THE National Equine Database (NED) has now launched and will cost users only £1 for the first month.
The introductory offer aims to get as many of the horse-owning public as possible looking at the system, using the data and helping the NED team to do some “tidying up”.
NED spokesman Jan Rogers told H&H: “There are still some data issues — we have a number of duplicate records in the database and want people to help us link competition records to passport records.”
NED is an internet-based system that holds the data — including basic identification details (passport, microchip and unique life number) and voluntary pedigree and competition data — of every horse in the UK.
After the initial introductory £1 offer (the closing date for which has not been decided), there will be three membership categories — bronze, silver and gold — offering different levels of access. The final prices for the membership levels have not yet been set either.
More than 100 organisations have provided basic identity data to NED — which now carries records of around 1.2million horses in the UK.
Competition and breeding records from British Dressage, British Eventing, the British Show Jumping Association, thoroughbred racing, stallion and mare grading (where supplied) are included, as well as BEF Young Horse Evaluations and Futurity data since 2002.
Ms Rogers added: “We are in active discussion with the Showing Council about showing results and will add endurance and reining in due course.”
www.nedonline.co.uk
Read this news story in full in the current issue of Horse & Hound (27 November, ’08)
