Page 24 - August_2023

AQHA RACING UPDATE
AQHA is currently in the process of building an application named QHChip, that will enable our identifiers to input the identification data while inspecting horses and download it to our database.
AQHA RACING TRANSITIONS TO MICROCHIP IDENTIFICATION
Hello friends! You may have already seen this news in an email from AQHA, or on our website or social media, but I
thought the topic is important enough to also cover it in this article. I want to make sure you are informed! The American Quarter Horse Association is about to begin the transition to microchips in place of lip tattoos. We will begin the use of microchips to identify racing American Quarter Horses effective January 1, 2024.
Any horse that was not previously tattooed as of January 1, 2024, will have their microchip number scanned and used as part of the identification verification done by an approved AQHA-contracted identifier. Horses who were identified by tattoo before January 1, 2024, shall be allowed to continue to utilize their tattoo as a means of identification for racing.
AQHA is currently in the process of building an application named QHChip,
that will enable our identifiers to input the identification data while inspecting horses and download it to our database. Once captured in our database, we then share it with Jockey Club Information Systems/Equibase for the tracks to have access to the information. Training will be provided for identifiers soon.
Horses to be inspected by the AQHA identifiers need to have the chip implanted ahead of time. The AQHA identifier does not provide or implant the microchip. The type of chip used is up to the horse’s owner, as long as it is ISO-compliant.
The microchip is about the size of a grain
of rice and contains a 15-digit numerical code unique to that horse that can never be altered. The chip is scanned by the AQHA identifier and used as a component of the verification of the horse’s identity. If not already in our database, the chip number and location will be uploaded to our system along with updated photos of the horse. The information will then be available on the identification platforms, both in InCompass Solutions and the QHChip app.
I am sure you are aware that other breed organizations have transitioned to using this technology. I have been working on it at AQHA for several years and it has been an enormous amount of work internally to get
it done. In addition to the efforts of our own programmers, we have been working with Jockey Club Information Systems to ensure the technical component of the project is well crafted. I appreciate the collaborative effort of both our team at AQHA and at the Jockey Club to get us to this point.
Here are some bullet points that recap the important details from this article, and may address lingering questions you have:
When will the transition to microchipping in place of lip tattoos in racing American Quarter Horses occur?
January 1, 2024
If my horse has been identified by tattoo before January 1, 2024, do I need to have my horse microchipped?
No. Horses who were identified by tattoo before January 1, 2024, shall be allowed to continue to utilize their tattoo as means of identification.
How will identifiers collect microchip information, and where will it be stored?
AQHA is currently developing an application named QHChip for identifiers
to utilize. Once a horse is microchipped and its identity is verified by an official identifier, the information will be available on both
the InCompass Solutions and QHChip app identification platforms.
Where should the microchip be implanted on a horse?
The AQHA rulebook will not dictate the location of the microchip implantation, but state that the location of implantation must
be provided to AQHA. The AQHA identifier can update the AQHA database with this information when the horse is being identified. The location information will be available not only in the horse’s registration information
in the AQHA database, but also on the identification platform - InCompass Solutions and the QHChip app, once the horse’s identification is verified.
What if a veterinarian microchips my horse(s)? Does AQHA have to do their own microchip, or will the microchip number from the vet’s records qualify?
Any ISO-compatible microchip will be accepted. Once the microchip is scanned by an AQHA identifier, the data would be stored in InCompass Solutions and the QHChip database.
Will the cost to identify a horse change?
No. We anticipate the cost to identify a horse to remain the same. What is being paid for in that service is the identifier’s verification of your horse’s identity, which is exactly what was being done when we were tattooing horses. You weren’t paying for the tattoo - you were paying for our contractor to verify the identity of your horse.
We look forward to the implementation of the use of microchips to assist in identifying racehorses and hope you have found this article informative.
August 2023
by Janet VanBebber, AQHA Chief Racing Officer
22 SPEEDHORSE August 2023