Horseracing is a 24-hour sport as well as a business. It employs hundreds of thousands of people globally and hundreds of thousands of horse thoroughbreds that amuse millions worldwide. These extraordinary equine athletes have been given many superlatives by their devoted owners. Each thoroughbred is unique and must be recognised once they arrive at the racetrack to compete in the race they have entered.
What Exactly Is a Horse Chip? A microchip is a tiny computer chip around the size of a rice grain. It has a one-of-a-kind code that matches a specific racehorse’s details. Microchipping a horse is a straightforward and quick procedure. The chip is implanted with a needle through the back of the neck in seconds. A portable electronic tool scanner may be used to test horses for microchips. The scanner recognises the unique information within the chip when carried around the Horse’s neck.
A passport is a necessary measure comprising a little booklet or smart card that identifies and saves the Horse’s height and species. The Central Equine Database (CED) is a database that includes all of the information on horses.
This database provides contact information for the trainer, the Horse’s passport, the Passport Issuing Organization (PIO) with whom it is registered, and microchip information. This database provides a trustworthy digital service that allows you to confirm that your Horse’s data is up to date, report your Horse as missing or stolen, set up statuses and alerts on the national chip checker, and guarantee any horses for sale are legal.
Microchip Prices for Thoroughbred Horses
A racehorse must be microchipped by a Coding Specialist or a Veterinarian appointed by the Racing Authorities, which might cost between £25 and £30 per Racehorse. Microchipping is a straightforward procedure, but it does include a needle, so the Horse may experience discomfort for a few seconds, similar to when they get immunisations.
By October 2020, all racehorses in England, Scotland, and Wales were to be microchipped. Because the contact information on the microchip was up to date, if the Horse went missing, the owner or racehorse trainer could be contacted quickly.
If your Horse is linked, information about them, like the PIO they’ve registered with, will be shown. The microchip may not be registered with the passport if the PIO does not show. Thus the owner or trainer should notify the PIO.
Failure to microchip a racehorse will result in penalties.
Owners who do not have their horses microchipped, passported, and registered with the CED face a £200 fine. If a racehorse changes hands from one trainer to another or from one trainer’s training yard to another in the same nation, the owner must supply the new owner with the necessary microchip registration documents and passports so that they may contact the database and register as the new owner.
A new owner may check the status of the passport’s registration by entering the Horse’s microchip number into the CED. The new owner must notify the PIO of their new contact information within 30 days. In the horseracing business, this information is non-negotiable, and penalties will be enforced if the regulations are not carefully followed.
Microchips and Lip Tattoos
Beginning January 1, 2020, every Thoroughbred that has never been lip tattooed and is making its first career start in a recognised pari-mutuel race must have the TRPB Digital Tattoo adequately identified and authorised to participate. The long-standing practice of branding horses on the inner lip was phased away at the end of 2019; nevertheless, horses with lip tattoos will be permitted to run for the rest of their Racing lives.
The International Association of Racing Commissioners (ARCI) has produced a standard guideline for Digital Tattoos. The Racing Authorities law requires the racing secretary to ensure that all Thoroughbred horses foaled in 2018 or later have a Digital Tattoo before participating beginning January 1, 2020.
The Digital Tattoo is an electronic validation of a horse’s identity. This digitisation is performed by a Coding expert specialising in administering these tattoos. The Specialist uses a scanner to read the Horse’s microchip, linked to computerised registration information. After thoroughly scrutinising the markings and foal photographs in the Horse’s computer record, the technician certifies the Horse’s identity and uploads a selection of digital images documenting the Horse’s markings to The Jockey Club’s database.
The Specialist will digitally stamp the electronic registration certificate or the Horse’s passport. This Digital Tattoo shows that the appropriate Racing Authority will have authenticated the Horse’s identity and supplied updated digital photos to the breed registry’s database.
Description of the Lip Tattoo
If a person purchases a retired racehorse without registration paperwork, they may use the tattoo to find out the Horse’s registered name (for free) and even information about its racing career (for a fee). This tattoo may also help in identifying stolen horses.
A thoroughbred tattoo comprises one letter representing the Horse’s birth year, followed by four or five digits. An asterisk (*) will appear at the beginning of the tattoo for horses. Most Jockey Clubs include a free tattoo lookup service, a research registry, and a frequently asked questions section, which includes a video demonstrating how to read a lip tattoo.
Four or five numbers followed by a letter differentiate a quarterhorse tattoo from a thoroughbred tattoo. More information about quarterhorse tattoos and registration may be found at the American Quarter Horse Association.
A History of the Racehorse
The breeder should be the Horse’s first registered keeper. When the Horse is sold, the breeder must provide the new owner with the Racehorse’s microchip and passport documentation. The Horse will now be registered with its new owner, and the custodian of the Horse will no longer be the trainer chosen by the owner to care for the Horse throughout its racing career. This registration indicates that this person has legal responsibility for the Horse and may be held accountable if it breaks any laws, but it does not indicate legal ownership, which remains with the Horse’s owner.