Information for All Owners of Equines Even though legislation has been on the table since before 2005, some of us (myself included) have only recently heard about the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which will affect everyone who owns even 1 horse or 1 pig or 1 chicken. You can check out the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) for complete information on how this will affect us as Texans. I'll give a quick run-down here for starters: Premise Identification - July 1, 2006 Premise Registration will be compulsory in Texas. To track animals, animal health officials must know where they are born and where they are moved. Therefore, identifying locations that manage or hold animals—referred to as premises—is the starting point of the NAIS. Each premises will be identified with a unique seven character identifier, or a Premises Identification Number (PIN). Here is a great link for a rundown on what this entails: Premise Registration Q & A Animal Identification - To track animals as they move from premises to premises, animal health officials must have a standard way to identify them. Animals will be identified either individually with a unique Animal Identification Number (AIN) or, if they are managed and moved through the production chain as a group, with a Group/Lot Identification Number (GIN). More info found on the USDA website. Animal Tracking - Various species working groups have suggested that certain basic events will trigger the need for reporting animal movements (e.g., change of ownership, interstate movement, multiple owners commingling their animals, etc). Each location will have a Premises Identification Number (PIN), and the responsible party will report the AIN or GIN of all animals that arrive at that premises and the date of their arrival. Education yourself.Most of us have already let legislation pass without voicing our interests and positions. As they have already proposed, by 2009 you WILL have to let USDA officials know every time you take your horse off and on your property

Earn Points with the Arabian Horse Association Do you have a registered 1/2 Arab or full Arabian? By taking part in the San Jacinto Horse Show Association sanctioned shows, you can earn points towards the AHA's Open Event Incentive Program (OEIP). Here's a little bit of info about the program. See the website above for more info: The Open Event Incentive Program rewards both Riders and Horses that excel in all-breed competitions outside of the traditional Arabian horse community. As a participant in OEIP, you and your horse will accumulate points based on how you place in competitions and be rewarded for all of your achievements and hard work. Riders who participate in OEIP will earn recognition and awards based on the number of points they accumulate. In addition, the horses used in these competitions will automatically have their accomplishments recorded in their permanent event record in the Arabian Horse DataSource world database. Horse owners that do not compete as the rider may also join the program and enter horses they own without the rider being part of the program. When you go to log your points, just look for SJHSA where you select the show organization!

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