Micro chipping

Does anyone micro chip their horses? If so, did you have the vet insert the chip or has anyone tried the home kit?

Illinois, dont you have to now, With these Ky IFB babies, Im know its coming. MY vet does it. Like 80.00 I think. Are you going to do this? Didnt know that there was a home Kit. Humm Interesting.

all of our top horses are micro chipped did it before slaughter houses closed of course not sure of the value in doing it now around here alot of horses were stolen for slaughter and the slaughter houses were supposed to check all horses for micro chipping before.....

almost all of our horses are microchipped, especially with all the horse theft happening in AZ. I know it's not like a tracking device, but it does give me some piece of mind. Our vet has always done it, or they come from Canada already done.

I have one horse micro chipped and I am going to have the other two done. One of the vet magazines has a home kit, I can't even give shots as I am too squeamish- so mom would have to do it for me.

That would be a total waste of money to me. It does not track your horse if it's stolen. That happens so little that it really will not do anything for you. And, if the horse was stolen and phony papers put on it, people do not check that anyway.. I feel the money is better spent on feed, feet and good health for the horse.. Course if you have a lot of money to spare go for it..

My daughter had her cat "chipped". He took himself for a walk one day. My daughter went nuts....Called the vet...There's no way the chip could help find him unless he was found and scanned....(he was wearing a collar with tags)....and the vet forgot to activate the stupid chip!!!!!

I've read several articles about how those chips are causing tumors, sometimes cancer, in cats and dogs.

I'm going to have my horses freeze branded. Angel has a regular brand from the breeder (my vet).

I haven't heard anything about them causing cancer. I have heard that the chip will move around. There are a lot of places that don't have a scanner and then they(the vet) changed companies for the micro chip too.

I could also freeze brand which would be a lot better, as one of my horses has no markings.

I know the chances of them being stolen is slim but if they ever get loose while camping. Just extra precautions...

Bluejay: Extra money- what is that???

My uncles horses were microchipped and one time, when he went out trail riding this palomino horse he had threw a fit and dumped him in the desert, then bolted. They looked for him for hours and put signs up, etc. AZ Dept. of Agg. picked him up from a police station, scanned him, and contacted my uncle. It did work out quite nice in that way.

The chip will not find them. If they are found and scanned that only proves you have the chip number not that you even own the horse. Horses get sold all the time.. And, I have heard of the things ragdoll is talking about. The freeze brand is better.. That will not find your horse either. But, will cerntaily identify it if you ever need to do that without a scanner (those involve vets and they do charge for that) Then you still have to prove you still own it. Waste of time, money and stress on the horse..

I would not chip my house pets either.. Waste of money.. Some people vet the heck out of their animals, chip them, brand them and still never even bother to feed them, take care of the hoofs or teeth. What is really improtant here

Why do all that for horses that just stand around in the pasture and do nothing? Mine get bred.. Otherwise do nothing.. Razzle does not breed or show.. And, only rides one of them now and then. Use your money for better things.. When your horses get so improtant that they need all this worthless stuff then do it.. Even the top breeders and owners do not waste money on things like that.

I am just thinking of when I go camping what would be best in case they were to get lost. The yearling is plain so the branding would be better for her since she doesn't have markings. I do a lot of trail riding and you just never know what may happen like what happened to silverbuckleshorses uncle.

Bluejay is right I don't show and I am not going to breed for a couple/few years. I do however ride both my horses and the third one is a yearling. All well taken care of -hooves, teeth and food so that is not an issue. My horses are more of pets than a business.

Yes you do take care of your horses. But, like I said, it will not track your horse if it gets away and lost. And, you have pictures to prove they are yours. With the way things are these day I am just trying to make a point that there are better things to spend the money on.

Branding also leaves it's mark forever. So, do you really want to do that? Most people who brand have a ranch and the brand is there to mark the horse and where it came from down for the rest of it's life.

Oh, actually about the ownership thing, not sure who you would go with and if this is different, but AVID apporoved chips have to be registered with them, this includes owner name and info. Most of the time, you even get a certificate to transfer ownership (if you ever do sell). So what happens would be something like:

We go out for a long ride and our horse gets loose.
Someone finds horse and alerts police (standard in our area).
Someone from state comes to pick horse up.
Arrive at state facility and they HAVE to be scanned for chip.
Scanner gives chip number and AVID hotline is called to find owner info.

The chip is mostly for allerting the owner that their animal has been found, once they have been picked up.


I sure do wish there was lojack for horses though, lol.

None of mine are done but If you ride and camp alot freeze brand is a wonderful thing. I know people that have lost their horses in the Bob Marshall Wilderness which is a really big area. They rode horseback for two weeks straight looking for their two lost horses. People found them and the horses got away, finally some others were able to catch them. The brand got them back to the owners. Its all in what your horse is worth to you. If I was in an area where horse thieves was common you can bet mine would be done.