Would you buy a horse without a passport?

[merlin12]

Do travellers passport their horses?

Would you buy a horse without a passport?

I think its a bit odd if mature horses don't have passports ,but I am a bit suspicious.

What do people think, what is your experience.

 

[Ditchjumper2]

Yes.

 

[FionaM12]

I think travellers do usually passport horses, yes.

I know it's illegal to sell an unpassported horse. Is it illegal to buy one? It would be to move it, of course.

I probably wouldn't buy an unpassported horse. There again, it would depend on the circumstances. I'd never say never.

 

[Sheep]

It seems to be very common for horses in my part of the world to be unpassported. Quite regularly there are two prices- usually £50 extra with passport..

 

[starbar]

Yes...and I have

 

[Violet]

No!

 

[muddygreymare]

No I wouldn't. I thought it was illegal to sell and travel a horse without a passport, is it also illegal to buy one without one?

 

[flyingfeet]

I bought one last year without a passport, but I knew all the people that owned him since he was 2. There are horses out there that just never had a passport ( he is 17)

 

[Welshie Squisher]

I've bought without a passport, it's quite common I think. It's not hard to get a passport, very easy in fact so I don't see it as much of a big deal.

 

[katie_southwest]

Yes, my mare didnt have a passport. Her owner bought her off gypsies when she was about 2 and kept her on the farm until I bought her when she was about 7 or 8, so I got a passport for her when I bought her.

 

[scrunchie]

Yes. And have done.

A passport isn't proof of ownership anyway, it's for the meat industry so they can track what drugs a horse has had in his lifetime anf whether he is suitable for human consumption or not.

 

[FionaM12]

Yes. And have done.

A passport isn't proof of ownership anyway, it's for the meat industry so they can track a horse through the food chain.

True, but it is a legal responsibility and not difficult to do. I'd wonder what else the previous owner had been irresponsible or remiss about tbh. However, as I said before, it would depend on the circumstances.

If I fell for the horse, I probably just wouldn't care.

 

[vixann]

Yep!!

 

[ponypilotmum]

Yes, and have done - twice. I've sold withut a passport too, but the buyer was a friend and he was being hacked home.

I don't know of any traveller who passports their horses.

 

[miss_wilson]

my horse was not passported or microchipped! the vet filled in the passport form when he vetted her!!
must say it didn`t bother me

 

[FionaM12]

I don't know of any traveller who passports their horses.

When I was horse-hunting last year, I responded to a few ads about travellers' horses near where I live. They were passported, or at least said they were and I saw no reason to doubt.

 

[BeepaStar]

I had the opposite problem.... I bought a horse that had 2 passports! Don't ask! Anyway I've cancelled one & had the other over stamped by the BWB society and registered in my name.

 

[Sukistokes2]

Yes i would and have.
Moses did not have a passport, I was not worried about it as it is not proof of ownership anyhow. I got his done when i had him gelded. He was from Travellers.
It still makes me giggle when i think of those 4 great gypsy lads chasing him, catching him and carrying him up in to the trailer. I am so pleased I brought him. He is a great little horse and the guy who I brought him off died last year and his son does not feed the horses at all now. i rang the RSPCA twice as did others and a couple of weeks ago an eight month old foal died in the field. It made me so glad that Moses was safe in his stable and not dying in a field.

 

[indie999]

Unless I knew it was very young or a baby absolutely not.

I bought a pony unpassported which I passported age unknown and I had obviously been lied to as about 2 years after I sold him he died with his new owner. I felt really bad but had been lied to by the previous owner. His final home the owner said the vet decided he was hell of a lot older than thought(she had him vetted too and was an equine nurse..on trial etc).

So after that and the lies to get a sale. NO! I do not know the exact age of my own horse either. I wish I did. its just guess work but I could add on another 5 years to the age I think he is!

 

[Shooting Star]

would depend on who was selling and if I felt I trusted them.

went to see a horse a few months ago that the seller said didn't have a passport available as apparently had just been sent off to be updated.

Personally I didn't mind about the passport so much but knowing that the seller was a dealer acting as I private seller I was clear that i was happy to view but would not hand over any money without a passport and what do you know the passport miraculously appeared delivered on the morning of the view ... I think not!

Turned out the horse was no good anyway but as I started with would depend very much on gut feel of whether it was genuine or not.

 

[jules9203]

Think most of the above have answered your question - yes I would by an unpassported horse

 

[Jazzy B]

I wouldn't unless knew the history of the horse - went to see a horse that had no passport, the whole thing seemed a bit strange, she had bought the horse from a sale and having decided it was not suitable decided to sell it on! My vet told me he wouldn't vet it and actually it is illegal to sell without a passport. I think the problem lies more if the horse was stolen if original owner appeared with original passport you probably have to give back horse.

 

[FionaM12]

I think the problem lies more if the horse was stolen if original owner appeared with original passport you probably have to give back horse.

A passport isn't proof of ownership though. As someone else said, it's actually more to do with the meat industry and food safety.

 

[Jazzy B]

I should imagine if somebody wanted their horse back after being stolen and had a horses original passport it may have some weight behind it in court - I would hope so??

 

[BeanyG]

I have, went to view a horse from travellers, didn't have passport to see, however fell for the horse and he was in a bad way, agreed a price and he said he could deliver
On delivery he handed over a photocopy of a fillies passport( mine been a colt) but as he was here wasn't too bothered, I hadnt had to transport him without one.
Confident he is legit as he's only a youngster and both parents were there to be seen.
That reminds me- must get him one...
Just worried that I don't have a reciept for him as the bloke couldn't write, also believeable for travellers
N&F

 

[scrunchie]

I should imagine if somebody wanted their horse back after being stolen and had a horses original passport it may have some weight behind it in court - I would hope so??

It might help your case but most passports have "Not proof of ownership" written inside them somewhere. I was told by a horsey lawyer that the best thing to do is keep receipts from vets, feed merchants, etc and take photos of the horse from all angles and close ups of any distinctive marks, plus register with NED.

Passports aren't really worth the paper they're written on - not to the owner anyway. They are more of a license to move and sell the horse.

ETA - I had a run in with trading standards once when I just got Doris, whom I bought without a passport. (A lovely person tried to get me into trouble). All I got was a telling off and I had to prove that I was going to book her into the vet to get her chipped and passported. They weren't really interested. They didn't even bother to contact the old owner.

 

[Clippy]

I bought one with the wrong passport Serves me right for not checking, it cost me near enough £100 by the time i'd paid the vets call out for the microchip then paid for the passport

 

[sywell]

It is not an offence to buy a horse without a passport but it is an offence to posses a horse without a passport. The trading standards officer is irresponsible not to have chased up the person who sold the horse without a passport. Seeing the spread of the sheep problem it makes it important to have horses registered on a database so when a disease out break occurs it is clear what resources are needed to control the outbreak and people should be aware that if your horses was destroyed because it had say African Horse Sickness you would get no compensation you would only get compensation it the horse was destroyed and did not have AHS. I appreciate peoples attitude to horse passports but at the end of the day it could be in you own best interest to have one and the ID only passport issuers do not charge much for a passport.

 

[Faberge]

I would never even consider buying a horse without a passport

 

[Clippy]

the ID only passport issuers do not charge much for a passport.

It's the cost of getting the vet to come out to microchip your horse plus the cost of a generic passport can leave you around £90 lighter