Law enforcement agencies believe electronic ID can close the gap between reasonable doubt and insufficient evidence. This method is the least expensive and also can be inserted into saddles and other tack. Lip Tattoo Used by The Jockey Club Thoroughbred breed registry since 1946 in addition to blood typing and DNA as a means of identification, tattoos are placed on the inside of the upper lip of all horses at pari-mutuel tracks prior to racing. Before applying the tattoo, the individual performing the service matches the certificate of registration by The Jockey Club with the horse. Other breeds require parentage verification prior to lip tattoo application.
Lip tattoos wear well for approximately four to five years and fade over time.
Additional Methods of Equine ID Blood Typing - Blood typing and its use in parentage verification date back to the late 1930s. It has been used in human medicine for solving parentage cases and assisting in police investigations. In horses, it has been a requirement by some breed organizations to qualify a horse for registration before racing. Because molecules of the same type within the blood can have genetic differences that cause them to have different electrical charges, their behavior in the electrical field separates them according to their genetic variances. Blood type cannot be altered by additional marking or surgical procedure.