ScotEquine
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Registration

• How do I register?
You can watch the short film below but basically ...

1. enter your mobile number on the One-time Registration page
2. check your mobile phone for the authentication code
3. enter that code back on the One-time Registration page
4. enter your email address in the box which appears
5. click on the activation link which is sent to your email address

Remember that registration is initially about YOU, not your equines. You only register once regardless of how many horses and ponies you have & from how many PIOs



• Can I register without a mobile phone?
Yes. It is discouraged but you can use a landline number if you want to. Note though that SMS text messages are used heavily by ScotEquine. These will be delivered to your landline as spoken messages and will not be stored by your landline provider. Each account does need its own phone number whether mobile or landline.

Note too that PSTN landline services are likely to be discontinued completely by BT in 2025.



• Can I register without an email address?
Sorry no, each account needs its own email address

• My horse never goes anywhere, is it worth me registering?
Yes because unfortunately even stay-at-home equines can catch diseases. By registering, you will get #ScotEquineCover i.e. full benefit of ScotEquine disease (and security) alerts to help keep your horse safe.

... click for more-detailed questions on Registration
• Registration error codes
code 100 - this means the phone number you entered is already registered or partially registered. Try simply logging in instead or contact ScotEquine for assistance

• I tried registering but never received the confirmation code on my mobile phone. What do I do?
Most likely, you entered your mobile number incorrectly, please click here to try again. If you are certain you entered your number correctly and still didn't get a code, please inform ScotEquine so that we can investigate. Thank you.

• I tried registering but never got the activation email. What do I do?
Did you check Spam / Junk folders? If still not there, most likely is that you entered your email address incorrectly. Please send an email to www@scotequine.com quoting the mobile phone number used on the account and we can fix things.

• Is it compulsory to register my horse(s) with ScotEquine
Currently no, but we very much hope that everyone will as a detailed knowledge of who has horses, and where they are, will mean added security for all of Scotland's horses. Other advantages will follow e.g. increased bio-security in the event of a disease outbreak.

ScotEquine is operated by ScotEID on behalf of Scottish Government Ministers.



• Do you allow children to register?
If possible, we would like the person named on the passport to be the one who registers please. The only communications will be from ScotEquine staff so, if a child does register, you can feel safe in the knowledge that no form of communication is possible between individual members.

If you would like a second email address to be associated with a child's account, please contact ScotEquine.



• My horse and I are in England / Wales / Northern Ireland, can I sign up for ScotEquine?
Yes, if you wish to take part, you're very welcome. We can issue ScotEquine cards to equines that are currently in England and may end up on loan to keepers in Scotland, or travel to Scotland for competitions, however for the purpose of travelling from your home into Scotland the paper passport would still need to accompany horse(s) to cover the leg of the journey outside Scotland. In the case of loaning, the ScotEquine card would then be left with the keeper loaning the horse so they are able to move within Scotland without having the passport.

• Does my horse have to be microchipped to connect to him/her on ScotEquine?
No. We can Connect equines without a microchip, however a ScotEquine card will not be printed until you fulfil your legal obligation by providing a microchip number to your Passport Issuing Organisation.


Connecting with my horse or pony

• How do I connect with my equine(s)?
You can watch the short film below but basically ...

1. login to your ScotEquine account
2. click on the Connect icon
3. enter the UELN for the equine you wish to connect to
4. upload a photo of a page in the equine passport which contains its UELN
5. repeat steps 1 - 4 for any other horses you keep
6. wait for ScotEquine staff to validate your request(s)

Remember that you are only REQUESTING a connection. The passport picture must be validated by ScotEquine before you are truly connected.



• Can I connect to more than one equine?
Yes, you can connect to an unlimited number of equines.

... click for more-detailed questions on Connecting with my horse or pony
• I can't see a UELN on my horse's passport.
Some PIOs (passport issuing organisations) call it something else e.g. life number, unique equine number. If you can't see a 15 char reference number, enter the longest ref number you can see.

• My horse has a foreign passport, can I still register on ScotEquine?
Yes you can, however please see the section on over-stamping.


ScotEquine cards

• How much do they cost?
They are free at the moment as Scottish Government has said it will cover cost of one card per horse residing in Scotland for duration of Pilot Project. Reprints are charged at £18 per card

• Can they be used instead of a passport?
For most purposes yes - sale or slaughter excepted. You will also need the passport for the Vet to record vaccinations

• Can they be used to enter equestrian shows and events?
That is our wish, yes, so do please upload a new picture of the vaccination page after each jab. The legal framework does permit this. It is very early days though so it might be prudent to still carry a passport to events in case the event organisers want to see it. We are happy to assist Events Secretaries in preparations.

... click for more-detailed questions on ScotEquine cards
• What do I do if the card is lost or stolen?
Please contact us so that we can invalidate the ScotEquine card. That said, even a bad actor can do nothing with the old one even while still valid. We can issue a replacement but there will be small fee involved.

• What do I do if I sell the horse?
Please contact us so that we can invalidate the ScotEquine card. You will be able to disconnect from the equine on your ScotEquine account and any personal data including photos of your horse will not be available to the new owner when they connect on ScotEquine. You may retain the card as a keepsake if you wish as the photograph is yours. The new owner should register with us separately so we would be obliged if you could inform them of that.


Health and security alerts

• Background
One of the main driving forces behind the ScotEquine project is to offer increased protection for Scotland's equine population - health, welfare and security. Clearly we need to know where horses are kept so that we can notify accordingly.

• Health alerts
Health alerts would typically be instructed by Government vets. They may, for example, wish to alert all keepers nationally, or by local authority region, or even by a radius around the outbreak of concern.

