PLEASANTON, Calif. (AP) - California plans to test the use of microchips in identifying thoroughbred racehorses in the state.
It would cost $40-$50 per horse to implant the rice-sized chip into a neck ligament in a five-minute procedure by a veterinarian, said Dan Fick of the Jockey Club.
The chips contain a seven-digit facility location number and a 15-digit ID for each horse, and can also indicate a horse's temperature. The devices that read the IDs cost $200-$400 each.
The chips also can be used to verify the identities of horses during workouts.
The California Horse Racing Board on Thursday instructed its staff to develop a pilot program to test use of the chips.
Chips are used widely in 16 other countries and on a limited basis in some states, but if the testing is successful, California would become the first state to require chips as a way to identify racehorses, Fick said.
Fick co-chairs the equine division of the U.S. Agriculture Department's National Animal Identification System. The USDA is interested in the chip technology to quickly locate horses that might have been exposed to contagious diseases
This message has been edited by bmc86 on Jul 1, 2005 10:39 PM
