Passport Silhouettes

[KarynK]

I am gathering information, I am wondering how many Passport Issuing Organisations allow owners to fill in the registration silhouette if the animal is micro chipped?

I know most vets charge as much to draw some red lines as they do to microchip so it could add to breeder’s costs if both are required to be done by the vet after compulsory microchipping comes in post 1st July 2008.

DEFRA’a stance on this is

“... another person may sign the silhouette provided the horse is microchipped and the microchip number is recorded in the passport.”

So can I ask if your breed society or stud book allows the owner to fill in the silhouette if the horse has been micro chipped? Could you tell me the society name as well?

 

[sam72431]

I was under the impression that an ai could with any passport may be wrong though!

 

[Hollycat]

KWPN said the vet had to to do mine - and this was change of ownership for a mature horse, not a foal's firwst registration or anything.

 

[Ciss]

Different PIOs have different requirments as to whom is the responsbile authority allowed to fill them in. Most specifiy that it must be a vet, some (mostly ID-only PIOs such as Pet ID or stud books that have foal inspections such as BHHS) have a set list of agents/reps/inspectors who will fill in the IDs for you and a few (mainly native studbooks such as WPCS) also allow people who have filled in 5 passports in the past to continue doing it.

You have to abide by the rules of your studbook so you don't really have much choice as to who does it. However, as part of the consultation process relating to the introduction of microchips, Defra, BEVA and thr PIOs are looking into the possibility of mass/group micrpchipping events (probably at locations that people will probably be attending already with foals) which would bring down costs for those that attend. Wil keep you posted on this.

 

[magic104]

When I lost the AQHA passport for my mare I was permitted to fill it in as she was MC'd. I combined it for the foals anyway, when they were due their 1st vaccs they were MC'd & ID at the same time.

 

[KarynK]

Thanks, it's just that there does not appear to be any consistency.

I cannot see the point in doing them when the PIO inserts photos, certainly some I have seen are open to abuse as the markings are on a separate page with no horse name on it, currently the vet does not see or sign the photos!

With mine there is absolutely no point in filling them in as they change so much that by the time they are yearlings the don't have half the markings on their passport!!

There seem to be hints in the literature that they are going to faze them out, but we will see. The Microchip is a much better standard for identification.

 

[Ciss]

[ QUOTE ]
With mine there is absolutely no point in filling them in as they change so much that by the time they are yearlings the don't have half the markings on their passport!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Rin's WPCS passport (filled in by his breeder) includes the totally useless (and confusing) statement 'Hooves white when born now striped' !!! and igniores some huge whorls on his neck. When the vet came to vaccinate him last year she took one look at it, said 'That will never prove anything as far as identity is concerned' and promptly microchipped him which was by far the best thing to do.

[ QUOTE ]
There seem to be hints in the literature that they are going to faze them out, but we will see. The Microchip is a much better standard for identification.

[/ QUOTE ]

From 1 July 2009 onwards all animals being provided with a passport for the first time must have a microchip instered *before* the ID is completed so that the bar code number can be included in the ID. (There may be a few exceptions for this for feral herds but discussion is on-going and I'll let everyone know about developments on this). As microchipping is an invasive act, it has to be done by vets, especially as in horses (unlike dogs and cats) it is not sub-cutanueous but has to go much deeper into the muscle, so the vets will proably do the ID at the same time anyway whether they are the only catgeory of approved authority specified by the PIO or not.

For those of us who have horses/ponies that are likely to change colour over time (and that includes all of us with greys as well as spotties, dilutes etc) this is by far the best way of achieving permanent identification so it will be intersting to see what PIOs do about silhouettes in the future.

BTW, ID-certifcaters employed by ID-only PIOs are specifically prohibited from doing microchipping in horses (although they can in cats and dogs etc) for insurance reasons -- and becase there is a possibility if things go wrong that sedatives etc would need to be used -- and from what the boss of Pet-ID was saying at the last micrchipping meeting that is unlikely to change.