• Do I need to opt-in?
No, not for real alerts. We do have an opt-in arrangement for people who wish to help us test the system (as alerts can be national, regional or local)

• Security alerts - like Farmwatch you mean?
Not exactly but we hope to offer the authorities the chance to notify keepers of equine-related crimes in their area

Following sections are for other equine-related information which you may find useful as a reference

Regulations

• Scottish Govt guidance
Keeper's legal responsibilities are outlined on pages 6-12 of the booklet available here CLICK. In particular, obligation on keeper to ensure PIO has all relevant details including microchip number which is now compulsory (page 10)

Legal uses of ScotEquine card are outlined on page 9



• Imports (Defra)
All equines must either hold a passport from a UK PIO, or have their original overseas passport overstamped by a UK PIO. click to see DEFRA regulations. Over-stamping can be quite complex so it has its own section in these FAQ - see here

• 'Assist' email codes from ScotEquine

ScotEquine will send you email reminders if we think the UKCED has out-of-date or missing information. These are to assist you to meet your obligations but, as ever, it is your responsibility to contact your PIO to correct anything (ScotEquine cannot update your PIO)

.

Code U41: Postcodes differ. The UKCED has a different postcode to the one you registered with on ScotEquine. Data protection does not allow us to tell you what the UKCED has recorded but please contact the PIO named on the passport to ask them to check. If you have Connected with a horse which you have on long-term loan, please make ScotEquine aware of this and we will suppress further assist emails

Code U42: Over-stamp required. All equines must either hold a passport from a UK PIO, or have their original overseas passport overstamped by a UK PIO. click to see DEFRA regulations. Over-stamping can be quite complex so it has its own section in these FAQ - see here

Code U43: No Microchip in UKCED

Code U44: UKCED has wrong keeper address




Your obligations as Keeper

• Horse Passport
You are legally obliged to inform the Passport Issuing Organisation of any change affecting your horse's passport. Specifically, your name and current address, equine's microchip number(s), whether animal is used for breeding, food chain status. Source: page 10 of ScotGov booklet

• Lost passport
Where the passport is lost and the identity of the equine can be established through the implanted microchip number or a properly completed outline diagram kept by the PIO (re-confirmed by a vet), a Duplicate passport can be applied for. The original UELN must be recorded in the Duplicate passport.

If the identity of the equine cannot be established, a Replacement passport must be applied for.



• Loan horses
Not really your legal obligation but do please inform the owner of any compliance reminders you receive as it is their legal obligation. The Passport Issuer will not remind them as the onus is on the owner / keeper.

... click for more-detailed questions on Your obligations as Keeper
• How do I update the UK Central Equine Database?
You don't. This is done exclusively by the PIO (with data you provide to them)

• Do I let you know when my horse has died?
No, you must contact your PIO as the horse passport must be returned. ScotEquine does receive updates from the PIOs with regard to horse deaths but, if you are in any doubt please telephone ScotEquine on 01466 405105.


Microchipping

• I have just had my horse/pony microchipped, do I tell ScotEquine the number?
No, you should contact the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) to give them the microchip number, and they in turn will update the UK Central Equine Database (UKCED) which is where ScotEquine gets its data. This is YOUR responsibility, not the Vet's as the Vet cannot update your PIO or UKCED.

• I have bought a new equine and don’t know if it have been microchipped.
Your vet will need to scan the equine for existing implanted microchips and look for any scars made by previous procedures to either implant or remove a microchip. If the vet finds evidence of an existing microchip, there is no need to have a new microchip inserted. Your vet can give you a note of the existing microchip number(s) and you should request the PIO to carry out a check of their records to ascertain if this information had been previously provided to them. They may want to update the passport with the microchip number whilst updating ownership details.


Overstamping

• What is over-stamping?
Over-stamping a passport means that a 'controlling' Passport Issuing Organisation is given responsibility for a Passport issued by another PIO e.g. if the 'issuing' PIO ceases to function as a PIO

• On import
Historically, some people have chosen to have a passport overstamped for their own convenience. Defra regulations have recently made this both compulsory and retrospective. Horses of all ages, regardless of birthplace, regardless of importation date, must now have a passport which is either issued by a UK PIO or overstamped by a UK PIO.

• Which PIO should I use?
Any PIO which is approved by Defra, click here. We are unable to make recommendations but note that many people do choose a breed-specific PIO where one exists. Others will see price as the main factor.

... click for more-detailed questions on Overstamping
• for competition
Some organisations dictate that any equine participating in their competitions / shows / class be over-stamped by a particular PIO.


Glossary of Terms

• equine
Any horse, pony, donkey, ass, mule or zebra

• overstamp
Over-stamping a passport means that a 'controlling' Passport Issuing Organisation is given responsibility for a Passport issued by another PIO e.g. if the 'issuing' PIO ceases to function as a PIO. More specifics in here

• PIO
Passport Issuing Organisation

• QR code
Quick Response Code. Your ScotEquine card will carry a QR code unique to your horse. Scanning it will take you to the horse's home page

• SMS text
a text message as sent between mobile phones. SMS means plain text, maximum 160 characters. No pictures (that is MMS)

• Spam / junk
your email package may file emails from unknown recipients in a special folder called Spam or Junk. Some email packages are rather over-zealous in this

• UELN
Unique Equine Life Number. A number allocated to an equine by the PIO which issues its first passport. This number is unique worldwide and stays with the horse for life.

• UKCED
United Kingdom Central Equine Database. Operated by Equine Register on behalf of Defra