Microchipping your horse
When do you need to have your horse microchipped?
As from 1st July 2009 it is an offence for a keeper with 'primary care responsibilities ' eg. full livery yards, person caring for horse under loan agreement, breeders, trainers, transporters, to keep a horse that has not been issued with a passport. It is now a requirement that horses are microchipped before a passport is issued. If your horse already has a passport then you do not need to get a microchip if you don't want to.
Passports for foals:
from 1st July 2009, all foals need to be microchipped by a qualified veterinary surgeon to get a passport. This must be done before the foal is 6mths old or by 31st December in the year it is born, whichever is later. However, you need to have your foal microchipped and get a passport if you want to sell or move it without its dam earlier. Please note that some breed societies issue their own microchips and these need to be organised together with the appropriate passport application form before booking the vet to come.
Passports for older horses:
You will need to get your horse microchipped as part of the passport application process. The vet will scan your horse for a microchip before implanting a new one.
How can i check if my horse is microchipped?
If you already have a passport then this should indicate wether or not the horse is microchipped. Look for the following things in your passport:
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There should be a copy of the microchip barcode on the picture page of your passport. Look for a barcode similar to the one opposite and the microchip number is the 15 digit number written below the barcode. Most passports have a specific area on the picture page what will say "microchip" and the barcode should be located in this section.
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Alternatively, if your horse was microchipped at the time the passport was issued then the microchip number should be recorded with the other information on the breeding page as well as on the picture page. |
If you are unsure if your horse is microchipped or you want to check the number in your passport is correct the easiest thing to do is to ask one of our veterinarians to scan your horse for a microchip next time we are out. We can then check in your passport to ensure any microchips found matches the number recorded in your passport or help you organise to have the microchip registered to you.
How Does a Microchip Help To Trace My Horse?
Before a vet implants a microchip in a horse to issue it with a passport, the vet will scan the horse to check a microchip isn't already there. If we detect a microchip we can record the number and check to see if this microchip is registered to anyone or if the horse is listed as missing or stolen. It is routine to scan horses for a microchip at vettings but the onus is on the purchaser to check if the microchip detected is registered with anyone or if the horse has been listed as stolen. The best way to do this is to check with the National Equine Database (NED) or to ask the vet to contact the microchip database to track the microchip details. If a microchip is detected that doesn't match the microchip recorded in the passport then it is best to contact the passport issuing office who issued the passport and advise them of the discrepancy and they will investigate.
How Do I Make Sure My Horses Microchip is Registered To Me?
Initially the easiest way to check if your horses microchip is registered with its passport is to login to NED (http://www.nedonline.co.uk) and enter the microchip number in the search field. If the microchip is registered then the details in your horses passport should come up on the screen. As long as you are listed as the owner of the horse in the passport then this microchip and passport are registered to you. To make this more obvious you can choose to "associate yourself" with the passport on NED as well. If nothing comes up when you enter the microchip number then you need to contact the company that issued the passport to see what they require in order to register your horses microchip to the passport and thus you.
There are also several organisations around the world that maintain a database of microchip numbers and the owners who registered them. Before NED these databases were the ones searched by vets and welfare agencies when they are trying to track an owner through a microchip number and are still frequently used.
