Passports

All owners of horses, ponies and donkeys over six months of age must obtain a passport for each one they own. Veterinary certificates are not passports. Since 28th February 2005 you cannot own or sell a horse without a passport. The purpose is to ensure that horses throughout the European Union (EU) treated with certain veterinary medicines do not enter the food chain. Contact Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs), which are listed on www.defra.gov.uk Animal Health and Welfare page, or your specific breed society to request the relevant forms and we can do the rest.

If you already have a passport document, check that it has the appropriate section IX for the EU regulations where you will need to sign one of the declarations stating that your horse will not go for slaughter nor will it be used in the food chain. This needs to be countersigned either by the PIO or a government approved vet. We need to see your horse’s passport whenever we treat your horse. Passports issued before 2001 are unlikely to have this section completed and will need to be returned to the issuing authority for this to be inserted. If in doubt contact the issuing authority.