Equine Tattoo Research or, "How do I research the tattoo on my horse?" 
All racehorses are required to have a lip tattoo for
identification purposes prior to racing. Any of the
racing breeds that race at tracks in the United States can have a lip tattoo on the inside of their upper lip. This tattoo identifies the horse and
its owner through the horse's registration papers.
Lip tattooing is another form of
"branding" a horse and involves having a tattoo made of
letters and numbers put on the inside of the upper lip. The
downside regarding lip tattoos are that they are not visible
without flipping the lip up, they
can fade with age and many times they are not
readable due to mottling on the horses lip.
We suggest that a professional do your tattoo,
especially if you know nothing about the process. This is
not our only means of identification. However, should
you decide to do it yourself, tattooing kits are available through
vet supply catalogs and can either be applied by a veterinarian or
by the horse owner.
It can be viewed by pulling the horse’s lip up with your fingers. Tattoos tend to fade with age and may be easier to read at night with a black light. You can also try taking a digital picture and enhancing the contrast to make the tattoo more legible. A racing tattoo provides a way to positively identify any horse.
Thoroughbreds, Quarterhorses, Appaloosas, and Standardbreds,
who have raced
will have tattoos that definitively establish their ages with the
exception that Standardbreds and Arabians also allow freeze branding and freeze marking.
To find information on different tattoos: Before you start your search, make sure you have read your tattoo correctly. An Appendix lip tattoo usually has four or five numbers and a letter. Sometimes there will be five numbers, but usually there are four or five numbers and a letter. Example 6465A. A Thoroughbred lip tattoo usually has a letter and four numbers but can vary and have five numbers. The letter is at the first of the TB lip tattoo.
Thoroughbreds: You can initiate a tattoo trace with the Jockey Club. In 2009 the fee was waived and you can now research the tattoo for free. Read the Jockey Club Press Release to learn more about this program. Or you can try the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, but they will refund your money if they are unable to identify your horse. The first letter of the tattoo will tell you your Thoroughbred’s year of birth.
| A – 1997 |
B – 1998 |
C – 1999 |
D – 2000 |
| E – 2001 |
F – 2002 |
G – 2003 |
H – 1978 or 2004 |
| I – 1979 or 2005 |
J – 1980 or 2006 |
K – 1981 or 2007 |
L – 1982 or 2008 |
| M – 1983 |
N – 1984 |
O – 1985 |
P – 1986 |
| Q – 1987 |
R – 1988 |
S – 1989 |
T – 1990 |
| U – 1991 |
V – 1992 |
W – 1993 |
X – 1994 |
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Y – 1995 |
Z – 1996 |
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TRPB Tattoo - more
info
Through the use of a distinctive
parallel cluster lip-tattoo die brand designed by the TRPB and
registered as a  Certification Mark in the United States and
Canada, the TRPB has, since 1947, provided the Thoroughbred
industry with the single most effective, secure, practical and
economical method of horse identification available today.
The
utility of this lip-tattoo identification system for racing
purposes is demonstrated daily by attentive identifiers
conscientiously following established guidelines and procedures in
varied racing situations at Thoroughbred racetracks throughout the
United States and Canada. (from
TRPB
website)
Standardbreds: Standardbred tattoos have either a letter and four numbers or two letters and three numbers. You can look them up online for free at this link. The U.S. Trotting Association will be happy to tell you about your horse’s race record and production record for a fee. Like Thoroughbreds, the first letter shows you the year of birth:
| A – 1982 |
B – 1983 |
C – 1984 |
D – 1985 |
| E – 1986 |
F – 1987 |
G – 1988 |
H – 1989 |
| I – 1990 |
J – 1991 |
K – 1992 |
L – 1993 |
| M – 1994 |
N – 1995 |
O – 1996 |
P – 1997 |
| Q – 1998 |
R – 1999 |
S – 2000 |
T – 2001 |
| U – 2002 |
V – 2003 |
W – 2004 and 1978 |
X – 2005 and 1979 |
| |
Y – 2006 and 1980 |
Z – 2007 and 1981 |
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Quarter Horses:
Quarter Horses who have raced also have a lip tattoo; however, AQHA will give you the information for free! Just write it down and call it in at 1-806-376-4811. Quarter Horse tattoos have the letter at the end which is helpful if you’re trying to figure out whether your rescue horse is a Thoroughbred or a Quarter Horse. Once you have determined that you have a racing Quarter Horse, AQHA can provide you with all of the information you need about its pedigree and production record (there are fees for that information but you can sign up and get it online).
Appaloosas: The actual registration number is used on Appaloosas with tatto numbers. However, a lip tattoo in this breed does not meant that an Appy has been raced. More info on Appaloosa tattoos here in this PDF document.
Arabians: The TRPB will hel you ID off track Arabians. Many Arabians have Freeze Marks on the sid of their neck so make sure you ready about that type of ID as well.
Check out Horse Identification
Listings for identification venders,
branding info and more.
Stolen Horse International, Inc. would like to
thank the TPPB , with a special thanks to Jim and Rex, for their assistance in
helping us obtain tattoo's for our demonstration horses, Skeeter and Idaho.
More Links to Lip Tattoo Research Resources This part of this page is created with input from
volunteers of NetPosse and visitors to the web site. We
appreciate your input! If we are missing a site that
can help research a tattoo we want to hear about it. Send us an email with your suggestion.
Hints on tattoo research from NetPosse member Pat Calloway
United States Trotting Horse Association Search
NEED A SPEAKER FOR YOUR NEXT MEETING OR CLINIC? - We offer seminars/demonstrations for different groups and organizations such as horse expos, 4H, horse clubs and breed associations.We can also cover theft prevention and other means of permanent identification if your group requests it. For more information email Debi Metcalfe. View our
clinics and speaking engagements here
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