The American Jockey Club just slashed the price for microchips for your horses by half! For just $10 per unit, you can outfit your horse with a device that will help you track him/her for life.
Just as you microchip your beloved dog as insurance against the day he is lost or stolen, you can have this rice-grain-sized device implanted in your horse’s neck to help identify it for life. It should be placed on the left side of the neck, midway between the withers and the poll, about an inch below the midline of the mane.
Ask your favorite vet what they charge for implanting the chip. The New Zealand and Australian Stud books require microchips, but it’s still voluntary here in the US. And you probably won’t be surprised to learn that in New York State and Kentucky you are required to pay a sales tax.
Since many veterinarians and kill pens scan for microchips, this could be an important tool to help you step in and help your horse when he needs you most. Here’s more on the subject directly from the Jockey Club:
“The Jockey Club has reduced the price of microchips for sale to interested owners and breeders by 50 percent, from $20 to $10 per chip.
Introduced in March 2008, microchips are not currently a requirement for Thoroughbred registration with The Jockey Club, and participation is voluntary. The chips are for use in Thoroughbreds residing within the United States and all U.S. territories.”
“The Jockey Club is now able to acquire microchips at a significantly reduced price, and we want to pass the cost savings along to those owners and breeders who realize the value of microchipping their thoroughbreds as a secondary means of identification,” said Andrew Chesser, The Jockey Club’s customer service coordinator. “We encourage those who haven’t microchipped their thoroughbreds to consider doing so at this new lower price.”
Microchips can be ordered by logging on to the Jockey Club’s Interactive RegistrationTM website at www.registry.jockeyclub.com.
The Jockey Club offers LifeChip® microchips, which are ISO 11784-compliant and consistent with those used by international thoroughbred stud-book authorities.
Additional information about microchipping is available at www.registry.jockeyclub.com.
