[sabrina]

Now that all foals have to be microchipped in the year they are born will this help to keep our animals safe from theft. I think not. Go to any horse sale and do you see anyone checking any horse to see if it is chipped. Passports are issued at the sale although its a crime to transport any equine without one. Passports only came about for the meat trade not for the welfare of the animal. So are breeders cutting back or are more foals just going to go straight to the meat trade.does not bear thinking about 

[Rosemary]

Yes, it's not the technology or the system that protects - it's the monitoring of it and the subsequent action taken.

I have my horse freeze branded, which is visible at least. Although anyone stealing him might soon bring him back. And now he's been on a diet, he'd make less dog food!

[doganjo]

I decided to Tattoo my pups this time - 10 seconds of squealing and pain for them but a lifetime of VISIBLE identification.  I cannot imagine why anyone would want to put a thing the size of a grain of rice into an 8 weeks old pup, especially since they are known to travel as the animal grows.  I heard of a cow chipped when born and when killed out the chip was right next to it's heart!

[Juno]

Sabrina, i have two foals on the floor and will be micro chipping them both, as per the rules, they will also get passports, but as a breeder i think the legislation should be put upon us and maybe even having to apply for a licence and pass rigourous testing too, before we breed, also the amount of foals born is still an issue and will be when anyone with a sustandard mare and access to a stallion (due to it being cheaper to keep entire than to geld) can produce a sub-standard foal onto an already flooded market.
I still can't understand why we have to travel live horse overseas to cull when we have perfectly good abatoirs over here, it doesn't make sense !!!
dont get me started lol i could go on for hours xx

[shetlandpaul]

this is so true we have to many Shetland colts up here there is very little market for them. Your paying £15 for one. If there was a value to them from say the meat trade then there welfare would rise. how odd that we will kill everything else but a horse is unfit in this country.

[sabrina]

There is a market for a good ridden Shetland, I know it means gelding and keeping them until broken but a filly foal should not be bred from until at least three so what is the point of breeding from so many if you are not prepared to run on geldings and give them the same chance. I have friends who get together with colts that have to be gelded which brings the price down. A ridden Shetland that has be broken and schooled, does well in the show ring sells for 4 figures in England Nothing like that amount where I am but still good money. people do want them. Shetlands are first class ponies for young children to start on. 

[Roxy]

All my ponies are microchipped, and thats because the Dales pony society started it some years ago with the foal.  My eldest mare was among the first batch of foals to be chipped, so it must be 11 years ago.  I know at one breed show there was someone there checking the microchips by the ring, as sometimes they can move.  The good thing is the Dales pony society give a donation towards the owner microchipping, which is a help.