The USTA listened and will implement visual identification alongside microchips. Thank you for helping protect these horses. Stay vigilant to ensure this policy is enacted.
January 19, 2022
Final supporters
The United States Trotting Association, which is the body that governs and registers Standardbreds, has adopted the practice of micro-chipping horses for identification, rather than freeze branding, which had replaced lip tattoos. Sadly, this will put thousands of our horses in peril, as too many of these wonderful animals, wind up in kill pens, awaiting slaughter. We owe these horses a chance to escape such a fate. Many organizations across the country have identified and pulled horses from this disgusting and horrifying end. Without a way to identify them visually as Standardbreds, it will severely curtail their efforts to save them. We owe a great debt to this breed and it is despicable that after being used for our entertainment and income, or service as in the Amish community, many are discarded and dumped, scared, confused, often mal-nourished and hurt, to face this horrific end. While it is understandable that the ease and reliability of reading a microchip is great for identification, it is not so great for the future of these horses. Please sign this petition to ask the USTA to do both a visual ID, along with the microchip.
Updates
January 14, 2022
Five hundred signatures for our Standardbreds. This momentum helps us demand visual identification.
Reached 500 supporters
January 11, 2022
Reached 100 supporters
July 18, 2021
July 16, 2021
Getting close to 100 signatures now. Let's push hard to break past this milestone today.
213 Comments
I have two beautiful Standardbred geldings who are enjoying a second career as my personal trail partners and pets. They were both rescued from an auction/kill pen because of their freeze brands and Full Circle. I feel strongly that freeze brands are important and necessary lifesavers.
What possible reason can there be, to eliminate the freeze brand...except to make it harder to trace the people / owners who made money on these horses...and then want no responsibility for their safety in later years. You all ought to be ashamed.
Critical to the ongoing care of these horses is easy identification when they arrive at auction. That owners are embarrassed by the lack of investment in their charges’ future after these horses have given their lives to entertainment and profit should not be a deciding factor in this issue.
There are not enough chip readers across the USA to identify microchipped horses. While this is a good step, horses need a freeze brand for quick identification when attempting to rescue them, be it from abusive situations or the many kill pens. Please continue to freeze brand.
Please. These horses have a great 2nd career. They are usually the safest trail horses and family horses. They have been exposed to so much and so much training. Please let them be easily identifiable to the public to recognize their greatness.
We need freeze brands
Trotting assoc should also charge a fee after they are registered to help defray the cost of rehabilitating them if their racing career doesn't serve them well . There are too many breeders just wanting instant money from this breed.
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The USTA listened and will implement visual identification alongside microchips. Thank you for helping protect these horses. Stay vigilant to ensure this policy is enacted.
January 19, 2022
Final supporters
The United States Trotting Association, which is the body that governs and registers Standardbreds, has adopted the practice of micro-chipping horses for identification, rather than freeze branding, which had replaced lip tattoos. Sadly, this will put thousands of our horses in peril, as too many of these wonderful animals, wind up in kill pens, awaiting slaughter. We owe these horses a chance to escape such a fate. Many organizations across the country have identified and pulled horses from this disgusting and horrifying end. Without a way to identify them visually as Standardbreds, it will severely curtail their efforts to save them. We owe a great debt to this breed and it is despicable that after being used for our entertainment and income, or service as in the Amish community, many are discarded and dumped, scared, confused, often mal-nourished and hurt, to face this horrific end. While it is understandable that the ease and reliability of reading a microchip is great for identification, it is not so great for the future of these horses. Please sign this petition to ask the USTA to do both a visual ID, along with the microchip.
Updates
January 14, 2022
Five hundred signatures for our Standardbreds. This momentum helps us demand visual identification.
Reached 500 supporters
January 11, 2022
Reached 100 supporters
July 18, 2021
July 16, 2021
Getting close to 100 signatures now. Let's push hard to break past this milestone today.
213 Comments
Visible freeze-brands are the only way to identify these horses in auctions & kill pens. Horses who have only a microchip will have no protection down the road when they are used up & dumped.
I have two beautiful Standardbred geldings who are enjoying a second career as my personal trail partners and pets. They were both rescued from an auction/kill pen because of their freeze brands and Full Circle. I feel strongly that freeze brands are important and necessary lifesavers.
What possible reason can there be, to eliminate the freeze brand...except to make it harder to trace the people / owners who made money on these horses...and then want no responsibility for their safety in later years. You all ought to be ashamed.
Critical to the ongoing care of these horses is easy identification when they arrive at auction. That owners are embarrassed by the lack of investment in their charges’ future after these horses have given their lives to entertainment and profit should not be a deciding factor in this issue.
There are not enough chip readers across the USA to identify microchipped horses. While this is a good step, horses need a freeze brand for quick identification when attempting to rescue them, be it from abusive situations or the many kill pens. Please continue to freeze brand.
Please. These horses have a great 2nd career. They are usually the safest trail horses and family horses. They have been exposed to so much and so much training. Please let them be easily identifiable to the public to recognize their greatness.
We need freeze brands
Trotting assoc should also charge a fee after they are registered to help defray the cost of rehabilitating them if their racing career doesn't serve them well . There are too many breeders just wanting instant money from this breed.
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Visible freeze-brands are the only way to identify these horses in auctions & kill pens. Horses who have only a microchip will have no protection down the road when they are used up & dumped.