Horse birthdays?

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lilyhopkins_

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I brought my boy back in August, he was my first horse but my mum had owned horses in the past so nothing new to us. When we brought him we were told he was 16. On his passport it has no date he was born, only the year, 2000.

When looking through some of the paperwork his old owners gave him I found a microchip registration which has his date of birth as the 1st of April. I asked my mum about this and she said it's the date they give horses which have unknown birthdays. I'm confused though as I know a few people who celebrate their horses birthday on the 1st of January. Also, when looking I found that all thoroughbred (he is a thoroughbred cross) birthdays are the 1st of January. So why is my horse the 1st of April? Could anyone explain as I am new to this kind of thing and my mum never had any experience with this kind of thing?
 
Sorry to say but I guess neither will be correct even today it is very easy to put whatever you like on the documentation its a little less likely as by law they need to be chipped and passported within 7 months of their birth however there are still loads that are getting new chips and passports later in life. I wouldnt get to hung up on it as its very common and doesnt change the horse in any way.

When was the chip implanted and why no year of birth? What date was his passport issued?
 
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Full TBs have always had their ages calculated from 1st January for competition purposes even when their actual birthdays are known. If a horse's actual birthdate isn't known then it's easiest to put their birthdays as 1st Jan. Years ago it was 1st May that was used as the date for non-TBs but that has changed now so if you compete then your horses age is calculated from 1st Jan. For example, my pony is a late summer foal, he is actually less than 4 and a half at the moment but when he goes showing he's classified as 5yo as from yesterday Jan 1st

Just for fun I like to think my pony is like the Queen - he has an actual birthday and an 'official' birthday :)
 
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popsdosh said:
Sorry to say but I guess neither will be correct even today it is very easy to put whatever you like on the documentation its a little less likely as by law they need to be chipped and passported within 7 months of their birth however there are still loads that are getting new chips and passports later in life. I wouldnt get to hung up on it as its very common and doesnt change the horse in any way.

When was the chip implanted and why no year of birth? What date was his passport issued?
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He was born in 2000 but was chipped until 2010. Passport wasn't issued until 2005. I have no idea why, I know nothing of his past and neither does previous owner.
 
catkin said:
Full TBs have always had their ages calculated from 1st January for competition purposes even when their actual birthdays are known. If a horse's actual birthdate isn't known then it's easiest to put their birthdays as 1st Jan. Years ago it was 1st May that was used as the date for non-TBs but that has changed now so if you compete then your horses age is calculated from 1st Jan. For example, my pony is a late summer foal, he is actually less than 4 and a half at the moment but when he goes showing he's classified as 5yo as from yesterday Jan 1st

Just for fun I like to think my pony is like the Queen - he has an actual birthday and an 'official' birthday :)
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Oh okay, thank you! I plan on taking him out showing in the summer and years to come so wondering how long until I can take him veteran classes. He'll be 18 next summer so I guess I take him in them then!
 
popsdosh said:
So 2000 is most likely a guess?
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I don't know, he was definitely not born any earlier than 2000. When he was vetted before we brought him the vet said he was surprised with the lack of scars he had for the age he was so I don't know if that means he is younger then we originally thought? Like I said before, I've only had him 5 months and 2 previous owners have no idea about his past.
 
The date - even the year - of birth for horses without pedigree breeding and born pre passport rules is nothing more than a vague stab in the dark. Most passported later in life - as yours was - loose a few years. A younger horse is more saleable, and the longer you can keep them under 12 the cheaper the insurance is!

In reality your horse could well have been born before 2000. Passport rules came in in 2004 - so that is why his passport wasn't issued until 2005. The requirement to have a microchip in order to sell came in in 2009 - so that is why he was chipped then rather than earlier.

He has clearly had a few previous owners - no-one really bothered with passports or chips until they come to sell so I assume he changed hands at least twice. You could try tracing them back to see if you can get an idea of his true age. But in practical terms it really doesn't matter. Make his "birthday" any day you want. He is clearly a veteran for the purposes of veteran classes. For care purposes treat him as you find him. Don't worry too much about what his "true" age is.

Edited to add... using 1st April as a birth date might be a hint at the accuracy of the year of birth? or someone's sense of humour!!
 
Shay said:
The date - even the year - of birth for horses without pedigree breeding and born pre passport rules is nothing more than a vague stab in the dark. Most passported later in life - as yours was - loose a few years. A younger horse is more saleable, and the longer you can keep them under 12 the cheaper the insurance is!

In reality your horse could well have been born before 2000. Passport rules came in in 2004 - so that is why his passport wasn't issued until 2005. The requirement to have a microchip in order to sell came in in 2009 - so that is why he was chipped then rather than earlier.

He has clearly had a few previous owners - no-one really bothered with passports or chips until they come to sell so I assume he changed hands at least twice. You could try tracing them back to see if you can get an idea of his true age. But in practical terms it really doesn't matter. Make his "birthday" any day you want. He is clearly a veteran for the purposes of veteran classes. For care purposes treat him as you find him. Don't worry too much about what his "true" age is.

Edited to add... using 1st April as a birth date might be a hint at the accuracy of the year of birth? or someone's sense of humour!!
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Thank you for shedding some light! I don't think he was born earlier than 2000 though, me and my mum are always joking about how he doesn't act his age :D
 
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