Why are we opposed to microchipping horses?

1) Placing a foreign object in a living organism:
We wonder why a foreign object in a person should always be removed (unless the device is medically necessary) whilst it is deemed acceptable to intentionally inject a microchip (foreign object) into our horses and leave it in permanently. We have seen microchips cause problems. The horse’s body tries to reject the microchip and builds connective (scar) tissue around it. Indeed, the whole intention is that the scar tissue holds the microchip in place! Sometimes, however, the connective tissue attaches to the rhomboideus muscle. As a result, the muscle does not function correctly and the horse cannot bend its neck to the left; or in the best case, can only bend it partially.

2) A microchip is not reliable
An installed chip can easily be destroyed. One only needs simple tools that are readily obtainable. Destroy the existing chip, implant a new one and you have a new horse!

3) Identification method
There are better, non-intrusive identification methods like the Iris Scan and DNA testing. DNA testing only requires the use of a few hairs from the horse. It is reliable and costs only a little more than microchipping.

4) Registration of medication
Registration of medication is the only lawful reason why all horses in the Netherlands must be identified. But why is this? The European Union (EU) has ruled that medication used in cattle for slaughter shall be registered for each animal. For horses, this means that each horse should have an equine passport in which all medication is registered. According to EU law, the equine passport is the only thing needed. So why is a chip needed as well? (read points 5 and 6).

5) Food safety
Microchips in one country are not always readable in another country. A large percentage of horses in the Netherlands eventually end up in Italy to be slaughtered. Do you really think the Italians use Dutch chip readers to locate the chip in order to remove it? And what about the 20% of microchips that become defective? (read the EU report and the Conclusions.)
Are horses that have a non-functioning chip X-rayed so that the chip is removed from the animal? We do not think so. In the same EU report, the EU concludes that a microchip is unsuitable for cows etc… because of the possibility that the chips will enter the human food chain. So why should horses be chipped? Another question: How can you identify a horse when the chip is defective or cannot be located? You cannot! So how will you know the medical treatment the horse has had and, therefore, if the horse can be used for human consumption? Also, what is the point of microchip identification if the animal cannot be identified by the chip?
Knowing that chips are probably NOT removed in Italian slaughterhouses, we spoke with the Dutch organization that carries out microchip regulations. Their response was, “We notified other countries about the chipping regulations in the Netherlands.” That is it! There is no control whatsoever on chips being removed in Italy, or elsewhere for that matter!
Knowing that horse meat is used in many snacks, consumers are at risk of getting pieces of glass and metal in their food – which occurred at least twice in the Netherlands in May 2005.

6) Responsibility
Why is it that all of the organizations that profit from chipping animals assure us that there is absolutely no harm in chipping horses, yet they admit that there has not been any proper research into the possibility of long-term problems? They point to racehorses that have been chipped for years. However, due to the nature of the sport, racehorses use their necks in a completely different way than dressage and show jumping horses. Those who promote microchip implants also say that a chip cannot move around the horse’s body. However, if a chip moves more than 5 cm. from the original implant site, the chip manufacturer has a special form to be completed in order to identify the new location of the chip! Also, if chipping horses is risk-free, why is the owner responsible for any problem that occurs because of the microchip implant? And if things go wrong - for example, if the horse has difficulty bending its neck to the left - the owner must prove that the chip caused the problem. As there has never been proper research regarding the safety of microchips, those promoting the chips do not know what can go wrong. They also do not accept responsibility for any microchip-related problem. Consequently, the horse owner is left out in the cold with a lot of vet bills to pay and a horse that is often worthless.

7) Discrimination of people who do not want to chip their horse
People who prefer a 100% safe method to identify their horse by means of DNA testing cannot have their horses slaughtered. For some of us this is not a problem because it is not the way we wish to end our horse’s life. But for other people it is normal to have their horses slaughtered. Consequently, these owners are robbed of that money. But why?
Medication is still not being entered in the horse’s passport, so all that owners are NOT doing is putting glass and metal into their horse, which may end up in someone’s food! Therefore, horse owners who do not want to chip their horses are being punished.

8) Last but not least
Where is the microchipping of horses leading to? All arguments in the Netherlands (such as: needed for identification, to prevent fraud in competition or theft etc…) are to make chipping more acceptable to the public. In the meantime, there is hardly any control at the borders between countries and in slaughterhouses.
Germany refuses to chip all horses because of the lack of research regarding potential long-term complications. Spain has stopped chipping and Ireland is experimenting with the idea. The Dutch government should be more responsible but instead has a holier-than-thou attitude.

We understand why people have gotten their horses chipped. At first everybody in the Netherlands thought they did not have a choice in the matter. The DNA alternative is not publicized by organizations that promote chipping. But well-known riders refuse to chip their horses. Riders such as  Anky van Grunsven, Jeroen Dubbeldam, Jan Tops, IJsbrand Chardon, Johan Rockx, and organizations like Stal de IJzeren Man and the Studbook Zangersheide, do not like to risk having anything go wrong with their horses.

We hope that everyone who reads this site will understand that chipping horses is NOT a good idea: Not for the horses and not for the human food chain. The only ones who benefit from chipping are those who make money from microchip implant technology.
If you want the best for your horse, choose DNA testing. In the near future the Iris Scan will be available. This is a marvelous system that will combine all the advantages that every government wants in an electronic identification system.