Home  »  Passports  »  Register a foal

Register a foal

Before registering a foal in the Irish Sport Horse or Irish Draught Horse Studbook, both the sire and the dam of the foal must be registered in the Irish Horse Register and the foal must be eligible to be included in the Studbook. On receipt of a correctly completed covering certificate, Horse Sport Ireland will automatically issue a foal kit to the registered owner of the dam.

By law, all equines in the EU are required to be identified with an identification document. You must submit a completed application form within 6 months of the date of birth of the animal to have a passport for that animal within the first 12 months. Equines are excluded from the food chain where the identification document is not issued within 12 months of the date of birth or where applications are not made within six months from birth. See DAFM – Passports and Microchips for more information.

*All equines are considered to turn a year older on the first of January each year.

*The fee for registering you Foal increases on the 31st August. Our 2024 fees can be found HERE.

 

STEP 1. ORDER YOUR KIT

To order your foal kit you must either have a covering certificate complete with the Sires and Dams details sent in or complete a mare declaration online. On receipt of a correctly complete covering certificate or mare declaration, Horse Sport Ireland will automatically issue a foal kit. You can complete a mare declaration HERE and watch our short how-to guide here:

Mare Declaration Tutorial:

Please view below video on how to complete a mare declaration for your mare on IHR Online

Please note a mare declaration does not count as a covering certificate, a covering cert will still need to be received

STEP 2. CALL YOUR VET

Upon receipt of your foal kit, you will need to call out your vet. Contained within the foal kit will be:

 

  1. Marking chart for the foal – this must be completed by the vet, who will also microchip your foal and attach the microchip bar code to the marking chart and DNA Bags. Please ensure that only Irish Passport Issuing Authorities (PIO) Microchips are used to register your foal. Horse Sport Ireland issues microchips to vets for animals that will be registered in the IHR. Marking charts must be received within 6 months of markings being taken.
  1. DNA hair sample bag – to DNA type your foal, the vet will pull a hair sample from the foal and place it in the sample bag. If you received sample bags in your foal kit for the dam, you must also include these. To find out more about SNP DNA Testing visit DNA Parentage Testing
  2. Information leaflet – detailing the steps as outlined above.

 

STEP 3. SEND YOUR FOAL MARKING CHART AND DNA SAMPLES TO HSI WITH FEE

Once your vet has completed the marking chart for your foal and taken the hair samples, you will need to return both to Horse Sport Ireland and not Weatherbys the Laboratory. Please use the return envelope provided.

* All DNA samples need to be returned to Horse Sport Ireland

Applications cannot be processed until all fees are paid in full. Our 2024 fees can be found HERE. You can now pay for your foal registration from your IHR Online account at IHR Online. Fees can still be processed over the phone, by cheque and postal order. For faster, more convenient, and secure processing of your payment information, we encourage all customers to use IHR Online.

STEP 4. YOU WILL RECEIVE YOUR IRISH SPORT HORSE STUDBOOK PASSPORT

Once HSI has received your completed application including the marking chart, covering certificate, passport fee and the DNA results have returned from the laboratory, the foal’s passport will be posted to the registered owner of the foal.

 

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO RECEIVE MY PASSPORT?

The processing times of passports will vary depending on DNA results, service demand and receiving all required information in full to produce the passport. If the sire and dam are already SNP DNA tested, DNA results will take on average of 19 working days once received. Thereafter, the studbook will require 7 working days to produce the passport, where the application is correct and free from omissions or errors.

The largest contributor to the time it takes to produce a passport is the DNA testing. If a sample fails, the lab will test the sample again. This second test takes an additional 15 days for the lab to process. If the sample fails for a second time, a repeat sample will then be requested from you.

To avoid repeat samples and the unnecessary delays and added costs, care must be taken to ensure that the collection of the hair sample is carried out in-line with best practice guidelines. A minimum of 50 clean, intact hairs pulled from the root with the follicle/hair blub intact. Please ensure there is no soap or other residue on these hairs.

Missing or incorrect information on applications such as no Valid Equine Premise number will also delay the application. We also cannot process your application if it has not been paid for in full.

Breeders should note that if they plan to sell foals in 2024, sufficient time must be given to allow for DNA testing and the production of the passport. If the sire and/or dam is not SNP DNA tested, MS testing may be required at an additional fee of €31.50 (ex VAT) and can take up to 15 additional working days.

To avoid unnecessary delays, care must be taken to ensure that the information you have provided is correct and that the application is filled out in full.

 

If you have any questions about the registration process, please contact the HSI Registration Unit at info@horsesportireland.ie or call +353 45 850800.

 

HSI Registrations Unit office hours:
  • Open to the public from 9am to 5pm (Monday to Friday)
  • The phone line is open from 9am to 4.30pm (Monday to Friday), with the exception of Wednesday when we open at 09.30 to facilitate staff training. Please note the phone lines will be closed from 1pm to 2pm for lunch – 045 850800
  • For urgent registrations applications must be lodged by 11am with the HSI Registration Unit.