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Changes to Passports

This page explains how NPS Equine Passports, for both Registered and Non Registered ponies, should be kept up to date when the following events occur:

  1. Transfer of Ownership - sale / purchase / change of ownership
  2. Castration / Gelding
  3. Loan - pony on loan or lease for showing and/or breeding
  4. Address Change - owner address change / pony location change
  5. Pony deaths
  6. Microchipping and Branding

Unique Equine Life Number - UELN

All ponies who have been issued with an Equine Passport should have a UELN. The UELN is a 16 digit number that identifies the pony and also the organisation that issued the passport. Owners may be asked for their pony's UELN when completing insurance forms or show entries etc.

Some of the older NPS passports were issued before UELNs were in operation. Passports that are sent in to the NPS Office (e.g. when a change of ownership needs to be recorded) are checked and the UELN is added at this time.

If you have an NPS passport which doesn't have a UELN on the front page and you need to know your pony's UELN you can ring or email the office and we let you know the number.

1. Transfer of Ownership / selling  / buying / sale / purchase

It is law, Horse Passports (England) 2004, for buyers to inform the NPS within 28 days of purchase of a pony for which the NPS has issued an Equine Passport (Registered and Non-Registered).

A Transfer form must be completed and sent to the NPS with the passport and correct fee. The Transfer form can be found as a resource at the foot of this page; the fees are on the top of the form. The fee is £18 if you are not a Breeder member of the NPS and £12 if you are a Breeder member. An additional £3 is required if you wish the passport to be returned by recorded delivery.

Please note that, for welfare reasons, the NPS will not allow people under the age of 18 to be the recorded owner of a pony.

The NPS will record the change in ownership in the passport and on its computer records and notify the National Equine Database. The NPS will return the passport to the new owner. Transfers are normally processed within two weeks.

FAQs

Q1: Does the seller have to sign the Transfer form?

A1: A copy of the receipt for the pony can be used instead of the seller part of the form so long as the name of the pony, the seller's name and address and seller's signature are provided.

Q2: What should I do if the pony has not been transferred into the ownership of the person from whom I am buying it? 

A2: In all circumstances the seller and buyer should complete the Transfer Form as described above.

An additional Transfer form and fee can be submitted for the previous transfer if you want this recorded formally in the passport and NPS records.

As a last resort the NPS will check, with the last recorded owner of the pony, that they no longer claim ownership. This will be done before completing the transfer and can delay processing.    

Q3: The pony is a present for my daughter; can she be the owner?

A3:  If your daughter is under 18 you should put the pony in the joint ownership of yourself and your daughter. The NPS assumes people under the age 18 may not have the resources required to look after a pony properly under all circumstances.

Q4: The previous owners of the pony have put their details in the passport but their owner details have not been signed by the NPS.

A4: The NPS knows nothing about these people's ownership of the pony. You should ignore this information and proceed as in A2 above.

2. Castration / Gelding

The rules for registration of British Riding Ponies state that colts must be licensed or gelded by the time they are two years old.

When a pony is gelded the vet should either sign the Gelding Record page in the passport (not present in all passports) or complete a Gelding Certificate.  The Gelding Certificate can be found as a resource at the foot of this page. The fee is £8, an additional £3 is required if you wish the passport to be returned by recorded delivery.

You should then send the passport, fee and form (if required) to the NPS.

The NPS will update the passport, this includes amending the pony's registration number, update the NPS database and notify the National Equine Database.

The NPS will return the passport to the owner normally within two weeks

FAQs

Q1: My pony is a gelding but his passport still says he is a colt, what should I do?

A1:  You should obtain proof, from a vet, that the pony is a gelding and send this with the passport and fee to the NPS.  Veterinary proof could be a markings diagram produced for another purpose (e.g. JMB) when a vet has said this is a gelding and signed the form, the vet signing a Castration Certificate (see resources at the foot of this page), the vet completing and signing the Stallion page in the passport or a receipt from a vet for a castration operation.

3. Loans / Leases  

The NPS strongly recommends that a loan/lease agreement is drawn up prior to the loan of any pony. This should be signed by both parties.

Breeding: The NPS rules for registration of foals state that both the dam and the sire must be in the correct ownership, as per the people signing the Registration Application form and the Stallion Service Certificate. If a stallion or mare is on loan for breeding purposes then a Loan/Lease Form (see resources at the foot of this page) should be completed and sent to the NPS so that the NPS computer records can be amended. There is no fee involved and there is no need for the passport to be sent to the NPS.

Showing: The NPS rules for showing ponies state that the pony must be in the correct ownership. If a pony is on loan for showing purposes then a Loan/Lease Form (see resources at the foot of this page) should be completed and sent to the NPS so that the NPS computer records can be amended. There is no fee involved and there is no need for the passport to be sent to the NPS.

4. Address Change

If the owner of a pony moves house, the NPS should be notified of the new address. This can be done via a letter or over the telephone. There is no fee for this and the passport need not be sent to the NPS office. The owner can just amend the address in the passport e.g. by inserting a name and address sticker.  The NPS will amend its record for the owner.

If the pony is not kept at the owner's address then the NPS should be notified of the address where the pony is kept. This can be done via a letter or over the telephone. There is no fee for this and the passport need not be sent to the NPS office. The NPS will add this information to its record for the pony.

5. Pony Deaths

When a pony dies the passport should be sent to the NPS with a covering letter, this is so that the death can be recorded on the NPS records and the National Equine Database can be notified. The NPS also stamps the passport pages indicating that the pony is deceased so that there is no danger of the passport being used fraudulently. There is no fee for this transaction. 

FAQs

Q1: I would like to keep my pony's passport for sentimental reasons, can I do this?

A1: You need to send the passport to the NPS but in your covering letter please ask for it to be returned to you, we will return it once we have stamped the pages.

Q2: The pony that died was very old and never had a passport but was registered with the NPS. What do I need to do?

A2: You should still inform the NPS of the death of the pony so that the records can be updated. If you have an old style NPS Certificate for the pony, please send this in and it will be stamped to show the pony is deceased. If you would like the Certificate returned to you please request this.

Q3: My pony has died but his ownership was never formally transferred into my name, what should I do?

A3: You should proceed just as if the pony was recorded as being in your ownership. The NPS doesn't expect you to complete a Transfer Form or pay a Transfer fee. The passports and records for older ponies were not kept up to date in the way that is now required but it is still important that the NPS is notified of the death of these ponies and that their passports and certificates are taken out of circulation.  

6. MICROCHIPPING AND BRANDING

Please note that all ponies we register after the end of June 2009 will have to have been microchipped to comply with DEFRA regulations. This includeds foals and older ponies. 

In 2009 the Joint Measurement Board (JMB) is insisting ponies are microchipped before they are measured. If your pony is registered with the NPS or we issued your pony's passport and you would like us to record your pony's microchip number on our records and send this information to the National Equine Database then please see RESOURCES below for the form which you need to complete and send in to the NPS office. The fee for this is £5 but if you are asking us to do another transaction for the same pony, such as a transfer of ownership or colt to gelding change, then there is no additional fee for recording microchip information.

The same form and procedure can be used for notifying us if your pony has been branded

 


Resources

Transfer Form    Castration Certificate    Loan/Lease Form  Microchip/Brand Form