everything is up to date. I know this sounds complicated but it is the checks and balances that keeps everything legal.   I can't breed a mare to a stallion and take any leftovers and breed another mare without paying the stallion owner etc.