Horse passports: Minimum Operating Standards (MOpS) for Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs)

Terminology

6. For the purpose of this document please note the following definitions, in particular:

• ‘Horse’ means wild or domesticated soliped mammals of all species within the genus Equus of the family Equidae, and their crosses.
• ‘Keeper’ means any natural or legal person having possession of, or being charged with, the keeping of equidae, whether or not for financial reward, and whether on a temporary or permanent basis, including during transportation, at markets, or during competitions, races or cultural events.
• ‘2016 Regulation’ means Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262 as retained in UK law
• ‘Scotland Regulation’ means the Equine Animal (Identification) (Scotland) Regulations 2019 (SSI 2019/30)
• ‘Passport’ means an identification document for equines as referred to in the 2016 Regulation
• ‘Recognised body’ with regard to imported horses means any of the bodies referred to in Article 14(a) of the 2016 Regulation. For registered horses this is a body in a non-EU included in the list provided for in Article 34 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1012 as it has effect in EU law or Annex 1 to retained Regulation 2018/659 or a national branch of an international organisation or association which manages horses for competition or racing with its headquarters in the country of the international organisation or association referred to in Article 5(1)(b). For all other horses it is the competent authority of the country of origin of the horse.
• ‘Working Day’ means every day from Monday to Friday except for public holidays (local variations may apply).

For further definitions please also see:

• Article 2 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/262
• SSI 2019/30: The Equine Animal (Identification) (Scotland) Regulations 2019