The USEA horse registration policy states; All horses competing in USEA recognized competitions must be registered with the USEA. Once registered with the USEA, the horse’s registration number will stay the same, regardless of change in owner…Failure to comply with the USEA Horse Registration Policy shall result in the loss of earned points and future entries may not be accepted.
The U.S. Eventing horse life registration form is fairly simple to navigate. I would also like to point out, it is literally called a “Life” registration form. The horse has the same number for life, once registered.
There are several categories to choose from on the form, ranging in price from $150 to Free!!
It is perfectly understandable for someone to purchase a horse and then decide they want to change the horse’s name. This can be easily accomplished with some paperwork, and a $25 charge. The USEA number would stay the same, but the horse would have a new name.
If you purchase a horse that already has a USEA number you can change ownership with USEA for no charge at all, that’s right, it is free to change ownership with USEA!
I have always been under the impression that creating a new identity for a horse with the USEA was not only unethical, but strictly against the rules. At the very least it causes people to question your character. A horse’s USEA number is similar to a VIN number on a car. A USEA show record can be compared to a “carfax report”. When people are horse shopping they definitely look to the USEA record when making their decision. Even if a horse has changed show names in the past, you can research their show record with the USEA number. You can see if the horse has a lot of refusals on cross country, or rails in show jumping, or less than stellar dressage scores. Prospective buyers can get a pretty clear picture of what they can expect. Or more importantly, what if there are RF’s (rider falls) or MR’s (mandatory retirement), then it becomes a safety issue. What if there are gaps in the horse’s record? This could indicate an injury or surgery. Having a record protects the horse’s safety, as well as the prospective buyer’s safety.
As I was searching the forum for related articles, it appears this is a very well know rule, but it is also blatantly obvious that this rule is very rarely enforced. I was able to find one instance where the USEF suspended a rider (Evan Coluccio) for 6 months and fined him $6000 for changing a horse’s identity.
Should USEA require microchips? Should there be consequences if someone knowingly creates a new identity for a horse, complete with new USEA number? Shouldn’t we expect USEA records to have integrity.
I am also interested if there are any other known cases of people being fined or suspended for breaking this rule.
** I had a similar thread that was deleted when COTH did their update**
