# Microchips



## horsplay (Jan 25, 2011)

Not sure if I am posting this in the right place but the "Have you ever lost your horse?" thread made me think about this. Has anyone here micro-chipped your horse? I have heard it can be done and in the completely awful chance that a horse is stolen or lost or turned loose becouse of fire or other horrible reasons I am thinking it might be a good idea. The city I live in requires one for my dog so she already has one and it was no big deal and not too expensive.... What are your thoughts?


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## ErikaLynn (Aug 3, 2010)

I know by Dutch law it was made illegal to brand horses, so they microchip them instead. Not because they get lost, but it acts like a brand. 

Micro chipping does sound like a good idea, if the horse runs away, get stolen, etc.


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## ButtInTheDirt (Jan 16, 2011)

I was thinking about that when I read that thread, also. I think it would be a great idea. Because just like dogs, someone could easily take off a collar, or the dog could loose it's tags, or someone could tattoo over a dog's tattoo identification.

And if your horse is lost, you might be able to get some sort of tracking-device type thing in the chip. That part might be expensive, though. I don't even know if it exists in a small size.

But all nonsense aside, this is defiantely something trail-riders and most horse owners should have. ^^


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## Paint Mom (Jun 28, 2010)

I would never microchip any of my animals.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

For the time being, with the horse system like it is, micro-chipping is still fairly rare. Mostly it's racing TBs that are equipped with chips. Most auction houses around here don't have scanners and even if they did, it's unlikely that they would scan every horse going through on the off chance they would catch a stolen one.

For my money, branding is still the way to go. I prefer freeze-branding since it shows up better on darker colored horses and it's also almost pain-free, whereas hot branding is not. It's much easier for inspectors at auctions to just watch for a particular brand on horses running through rather than stop and get close enough to scan them individually.

Also, if something were to happen and your horse got lost, which betters the chance of someone recognizing it and calling you "Lost: bay horse with 2 white stockings and a star" or "Lost: bay horse with 2 white stockings, a star, and a freeze brand of Lazy JR on his left shoulder"?


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Our gelding Sarge has two brands....a 2 on his front left shoulder and a R/R on his left hip. 2 for the year he was foaled and R/R for Ray and Ruby - they used to own Sarge. LOL He never registered Sarge in his name but he did brand him. As Sarge is a solid bay with the tiny exception of a white mark about the size of a dime in his forehead - the brands make it pretty clear that 2 R/R is Sargent San Peppy! Biscuit doesn't have any brands or markings. My former horse had his upper lip tattoo'ed as he was a former race horse.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

Here in Southern California at least, most vets now automatically will scan a new horse they go out to see, especially after the fires we had a few years back where some horses were burned bad enough that even some sort of brand would have been burned off or unrecognizable. When I got my Arabian, one of the first things I did was microchip her. Even if it still isn't quite as reliable as microchipping a dog or cat, its still definitely better than nothing, and as she's a grey horse, freeze branding would be useless. For that matter, I've seen a few warmbloods that have been hot branded for whatever registry they are, and I have had to be told, and have had to get extremely close to be able to see even part of it at all. I personally think that if no one microchips their horse because it isn't "common", then vets aren't ever going to start checking to see if horses are chipped, but if you get more people asking just on the off chance that it may help, then more vets are going to be willing to get the scanners, to scan every horse they see, and to offer it as just another normal procedure like they do in most vet offices. Around here it is very standard for a small animal vet to ask you if you want your animal microchipped at your first appointment, or ask if your animal already is, and get the number for their records. I would like to see that become the practice for horses as well. Here in Southern Cali, its not as easy to get a horse branded as it is to get them microchipped. I have honestly never heard of anyone who's gotten their horse branded just for recognition, all the brands I have seen have been on working ranch horses who came generally from ranches in other states, and were already branded. Sorry for such a long post to answer a simple question lol.


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## Sarahandlola (Dec 16, 2010)

It is the law to microchip a horse in Ireland


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## Zora (Mar 18, 2010)

We have never lost a horse, we've had one get out of an electric fence but they were caught and brought back right away. I would never have any horse/animal microchipped, but possibly a freeze brand if it was needed.


