# Standardbred tattoo-how to make it readable and can white come later in life?



## dlpark2 (Mar 6, 2013)

My husband and I purchased as standardbred horse from a local farmer. When we looked at his current coggins paperwork, it stated he was tattooed on his upper lip, which indeed he is. We can make out ?338?. We are fairly certain it is S3386, but not sure. Needless to say, his tattoo comes back to a horse named Generation X, but it states he has no white marking, but our gelding has a white left front coronet band and a faint irregular crescent shaped star on his head. Even with putting in ?338?, none of the horses that come up match our new horse. Does anyone know how to help bring the tattoo more toward the surface as it has faded? I have heard a black light will help, is that true? Is it possible for the white coronet band to have appeared as he got older and matured or that they just never marked it when he was tattooed?
Thank for any help anyone can offer.


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## Ninamebo (May 25, 2013)

Would you be able to post a pic of the tattoo and see if anyone here could try to decipher it?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dlpark2 (Mar 6, 2013)

I can sure try too. If I can get him to cooperate lol. I am beginning to think that he thinks I am crazy cause I keep wanting to flip his lip lol.


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## SaskGal (Apr 18, 2012)

Does it not have a neck tattoo?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dlpark2 (Mar 6, 2013)

no, no neck tattoo


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## roadswarrior (Sep 20, 2013)

Standardbred tattoo's are sometimes difficult to decipher as they can have different layouts. They should have 2 letters followed by 4 numbers or 1 letter and 3 numbers. But on the odd chance they can can be 2 letters and 4 numbers, as my gelding has. 

The first letter will show the year of birth. In this case it would be 1997. Older horses will still have lip tattoo's while the newer generation have the freezebrands.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

It may be possible that it is the correct horse as faint markings and a half a coronet may not have made it to the registration papers. I also say post a photo and see what we get. A black light may help but I have never heard that. The USTA (United States Trotting Association) switched over to freeze brands about 18ish years ago. They switched for this exact reason, too hard to read those tattoos!


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## dlpark2 (Mar 6, 2013)

my farrier said the same thing that the marking on his head and hoof may have just been faint as a two year old and became more noticeable. I will definately try and get some pictures. All I know is that if I search ?338? on the standardbred website, Generation X is the only one that seems to even remotely fit. Some additionally have the freeze brand and one that I though might be a match actually died in 2005, so it isn't that one. All the other have obvious white markings, but none that match my new buddy.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

The other thing that might be worth doing is calling the USTA. The online records only go back about 15 years. If you call them they can get older records. This is how I got some history on a 30 year old mare that had never raced.


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## roadswarrior (Sep 20, 2013)

rookie said:


> The other thing that might be worth doing is calling the USTA. The online records only go back about 15 years. If you call them they can get older records. This is how I got some history on a 30 year old mare that had never raced.


I think the records go back more than 15 years, as my gelding shows up and he is 23.


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## Strawberry4Me (Sep 13, 2012)

roadswarrior said:


> Standardbred tattoo's are sometimes difficult to decipher as they can have different layouts. They should have 2 letters followed by 4 numbers or 1 letter and 3 numbers. But on the odd chance they can can be 2 letters and 4 numbers, as my gelding has.
> 
> The first letter will show the year of birth. In this case it would be 1997. Older horses will still have lip tattoo's while the newer generation have the freezebrands.


 That is what I thought too, but my Standie has 5 characters- Number, letter, 3 numbers. Is that weird?


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## roadswarrior (Sep 20, 2013)

Strawberry4Me said:


> That is what I thought too, but my Standie has 5 characters- Number, letter, 3 numbers. Is that weird?


It looks like yours could be 4A844 or HA844. I searched 4A844 and it came back as a mare with no white markings, name "Strawberry For Me" foaled April 15, 2003 in Cumberland, ME. HA844 came up gelding with few white hairs on forhead, both hind coronets white higher inside, name "Swag" foaled April 15, 1989 in Martinsville, IL.

Sometimes it is a guessing game and you can punch in a few versions of what you think is the tattooo and pick the closest match.


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## Strawberry4Me (Sep 13, 2012)

roadswarrior said:


> It looks like yours could be 4A844 or HA844. I searched 4A844 and it came back as a mare with no white markings, name "Strawberry For Me" foaled April 15, 2003 in Cumberland, ME. HA844 came up gelding with few white hairs on forhead, both hind coronets white higher inside, name "Swag" foaled April 15, 1989 in Martinsville, IL.
> 
> Sometimes it is a guessing game and you can punch in a few versions of what you think is the tattooo and pick the closest match.


LOL- She is Strawberry4Me- hence my name here. I am just curious why her tattoo doesn't fit the same description as most. 

Thank you for the research- I know about as much as there is to know about her. When I first got her I didn't know much, but with her tattoo was able to locate the owner of her dam and her first few owners/ trainers. She wasn't very fast- but it seems her siblings are awesome!

Works for me- she is a beautiful mover, and likes dressage more than pacing anyway :wink:


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## HeroMyOttb (Dec 28, 2009)

With Thoroughbreds I had a friend that had a problem with the horse's lip tattoo being readable but said on papers that the horse was chestnut, while the horse was bay. Mistakes happen keep that in mind. 

I'm fortunate enough to know my OTTB's breeder and saw other relatives in his family.


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## rogue9007 (Aug 8, 2014)

it is possible the coronet could be from scarring, but i would think the star would be listed on the registration at least. any photo of the tattoo by chance? if you haven't figured out who he is yet, of course


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## Change (Jul 19, 2014)

Does the Standardbred registry do DNA matching? (don't know much about Standies)...

Could you send in blood/hair samples to confirm identity?

The only reason I ask is that years back before all the DNA testing and such, it wasn't unusual to hang on to a set of papers (sell the horse as grade) then "re-attach" those papers to a grade horse with the same approximate features.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

The USTA does a brand inspection when a mare is in foal to confirm its the horse in question and in the appropriate state. I know when White Bliss was born they DNA tested but that was a rare case. That horse is a white horse out of two bay parents a 1 in 200,000 chance. That said I don't believe it is common to DNA test to confirm parentage. We have a brand inspector from the trotting association come out and brand the foal but I am not sure that any DNA is taken at that time.


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