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Leading researcher claims passport fraud is ‘widespread’ for equines with hoof disease
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Passport fraud involving equines with hoof wall separation disease (HWSD) is widespread and not only Connemaras are affected. These are the claims of a researcher who was instrumental in the fight to identify the genetic cause of the condition.
New Zealander Sheila Ramsay, who has been involved in research into HWSD for more than a decade, has said that people are being duped into buying affected ponies by unscrupulous sellers using duplicate or doctored passports.
HWSD is a genetic disease first discovered in Connemara ponies (Your Horse, September 2023, News). The hoof wall splits away from the underlying structures meaning that ponies can end up bearing weight on the sole rather than the hoof wall. Euthanasia is often necessary.
All pure-bred Connemara ponies are now genetically tested and those with HWSD should be identified at registration, but fraud is alarmingly easy, according to Sheila.
“There was a case in Holland where three grey geldings imported from Ireland all have the same passport,” said Sheila, a retired veterinary technician who has become a world renowned expert on the issue. The ponies’ microchips were either missing or didn’t match their passports.”
HWSD now affects many Connemara pony crosses, including Irish cobs and sport horses and other pony breeds, Sheila added.
“International Connemara pony breeders led the charge on discovering the cause of HWSD. It is now, however, an issue about which pony buyers across the board should educate themselves.”
When asked about fraud, the British Connemara Pony Society (BCPS) explained that foals have been tested for HWSD at registration in Ireland since 2016 and in the UK from 2017. Ponies registered before that time can be tested by a vet.
Information regarding a pony’s HWSD status is found on the first non-statutory page of a BCPS passport, or the back page of passports issued by the Connemara Pony Breeders’ Society.
“There is anecdotal evidence that there have been cases where the passports of Irish ponies who are HWSD/HWSD [ie, both parents have the HWSD gene] have had the back pages removed,” said a BCPS spokesman. “If you are in any doubt about the HWSD status of a pony, please contact the relevant society.”
