Technology can help us achieve 100 per cent traceability for horses once their racing days are over

Technology moves fast and now we need to escalate the transfer of equine passports over to digital platforms and away from the traditional paper versions.

In 2021 Weatherbys introduced the revolutionary ePassport, which has been a game-changer. This keeps all the information on identification and ownership, as well as medical treatments and vaccinations. It is also an invaluable tool in tracing the movement of racehorses at every point of their lives – a bit like an equine SatNav – and this data on location helps enormously in a whole host of situations, such as an equine disease outbreak. A digital record also combats fraudulently doctored passports and possible cloning of the microchips put in foals.

The ePassport is being improved all the time, but British racing is already leading the world in this respect. No other equine stud book in any other racing jurisdiction has digital passports, which presents us with challenges. Paper passports are still a legal requirement in the EU. This is affecting the speed with which we can make the transition to fully digital passports.

Two administrative processes concerned with owning horses are a legal requirement – change of ownership and notification of death. The results of the Horse Welfare Board’s Thoroughbred Census, announced in March, revealed that 50 per cent of people did not realise their legal responsibilities regarding change of ownership. 

The changes can be initiated on the ePassport but they can’t be fully completed. At the moment, the paper passport still has to go back to Weatherbys despite every thoroughbred in Britain being issued with a digital ID. 

Another challenge is that British Eventing, British Dressage and Hurlingham Polo Association are not yet digital. A whole host of other ex-racehorses, of course, go hacking, hunting or are companion horses. 

The government has an ambition to have a centralised equine database. That would dovetail with what the Horse Welfare Board is doing. Thanks to the HWB census, we now know where 80 per cent of horses are after they have left racing. It is a good start but it still leaves 20 per cent to find. We’re aiming for 100 per cent traceability for horses at their first step out of racing, and with advanced technology it is definitely achievable.

It will be another way of making racing more accountable to the general public. The HorsePWR website (horsepwr.co.uk) has everything you need to know about racehorse welfare, but it would demonstrate a big commitment if we could add a section saying we know the location of every single horse after they have left racing. It is the right thing to do.

Kate Sigsworth is an owner-breeder and Thoroughbred Group representative on the Horse Welfare Board

Another view is exclusive to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Read more Members' Club content here 

A big moment for British racing's participants with new Racing Digital platform set to be rolled out  

Racecourses must take note, many people still use cash 

Pick up your copy of The Big Jump Off, packed with everything you need for the 2024-25 National Hunt season. Our 72-page supplement includes ante-post tips, pro punter insight, trainer and jockey analysis and much more. Grab your copy free in the Racing Post newspaper on Monday, October 21, also available via the Racing Post Digital Newspaper as part of Members' Club Ultimate, our unrivalled subscription package.