The society will enter into the breeding book, animals of the same breed, line or cross that are eligible for entry under the breed criteria, without discrimination on account of their country of origin.

Passports are issued in the year of birth or within 6 months of the date of birth, whichever is latest. This is a document which will stay with the animal for life. The passport should be returned to the BHHS in the event of the horse’s death.

The new passport includes data which goes far beyond the information of the former registration paper. It includes:

• The breeding information and proof of identity for every horse with all the data that was included in the registration paper that used to be issued
• A veterinarian document that includes all the necessary records on the horse’s health status (e.g. vaccinations)
• F.E.I. Passport. A horse that participates at international competitions does not need additional documents.

In addition to the above-described passport, each horse receives a separate certificate of ownership, which can be kept in a safe place separately.

The passport includes in the first section the basic data on each horse, which is available when it is issued, the life registration number, the sex, colour, date of birth, breed, pedigree, breeder and owner. These six pages are called the breeding certificate. When both parents of said horse are registered, then these pages will be in pink, as before. White papers will be issued to part-breds.

The following pages are printed forms. During the horse’s lifetime, entries will be made.

These pages can be divided in:

• the FEI part, which includes an outline diagram for chestnuts. This needs to be filled out when crossing borders
• entries from breeding and competitions, e.g. approval results, studbook entries, performance test results, competition records.
• proof of identity checks, e.g. at a horse show or when crossing a border
• entries of laboratory results
• documentation on horse influenza
• chapter 8 is a vaccination record for all other diseases.

The regulations of the European Union demand that the identity of a horse can be established at any time.

Therefore, the passport must accompany the horse on every trip. The risk of losing the document is now much greater than when the document is stored in a safe place. This is the reason for issuing a separate certificate of ownership, which will be passed on to a third party only at the time of the sale of said horse.

It is important to realise that passports once issued can not be rescinded. It is therefore essential that you choose the right organisation through which to have the passport for your foal issued.