Deciphering a tattoo - commonly confused letters??

[Ibex]

I’m looking at a mare who is supposedly about 10 years old. The current owner bought her as a broodmare for her paint stud, had the papers, never really looked at them, and now they’re probably gone in the middle of a seperation.

We looked at the mare’s tattoo and both thought it was a “J”. Except that would make her either 2 or 28. She’s not 2, and would be the best looking and moving 28yo I’ve ever seen. She looks like the age her owner thinks she is. She acts like it. But we’d like to get to the bottom of this before I buy her! Owner is working on getting her hands on the papers as well.

Can anyone tell me what letters might be confused with J?? Looking at the list I can’t see any. I could see C/G, or B/D, but J/???

Any suggestions??

[Seven-up]

I haven’t done the calculations, so this may not be a possibility, but what about an O or U? If half of the U wore off, it might look like a J.

[Ibex]

Hmmm. O would make her a 1985, which I have trouble seeing. U (1991) would be believable - there are a lot of good looking 17yos out there. It would just be too bad because I’m looking at something to start a performance career… (mare is in no danger of auction, so I could walk away with a clear conscience)

[Chiniko]

Does she have a name?

[Ibex]

It’s on her papers… that the ex has…

We have one letter and four numbers (are US horses 5?). Do different JCs use different systems…? We’re in Canada if it’s any help, and she’s not local. Too big and WBish - it’s all sprinters around here.

[Chiniko]

Imports to NA often have an * at the start of the tattoo sequence.

[Ibex]

Hmmm. We weren’t looking for an *, but will look again.

So *J7686 could indicate an imported TB?

[Acertainsmile]

I would be trying to get the papers from the ex…and I wouldnt breed her untill I had them, just in case…

[turningpointequine]

My horse is an imported TB and his tattoo is * then his registration # (no letter).

[furlong47]

A letter and 4 numbers could indicate a Standardbred. However I looked up J7686 and it is a 1990 gelding.

If the horse is imported, she would have an asterisk and 5 numbers (instead of the usual TB letter and 5 numbers)

Is it possible she could be an appendix?

[cloudyandcallie]

all of them!

ha it is so hard to figure out the letters… and I forget which ones that the JC does not use, haven’t they changed it some now? when I bought my mare, it took 5 tries, with the BO’s husband helping out, to get Callie’s M correct and the JC equineline woman was so nice, one fee, all those calls and emails back and forth. M btw is 1983. but then the used to skip letters at the end of the alphabet, the lady at JCequineline told me which but now I forget, so don’t count back from 1983.
so if you are counting xyz, etc., don’t. ask someone who knows all that. My friend had the same problem, bought horses supposed to be 17 but the BO had had him for 5 yrs and had said he was 17 when she got him. My friend thought she had a 5 yr old from her figuring, but he was 25. looked good and still alive today, 6 yrs later.
call JC and ask which letters they do not use. then figure our your J, if not correct, look at other letters. some say use flashlight in dark place or black light.
we used the sex and color and numbers to figure out the M. was almost impossible to read.
good luck.

[cloudyandcallie]

old JC rules

don’t kmow if it is still the same, but…
JC used to be the letter (minus those at end of alphabet q xyz or something like that) and then the # being how many horses were registered before yours, like Callie was a late foal, so she was M14212, M for 1983, and #14212 of TB foals registered with JC that year. so I was told by the nice lady at JC. heck I thought the M was numbers, since I had always had the JC papers before this and never had to read a tatoo, except to compare it with a known # on paper.
good luck.

[Ibex]

@furlong47;3254052

A letter and 4 numbers could indicate a Standardbred. However I looked up J7686 and it is a 1990 gelding.

If the horse is imported, she would have an asterisk and 5 numbers (instead of the usual TB letter and 5 numbers)

Is it possible she could be an appendix?

Hmmm. I’d be surprised if she were a standardbred - she’s very TB-ish, but BIG. An appendix would almost be more likely… (I’ve known a lot of SBs growing up, and she’s just really not like any of the ones I’ve known…)

[Chiniko]

Can you take a picture of it?