Passports.. Bit unimpressed tbh

[Ginger Bear]

Contacted my boys passport agency today as friends horse has been stolen so am getting mine freeze marked & wanted to update his breed details etc.. As my passport is pretty empty & useless. While speaking to them via email I asked what prevents a thief applying for a passport for a stolen horse, the response was that there is currently no facility to check other passport agencies databases they can only check their own, so if they don't already hold a passport for that horse they will issue one. So what's the point really? It gives you no protection if your horse is stolen.. I found it very easy to update details without many questions at all, just a firm to fill out & a cheque.. All a bit worrying really..

I also didn't know that updating your passport doesn't update your microchip!

 

[hnmisty]

Yup.

I remember reading about a lady who had loaned her two horses out. Loanee stopped answering calls etc. Lady got suspicious and phoned up the local abattoir. No match on passport numbers, but the man she spoke to asked for descriptions. Yes, they'd had two horses come through matching those descriptions. Woman she'd loaned to had simply had new passports issued.

Personally don't think they are worth the paper they're written on.

 

[Ginger Bear]

My passport says my boy is an ID although he has a weatherbys microchip, I thi k the only thing that matches is the silhouette picture & his chip number.. It was first issued to a dealer who obviously was trying to pass him as anything other than a tb!

I'm now getting the chip updated & he's being freezemarked Saturday.. Passport has never even been registered in any of his last 4 owners names they told me today!

 

[DabDab]

I used to live near a dealer who would quite routinely re-passport TBs as ISH before shipping them from Ireland. She had always seemed nice enough so I got quite friendly with her, and then one day she just showed me all these duplicate passports! There was nothing wrong with the thoroughbreds, they were just worth more with and ISH passport.

 

[honetpot]

Until all the chips are linked to a central database they are pretty much worthless. I keep hoping that the horses meat scandal will make them have to have whole life traceability like pigs, sheep and cows.

 

[Ginger Bear]

It's just a joke really,, we've all got microchips yet they are pretty pointless.. We've all got passports and previous owners/dealers whatever may have duplicates.. My horse was only named by the dealers yard when he was 8, I've managed to trace him & his whereabouts for most of his life..but have no idea what he's been up to. My friends rose was stolen 3 weeks ago & no sign of him which is why I've been looking in to getting all my details up to date.