Owners may unknowingly be leaving their horses absent from the British Central Equine Database (CED), a competition organiser and showing association have warned.The confusion has prompted the British Horse Society (BHS) and World Horse Welfare to share advice surrounding the correct procedure for registering imported horses.The issue came to light after concerns were raised by the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association (TGCA), a UK Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO), who discovered that a significant number of imported horses entered into a Search for a Star qualifying show were not recorded on the CED.The Irish PIOs do process the change of ownership with the new English address on the label within the passport but that is the end of their responsibility it seems as these details are not then added to the CED, said Andrea Betteridge, Director of the Traditional Gypsy Cob Association. As a result, many owners who have done everything they believed was required remain unaware that an additional step is needed to register their horse on the Central Equine Database through a UK PIO.We need to ensure we are educating owners and making sure they are aware of this issue. Adding a horse to the CED is easily done but in this situation it will only happen at present if the owner knows to ask the question.A confusing matterWorld Horse Welfares Kim Ayling, Head of Public Affairs, said it was encouraging to see shows identifying cases where horses imported into the UK have not been correctly registered.It gives owners the opportunity to put things right and provides an incentive to do so, she said. We know that owners, understandably, find current passport regulations confusing. A British Horse Council survey in 2022 found that only a quarter of horse owners thought equine passport laws had been communicated well.If a horse has been imported, the new owner often doesnt realise that its their responsibility to make sure the horse is registered with a UK PIO within 30 days. Registering the change of owner with the original PIO is only one part of the puzzle its the UK-based PIO which will ensure the horses details are on the Central Equine Database [a process known as overstamping].Weve long been calling for a fully digitised equine identification system, which would make it much easier for owners to update information and check if their horses details are correct. The current divide between paper passports and a digital CED makes it easy for confusion to occur.Advice for ownersGemma Stanford, Director of Horse Care and Welfare at the BHS, acknowledged that some owners may be unaware of the correct process.Overstamping helps support equine traceability and welfare by ensuring horses can be linked to the UK Central Equine Database, she told Your Horse. This can be particularly important in situations involving disease control, welfare investigations, horses found at large, or lost and stolen horses. Owners should be aware that updating ownership details with an overseas passport issuing authority does not automatically mean the horse is registered on the UK Central Equine Database. If a horse has been imported into the UK, owners should check whether an overstamp is required and seek advice from a UK-based PIO if they are unsure.The BHS encourages owners to ensure their horses passport and ownership records are accurate and up-to-date. Further guidance can be found on the BHS website HorsePassportFAQs and via the World Horse Welfare website. Owners can also check their horses details on the CED using theEquine Register Chip Checker.Defra told Your Horse it meets with industry representatives on a monthly basis, providing an opportunity to raise issues and concerns for it to consider, and that it has no current plans to implement a fully digital equine identification system, but is working with industry to identify improvements to the system.DEFRA also shares guidance relating to registration of imported horses via this page. The post Confusion surrounding registration of imported horses appeared first on Your Horse.