IT PASSED! THE USHJA PIONEERS SIGNIFICANTRULE
CHANGETOIDENTIFYCOMPETITIONHORSES By Summer Stoffel & Liz Cornell
In the United States, unlike Europe, a sport horse’s permanent identification is not standardized—presenting problems for breeders and owners alike.
W
ithout it, there has been no way to truly identify a horse’s age or breed when entering him or her in an age- or breed-specific class. And when it comes to
imported horses whose names and identity are easily changed after reaching America, the show entry process has had holes, allow- ing unqualified horses to enter as qualified for certain classes. In addi- tion, there’s been an outcry by Amer- ican breeders who want to track the performance of the horses they produce—a challenge since their identifications can be easily changed and lost in the system. The United States Hunter Jumper
Association (USHJA) has been work- ing to fix these issues by initially introducing a rule change for hunt- ers, jumpers and equitation divisions. It stipulated that starting December 1, 2017, all exhibitors must provide identity verification for their horse prior to receiving an initial Federation Horse Recording (USEF), initial USHJA Horse Registration, as well as any horse name or ownership changes later on with the two organizations. It further states, “Identification documents must include DNA, photographs (right side, left side, front and back) and either Iris Scan or implanted microchip.” This same identification must be provided in order to enter horses in special age/experience/breed classes for shows C-rated and above. In early December, the proposed rule change was presented
at the USHJA’s annual meeting held in Orlando, Florida. While everyone was not happy about the proposal, many have expected it for years. Those resistant say the cost and hassle to horse owners, coupled with administration expenses, will hurt participation in the sport, especially for newcomers just entering.
Vet administering a microchip in the nuchal ligament.
On the other hand, many stepped forward at the convention and gave examples as to how a microchip would have helped them in certain situations. One trainer said her client went to sell her 14-year-old hunter only to learn that the veterinarian said it had to be at least twenty. The problem was that whoever originally sold the horse to this client misrepresented the horse’s age. A microchip would have avoided this fraud, whether intentional or not. Another example was the purchase of a horse who changed locations and owners five times and it took them weeks to sort out his true identity as they backtracked his history. “Consumer confidence” was voiced as a concern at the meeting which then supported the microchip as a means to improve consumer confidence and the reputation of the sport. In other words, a horse’s true iden- tity would no longer be in question when it came to buying or selling a horse or when entering the horse in age/experience/breed classes. As the convention charged on, the new rule was debated in work- shops and meetings. In the end, it was significantly modified and ulti- mately passed. The final rule, eventu- ally requiring all competing horses in hunters, jumpers and equitation, to
have microchips, now reads as follows: On or after December 1, 2017, all exhibitors must provide
identification that verifies their animal’s identity in order to compete for points or money won. Identification documen- tation as used herein must be provided in the form of an ISO [11784/11785 compliant] microchip number. This ISO micro- chip must be implanted in the nuchal ligament of the animal. It further explained that for age verification, the exhibitor must provide one of the following: World Breeders Federation Sport Horse (WBFSH) recognized registry papers, a Certificate of Pedigree from a breed or sport horse registry, or an age verifi- cation form from a veterinarian licensed in his/her state and in good standing with AAEP. Horses that show up at a competition starting Dec 1, 2017 that do not have a microchip can still show but their points will
Warmbloods Today 91
Izvora
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