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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

smrobs said:


> For the time being, with the horse system like it is, micro-chipping is still fairly rare. Mostly it's racing TBs that are equipped with chips. Most auction houses around here don't have scanners and even if they did, it's unlikely that they would scan every horse going through on the off chance they would catch a stolen one.
> 
> For my money, branding is still the way to go. I prefer freeze-branding since it shows up better on darker colored horses and it's also almost pain-free, whereas hot branding is not. It's much easier for inspectors at auctions to just watch for a particular brand on horses running through rather than stop and get close enough to scan them individually.
> 
> Also, if something were to happen and your horse got lost, which betters the chance of someone recognizing it and calling you "Lost: bay horse with 2 white stockings and a star" or "Lost: bay horse with 2 white stockings, a star, and a freeze brand of Lazy JR on his left shoulder"?


_Great post._

_I have to agree with this. Hopefully, if I ever have my own farm...they will be branded. If there is the availability to freeze brand them just like a hot brand (ranch type brand) I would definitely be doing this._


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## jess93 (Oct 14, 2010)

I hate frreze brandung looks awful espicslly if on a show horse all mine are microchipped in fact its the law here now and a lot of places have have microchip readers all vets scan horses before treatment all auctions gave them to
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horsplay (Jan 25, 2011)

Paint_mom and Zora I am not trying to start an argument but I am curious why you are so against micro chipping? 

Personally I dislike hot iron branding but know it has it's place. I have never seen a freeze brand done, but know it is supposed to be less painful and less traumatizing to the horse and I saw a really cool one once of a sun over mtns. I have also seen a very nice heart done with freeze branding.

As far as chips go, My dog has one because it is required by law. My horse is not, but to me chipping would be the easiest thing for both me and the horse because it is no more painful than giving your horse a shot, which already happens 4+ times a year. It may not be common practice yet but if my horse has no special markings and I don't know how to freeze brand a chip just makes sense. We had a huge fire in AZ a few years back and a lot of people weren't prepared. They didn't have any where safe they could take their horses or not enough trailor space for all their horses so they spry painted their phone numbers on their side and set them loose to give the horse a better chance to survive. and some didn't even put a number on them, just set them loose. Most people got their horses back I think but I know there where a lot who didn't because there where no identifying marks. having chips would have made sure all those horses would have made it back to the correct home.

Chips would help and hinder me. I got my horse from a dishonest person. She had me work for her all summer to pay off the horse and said that if I paid for all the horses up keep at another facility, shoes and worming she would take it off the horses price. At the end of the summer she went back on her word and said paying for the horse's up keep was something that came with the territory and she would not take it off the price. The day after I took the horse back to her property I went to work devastated at having to give up my baby. (I had been working 2 part time jobs to save for college in the fall and the part time job to earn the horse.) My boss pulled me aside and asked me what was wrong. I reluctantly told her, she asked for the owner's phone number and against my better judgment gave it to her. By the end of my shift the horse was declared mine. My boss had paid the remaining balance on the horse and told me that to pay her back I was to attend college and be happy. (I was going to college majoring in Equine management) After that summer I never saw that boss again, but thank her everyday. The owner never gave me a bill of sale though so technically I have no papers on him and the only thing that makes him really mine is that he has been in my possession for 7 years. If he had had a chip put in before I got him I could see the vet contacting his old owner and her saying he was stolen. In that situation paper work would mean everything.


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## Zora (Mar 18, 2010)

There are health affects from micro chips, that's why we personally avoid them.


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## horsplay (Jan 25, 2011)

What are these affects? I have never been told about negative health effects, and would really like to know.


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## Zora (Mar 18, 2010)

There are some animals that get tumors/cancer from microchips.
That doesn't mean every animal will have a reaction, but there are good articles on it.
A study done on some mice showed that tumors came up in 36 mice were the chip was implanted.


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## horsplay (Jan 25, 2011)

hmmm sounds worth a little more research....


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## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

In the UK it is now common practice to micro chip the horse as part of the identification process. Every horse nowadays should be issued with a passport which tries to identify the horse by the colour and location of whorls in the coat - but a chip in the neck adminstered by a vet identifies the horse with the help of what is virtually a bar code reader to the police, the vet or certain other licensed organisations.
An organisation records centrally the name and address of the owner
My own mare is both chipped and freeze marked on the back under the area where the saddle sits.
It is also a good idea to fix a name tag to the bridle of the horse.


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## Dances with Horses (Feb 25, 2011)

I'm always worried about Quinnton when I'm not at the stable because anything can happen when you turn your back for a few seconds. Tom, the stable owner, is amazing and I trust him, but what happens if he turns his back for a few seconds and Quinnton is stolen or escapes from the pasture? I should look into getting Quinnton microchipped, but it doesn't sound cheap. :?


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## horsplay (Jan 25, 2011)

When I got my dog done it was only $32 for the chip it's self. the bill was much higher because I had her shots and spay done at the same time lol.


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