Microchipping for horses will become compulsory as of next month - and from October 1 it will be a criminal offence to own or keep a horse that has not been microchipped.

Compulsory microchipping of foals was introduced in 2009, and the legislation has now been updated to require all horses and donkeys to be chipped.

Penbode Equine Vets is offering advice to owners.

How can I tell if my horse is microchipped?

If the horse or pony is ten years old or younger, it is highly likely to have been microchipped when its passport was applied for.

If older, it may have been chipped if you, or a previous owner, has requested it. Look in the passport.

The 16-digit chip number and barcode will either be in the description page (the vet may have drawn a capital ‘M’ in a circle on the horse’s neck) or will be found printed at the start of the passport, where it may be described as a ‘transponder’.

Do not confuse the horse’s life number or passport number (the UELN) with the microchip number.

They are almost always different.

No microchip? What to do next

Call the Clinic and arrange for one of our vets to come and chip your horse before October 1.

Why not also avail of our reduced-price Area Day visits to lower the cost?

Does it hurt?

Before inserting the chip, our vets will scan the horse’s neck on both sides to double-check no chip is already present. We will often put in a little bit of local anaesthetic at the implantation site. Inserting the chip is then a very quick procedure, unnoticed by most horses.

And afterwards?

We will insert a sticker with the chip number into the passport and upload the chip number with your details to the microchip database.

You must inform the organisation that issued the horses’ passport that the horse has been chipped so they can update their records with the number.

You can book a Penbode Equine Vet to visit your yard and microchip your horse before the deadline.

Call your nearest Penbode Equine Vets branch in Tavistock or Holsworthy to book.