Horse Registration

From types of registration, passports, horses' names and vaccinations - our Membership Experience Team have put together the most popular FAQs around horse registration.

What registration type do I need for my horse?

It really depends on what competitions you want to take part in with the horse. Full registration covers you for everything, Club just for Quest, Music, Combined Training and Prelim Bronze and BD Community to ride with a class ticket. Head to the membership packages page for more information on what's available. 

There isn't a name on my horse's passport, does he/she need one to register with you?

No - lots of passports don't have names on them. When you register your horse, supply details you have and clearly state the horse's name on your online application/email/written correspondence so we can complete your horse's registration.

Is there a minimum and maximum age for horses to compete?

Horses must be four years or older to compete.  For PSG classes the minimum age is seven and for grand prix, horses must be at least eight.  The horse's age is taken from 01 January in the year of birth.

How long do I have to send in copies of my horse's passport?

You have 14 days to send a copy of your horse's passport to the BD office. If this is not received within 14 days, your horse's registration will be void. You can also now upload a scan of your horse's passport when making your application online.

I registered my horse with a different name to its passport, is this a problem?

Due to the rules that were introduced in 2010, all horses must be registered with the name in their passport - we can't make any exceptions.

Can I add a prefix/suffix to my horse's name?

Yes - you can do so in in your membership profile, in writing or call the office and we will do this for you. There's a fee of £30.00

Do I have to send the original passport with my horse's registration?

No, we only require copies of the passport. Please don't send us the original, as we cannot guarantee its safe return.

Can I change my horse's name?

Your horse's name can only be changed to match the name on its passport. However, if you change your horse's passport name via the appropriate passport issuing authority, you can subsequently change its name with BD for a fee of £30.00.

Does my horse have to be vaccinated to compete?

Yes - for all registration types. The rules are:

• A horse will not be permitted to compete unless it has a current vaccination against equine influenza which complies with the following conditions:
• An initial course of two injections for primary vaccination, not less than 21 days and not more than 92 days apart, are required before being eligible to compete.
• A first booster injection must be given between 150 and 215 days after the second injection of primary vaccination.
• Subsequent booster injections must be given at regular intervals of not more than 12 months, commencing after the first booster injection.
• The full course or booster must have been administered at least seven days before arriving at the competition.

The vaccination record(s) in the horse’s passport, must be completed, signed and stamped line by line, by an appropriate veterinary surgeon (who is neither the owner nor the rider of the horse). For those competing under FEI rules, please refer to FEI rules. The responsibility to comply with this rule lies with the competitor, who should consult with their veterinarian.

Horses being found without adequate and up to date vaccinations will not be allowed to compete and will be barred from competing until such a time that they have been given their first and second vaccinations. The registration of any horse found in breach of this rule will be suspended until rectified.

I compete a stallion - what do I need?

Stallions should be identified by the rider wearing a yellow cross band or by a stallion disc on the bridle (available from the BD Shop).

Do all imported horses get points?

Horses aged five and over gain points on importation to the UK. The amount of points gained will vary depending on their age when they arrived in the UK.

For more information on importation, please see Section 1 in the Members Handbook.

My horse was imported she/he was younger but has been allocated points - how do I get these removed/reduced?

You can supply us with something official to prove when the horse came into the UK - this can be vaccination records, import papers or a vetting certificate.

My horse has only just come into the UK but has points - how can they be removed?

To remove or reduce your points, you must provide us with something from the Federation of the country the horse came from. This should state either their competition record to date or that they have never been registered. We will then be able to either remove or adjust the points accordingly.

My horse has import points but also has a BE record, can you reduce the points?

Yes - when you register the horse, either send us a copy of the link to its BE record, or advise us of the name registered with BE and we can look at removing/reducing the points.

How do I downgrade a horse?

We no longer downgrade horses (or riders) as the gold sections provide competition opportunity for all.

How many points does my horse have?

You can search any horse in the competition results section or log on to your member profile where you can look up any of the horses registered to you.

How do I upgrade a horse?

You can do it via your member profile online, was shown in the video below:

Or give the office a call on 0247 669 8832 and we can take payment over the phone.

How long do I have to wait to compete after feeding bute?

Members should take the own veterinarians advice as every horse is individual but the withdrawal period can be up to 10 days.

Visit our clean sport section for further details on anti-doping.