Horse Passports

DEFRA state that all horses and ponies (and other forms of equidae eg donkeys and ponies) need to have a passport identifying the animal. Owners of foals need to obtain a passport for it on or before 31st December of the year of its birth, or by six months after its birth, whichever is later. Owners of older horses who have yet to apply for a horse passport should do so immediately.

Why you need a horse passport ?
1. You could be fined up to £5000 if you don't have an up-to-date horse passport.
Horse passports are important because they help to:
2. make sure horses that have been treated with certain medicines don't make it into food intended for humans
3. stop the possible spread of diseases, like African Horse Sickness, by restricting horse movements
4. prevent the sale of stolen horses - when you buy a horse, its passport proves its identity
If you don't have a valid horse passport, you can't do things like:
5. use your horse in competitions, like a race or show
6. move your horse to a new premises
7. sell or export your horse
8. use your horse for breeding
9. have your horse slaughtered for human consumption

The Law
Horse passport regulations 2004 requires all horses, ponies and donkeys in the UK to have a passport, and for that passport to be kept up to date. The enforcement of the legislation ensures the continued availability of veterinary medicines such as Bute, these medicines would otherwise be withdrawn with serious implications to the welfare of horses.

Cost
Despite the increase in VAT the online purchase of a Horse passport will remain at £21 for 2010. The cost of change of ownership is £12.50 and amendments are £10, updating microchip details are free. Change of ownership carried out by post costs £14 which reflects the handling and processing costs.
It takes 12 days to process a passport.

Before applying for a passport ensure that your horse has not already got one
All equines must now have been micro chipped when applying for a passport under EC Directive 504/208 and this must be verified on the application form by a veterinary surgeon.
Information included in a horse passport
Horse passports are small booklets that contain details about your horse, including:
• its appearance, which is illustrated in diagram called a ‘silhouette'
• its age
• its breed/type
• all the medications it has been given (if it has been declared ‘intended for human consumption')

Change of Ownership
When you purchase a horse you have 30 days to notify the organisation that issued the passport. The Horse passport agency will still accept late applications and will not penalize you. There are online services to change the ownership without sending the original passport. Within 10 days you will receive a receipt label to attach to your passport.
If the horse passport agency did not issue your passport you need to contact the organisation that issued the passport.
NB Owners who are stopped by trading standards would be liable to a fine if their details were not correct.

Many horses and ponies have already been issued with some sort of registration document from a breed society. In such cases do not apply for an identity passport from the Passport Agency until you have contacted the relevant breed society, as this document may already be a legal passport or could be updated to become a legal passport.

Micro chips
From the 1st July 2009 all equines have to be micro chipped by a veterinary surgeon and have this information verified on the passport application for by the vet. This only affects animals that do not already have a passport.

For further details about Horse Passports go to the Horse Passport Agency go to the website to download your application.

FAQ's
I have lost my horse's passport. What do I do now?
If the Horse has been recorded in your ownership with the Passport Agency you can request a duplicate passport on-line through their On-Line Services section which should ensure the passport is despatched to you within a couple of days. The fee for a duplicate passport is £25.00

A duplicate passport by law will be stamped as duplicate and unless the passport agency have sight of the original, it will have to be signed as not for human consumption.
If the horse is not registered in your ownership you will need to:

A. Write to the Passport Agency identifying the animal and stating the passport is lost or destroyed. You must also state that you undertake to return the original passport if it reappears.

B. Send a completed change of ownership form and a letter from the last recorded owner stating that they have sold the animal to you.

C. A new set of markings taken by a veterinary surgeon within the last 6 weeks.

D. Send a cheque that includes the fees for a Duplicate Passport and a Change of Ownership (Registration Fees) payable to Horse Passport Agency.

What does an Identity passport look like?
• The passport is a cream colour, A5 in size and bound (using the same system as used for racehorse passports) in a tough clear plastic. It contains all the pages you will need to meet the requirements of the legislation.

My horse is "micro chipped" - how will this affect my registration?
• If your horse is already micro chipped you will still need to get a vet to verify the details and write this onto the application form.
My horse is freeze marked - how will this affect my registration?
• The law requires that a vet shows this on the silhouette, along with the site of the microchip even if the rest of the silhouette is not going to be completed.

I am the permanent keeper of a horse for example "On Loan" am I responsible for obtaining the passport?
• No. It is the responsibility of the horse owner to obtain a passport. If a horse is on permanent loan, the keeper should hold the passport. The "keeper" means a person who is not the owner of a horse but is appointed by the owner to have day-to-day charge of that horse. There is no minimum age limit for applying for a horse passport.

Can I change my horse's name?
You can do this on-line using the On-Line Services section of the Horse passport agency.

If I am a member of British Dressage or British Eventing is this a passport for my horse?
No being a member of these societies is not the same as a Passport. You would need a passport to be able to compete and enter the competitions for British Dressage and British Eventing.

For further details about Horse Passports go to the Horse Passport Agency, go to the website to download your application.

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