Identifying horses just got a whole lot easier for Thames Valley Police's Horsewatch after the donation of a Tracer microchip scanner by Bayer Animal Health. 

Police Equine Liaison Volunteer, Helen Evans, is responsible for training Thames Valley Police Officers how to scan lost, stolen or neglected horses so they can either be returned to their rightful owners or re-homed. So far, over 60 Police Officers have been trained in the Bucks region alone, and plans are afoot for more courses in the Reading and Oxford areas. Until Bayer's donation of the £400 scanner, Helen had to rely on borrowing one.

The changes to the Horse Passport Regulations which came into force on 1st July 2009 will see more horses being microchipped, since anyone applying for a new horse passport will have to have their horse microchipped – a relatively simple process carried out by a vet. A microchip contains a unique identification number which is linked to the horse's passport. Failure to comply with the new regulations could lead to a fine of up to £5,000 for the horse's owner.

"Having more microchipped horses will hopefully act as a deterrent to would-be thieves," says Helen. "It will certainly make identifying them much easier than it has previously been – with the help of Bayer's scanner."