CERTIFICATION

INSURANCE

In order to insure a horse above a minimum level, all insurance companies will require a veterinary certificate of suitability for insurance. They offer different levels of cover, from mortality to veterinary fees and full loss of use. The examination required is very similar to a pre-purchase examination, from a two-stage to a five-stage depending on the level of cover. Most insurance companies have specific requirements and will issue the horse owner with a form to be filled in by the vet. In some cases, they will require additional tests. Please make sure you have made your vet fully aware of all these requirements before you ask for an insurance certificate.

Veterinary surgeons at NEH are often asked to provide a second opinion on cases of insurance claims.

PASSPORTS AND MICROCHIPPING

All horses, ponies and donkeys (and other forms of equidae) need to have a passport identifying the animal. The passport contains information which identifies the horse for which it was issued and can contain up to nine sections of which sections I, II, III, IV and IX are compulsory.

Section I
Owner: the name of the owner or his agent

Sections II and III
Identification: the horse must be identified by the competent authority. This section should include, where present, the electronic microchip number. If no microchip is present, this section should include a written description and/or a diagram showing the markings of the horse.

Section IV
Recording of identity checks: whenever laws or regulations require, checks on the identity of the horse must be recorded by the competent authority.

Section IX
Medicinal treatment and declaration: If your horse is not intended for human consumption, please sign the appropriate section. If this section is not completed, your vet will need to complete the other section with details of any medicines your horse may be prescribed or administered.

Other sections may include information such as Vaccinations Records (V and VI) and Laboratory Health Tests (Section VII). These sections are not compulsory for every horse but may be required by some Stud Book Authorities or other recognised organisations.

If the horse is not accompanied by a valid passport it is an offence for an owner to:

  • export a horse
  • use a horse for the purposes of competitions
  • move a horse to the premises of a new keeper
  • present for slaughter for human consumption
  • sell a horse
  • use a horse for breeding purposes

Owners of foals need to obtain a passport for it on or before 31st December of the year of its birth, or by six months after its birth, whichever is later. Owners of older horses who have yet to apply for a horse passport should do so immediately.

It is also now a requirement for a horse to be microchipped before the Passport Issuing Offices will issue a new passport (i.e. not a replacement for a damaged or lost one).

Microchipping of foals – agreement reached on new rules covering the identification of equidae

EU Member States have reached agreement on a new European Regulation that will revise existing equine identification [Horse Passport] legislation. The main new requirement is the compulsory microchipping of foals born after 1 July 2009.

The requirement will not be retrospective for older horses and the Regulation does allow for Member States to approve alternative methods to the microchip. However Passport Issuing Offices do require older horses to be microchipped before they will issue a new passport (see above).

Microchips provide an essential link between a horse and its passport and strengthen the existing horse identification requirements. Such unique identification of equidae may also prove useful for disease control and surveillance purposes and for the recovery of lost or stolen horses.

OFFICIAL MEASUREMENT

David Dugdale MRCVS is on the list of approved measurers for the Joint Measurement Board. Appointments should be made through the main office on +44(0)1638 782000.