Horse Identification - Past, Present and Future - Dr. Katie Flynn, California Department of Food & Agriculture Animal , from the 2017 Equine Forum: Advancing ID, Technology, and Electronic Health Records, January 17 - 18, 2017, Denver, CO, USA. More presentations at http://www.trufflemedia.com/agmedia/conference/2017-equine-forum-id-tech-ehr

1. 6/4/2017
Horse Identification Past, Present
and Future
Dr. Katie Flynn
Equine Staff Veterinarian
Animal Health Branch
California Department of Food and Agriculture

2. History of Animal Identification
• 1800s: branding cattle and horses
• 1950s: Animals vaccinated against Bovine
Brucellosis were tagged and allowed to
move
• 1980s: US Animal Health Association
emphasized the need for animal
identification in case of animal health
emergency

3. Why identify individual horses?
• Theft
• Horse Care
• Emergency
• Health Certificates
• Veterinary Care
• Traceability
• Performance
• Consumer Confidence - #1 reason

4. Equine Identification Methods
• Permanent physical description
• Photograph
• Lip tattooing
• Branding
• DNA testing
• Iris Scanning
• Microchipping

5. Physical Description
• Age Breed Sex
• Conformation
• Coat Color
• Markings
• Whorls
• Scars
• Chestnuts

6. Bay 6 year old Standardbred Stallion
No face or leg markings
No scars

7. Physical Description
Black Friesian 4 year old Mares

8. Physical Description

9. Paper Documentation

10. Horse Passports
• Federation Equestrian Internationale
(FEI)

11. Branding
• Hot Iron
– First recorded use is by the Egyptians
– Oldest method of identification ( Spanish conquistadors)
– Hot iron bran produces equivalent of a 3rd degree dermal
(skin burn)
• Freeze Brand
– Uses branding iron that has been chilled with dry ice or
liquid nitrogen
– Freeze brand damages the pigment producing hair cells
causing the animal’s hair to grow back white
– For lighter haired horses- brand kept on longer to
eliminate hair follicle all together and bare skin shows the
brand
– Less damage to hide than hot iron brand
– More visible

12. Branding
Advantages
• Low cost
• Difficult to alter
Disadvantages
• Invasive- pain, stress
• Can be altered
• Difficult to read if not done
properly
• Typically not an individual
identifier
• Difficult to read
• Unsightly
• Safety issues

15. Lip Tattooing
• Originally performed as early as late
1800s.
• Jockey club adopted in early 1900s to
eliminate cheating
• Inner aspect of upper lip
• Thoroughbred/ Standardbred: Letter
followed by numbers
– Letter represents year of birth

16. Lip Tattooing
Advantages
• Permanent Identification
• Difficult to alter
• Linked to registrations
Disadvantages
• Invasive- Stress, pain
• Can be altered
• Potential for disease spread
if not done properly
• Difficult to read
• Fade over time

18. Iris Scanning
• In 2000, Japanese researchers reported
reliability of iris scanning in horses
• Noninvasive high resolution camera produces
digital photograph of the eye
– Uses patterns in the iris
– No two iris are identical
• Infrared camera measures numerous points in
the iris
• Algorithm to create an alphanumeric code
that serves as horse identification number
• Cataracts and glaucoma don’t diminish ability
as iris is in the front of the eye

19. Irish Scanning
Advantages
• Accuracy
• Non invasive
• Limited ability to be altered
(ocular injury)
Disadvantages
• Expensive
• Limited equipment
• Logistics

20. DNA Typing
• Breed Registries
– Variation in Breed Rules
– Stallions for breeding, foals that a result of
transported semen, foals from embryo transfer
• Parentage Verification
• Hair sample: Main hair forward of the withers
– The follicles (roots) are critical
• DNA contains the genetic codes of a horse
– Microsatellite markers are the basis for individual
identification useful in parentage verification.
• Amplified and measured by gel electrophoresis and
computer analysis

21. DNA Typing
Advantages
• Accuracy
• Minimally invasive
• Limited ability to be altered
Disadvantages
• Expensive
• Limited equipment
• Logistics

22. Comparison of Equine Identification
Methods
Parameter
Physical
Description Brands Lip Tattoos
Iris
Scanning Microchip DNA
Accurate Unique Indivdiual
Identification X X X X
Reliability of Identification Over Time X X X X
Non-Invasive Procedure X X X
Safe Low Disease Risk Procedure X X X X
Security of Identification X X X X
Speed of Identification X X
Ease of Use X X
Low Cost X

23. Future
• The future is microchipping.

24. Protecting Equine Health
is a Team Effort
Alone we can do so little;
together we can do so much.
- Helen Keller