Microchipping

The growing trend in horse identification

With the growing occurrence and unpredictable nature of natural disasters, many Appaloosa owners are looking for ways to protect their precious creatures. In addition to hurricanes, floods, and fires, theft is also giving horse owners cause to look for guaranteed methods of identifying their horses should they become separated. The procedure of microchipping has been common in dogs and cats for some time and is gaining popularity in the equine world.

About the chip

Microchip implantation is safe, simple, inexpensive and should last a horse’s entire life. The cost is generally less than $100, and the chips currently being manufactured are functioning for 25 years or longer. The tiny, non-migratory chip is the size of a grain of rice and takes only seconds to implant with a small syringe. The chip is implanted halfway between the horse’s poll and its withers, just below the mane in the nuchal ligament on the horse’s near (left) side. The injection site is cleaned and disinfected prior to injection and sometimes shaved, ensuring little to no chance of an adverse reaction.

The microchip is encapsulated in glass and is etched with a unique 10-digit alpha- numeric one-of-a-kind code that can be logged into a database. A special handheld scanner, referred to as a “wand,” is used to read the microchip through the horse’s skin, using radio frequency identification technology. Although there are several different companies manufacturing these microchips, universal scanners engineered to read at a common frequency are available.

Microchipping became especially valuable in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita when many horses were separated from their owners and needed identification in order to be reunited.

In the 1990s, Louisiana became the first state to require mandatory identification for all horses residing in the state. Many horse owners opted for microchips over lip tattoos or brands. Unlike brands or tattoos, microchips cannot be altered once they’re in place, so if a horse is stolen and/or his physical appearance changes, there’s no concern he could be mistaken for another animal.

Because every horse in Louisiana is required to have a yearly negative Coggins test (states along the Mississippi and Red Rivers like Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana are historical hotbeds for equine infectious anemia), a veterinarian implants a microchip at the time the information is recorded for the Coggins test and records the microchip information along with the Coggins test. That information is kept together as permanent identification, serving as a passport that can’t be misplaced.

Editor’s note: A special thanks to Dr. Rebecca McConnico of Louisiana State University’s Equine Health Studies Program for her help with this article.

By Jeannie Blancq Putney • Photos by Ky Mortensen

Printed in the April 2008 issue of Appaloosa Journal.

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