Yes, the USHJA has passed innovative microchipping rules that will ease into the sport.
“Microchipping is the future of horse identification, and the passage of these rule changes is a game changer for all equestrian sport” said Mary Babick, member of the USEF Horse Recording and ID Task Force and vice president of USHJA – Hunter. “It will increase consumer confidence, reduce identification inaccuracies and improve our ability to track a horse’s success throughout its career which, in turn, helps our breeders.”
The three rule change proposals state that in the 2018 competition year (December 1, 2017 – November 30, 2018) “all horses competing in classes that require USHJA registration must provide a microchip number that verifies their animal’s identity in order to compete for points, money won or be eligible for Federation and/or USHJA programs and awards where horses are required to be recorded or registered.”
The 2018 competition year will act as a transitional year, where in order to collect points horses must provide a microchip number. Beginning with the 2019 competition year, all horses competing at a USEF licensed competition will be required to provide a microchip number or they will not be permitted to compete.
