Equine Register
Equine Register Ltd operates the UK's Central Equine Database on behalf of Defra, holding 1.8 million equine records and serving owners, vets, 81 Passport Issuing Organisations, and government regulators through Digital Stable, ChipChecker, and related traceability platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersCirencester, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Equine Register does
Equine Register Ltd is a UK-based private company headquartered in Cirencester that operates the Central Equine Database (CED) on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The CED holds records of 1.8 million equines and their associated ownership details, microchips, UELNs, and food chain status, making Equine Register the authoritative national registry for equine identification and traceability in the United Kingdom. The company has built a multi-sided platform serving equine owners, RCVS-registered vets, Passport Issuing Organisations (81 integrated PIOs), livery yards, equine professionals (farriers, dentists, physiotherapists), and UK government regulators.
The product architecture is platform-plus-modules: the CED sits at the core, accessed through the Digital Stable web portal and mobile application (iOS and Android) for owners, the Digital Vet App for veterinarians, and the public-facing National ChipChecker for microchip and UELN verification. Adjacent modules include Digital Smartcards (mobile passports), Digital Livery (yard management), the Equine Professionals Portal (audit receipts), and government-facing solutions covering International Hub, Border Security, National Biosecurity, and Food Crime & Standards. The technology stack is conventional cloud-based identity and data management, with a multi-step KYC verification layer drawing on credit bureaus, voter registries, utility providers, and postal postcard codes.
Equine Register's revenue model is anchored on a managed-services government contract with Defra, which the company identifies as its primary revenue relationship. Owner-facing products (Digital Stable, National ChipChecker) are free, and pricing for enterprise or government services is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market combines direct B2G sales to Defra with self-serve/PLG adoption among owners and vets through web and mobile channels, supplemented by referral partnerships with industry bodies and welfare charities including the British Horse Council, World Horse Welfare, and The Horse Trust. The company has disclosed only one funding round — approximately $55,926 from EISMEA in mid-2016 — and operates without disclosed venture backing, acquisitions, or leadership changes across its history.
Equine Register firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Equine Register
- Legal name
- Equine Register Ltd
- Website
- https://equineregister.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Equine Register Ltd operates the UK's Central Equine Database on behalf of Defra, holding 1.8 million equine records and serving owners, vets, 81 Passport Issuing Organisations, and government regulators through Digital Stable, ChipChecker, and related traceability platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Equine Register industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Equine Identification & Traceability
- NAICS
- Veterinary Services (54194), Horses and Other Equine Production (112920)
- SIC
- Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Equine Veterinary Services (AFAEANAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Regulatory, Health Certificates & Export/Import Compliance (Large Animal/Equine) (HLAMABAL), Equine Veterinary, Welfare & Anti-Doping Services (MPAEADAJ)
Keywords
Where Equine Register is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cirencester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Equine Register business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Government Contract (Defra): Manages the Central Equine Database on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a UK government department. This appears to be the primary revenue relationship.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Digital Stable - Free for equine owners |
| Other | Others | Government/Enterprise Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Equine Register product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Equine Register operates the UK's Central Equine Database on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), managing identification records for approximately 1.8 million horses, ponies, and donkeys. The company delivers digital identification tools, microchip lookup services, and biosecurity intelligence to passport issuing organisations, veterinary practices, government agencies, and individual equine owners. Its software platforms integrate chip scanning, smartcard issuance, and cross-border traceability data to support regulatory compliance, food crime investigations, and disease outbreak response.
Product overview
Equine Register operates a platform-plus-modules product architecture. The core system is the Central Equine Database (CED), a government database managed on behalf of Defra containing 1.8 million equine records. This is accessed through the Digital Stable platform (web and mobile) for owners, the Digital Vet App for veterinarians, and the public-facing National ChipChecker. Additional modules include Digital Smartcards (mobile passport access), Digital Livery (livery yard management), Equine Professionals Portal (audit receipts for farriers/dentists), and government-facing solutions for International Hub, Border Security, National Biosecurity, and Food Crime & Standards. The products work together to provide lifetime traceability, microchip verification, vaccination tracking, and food chain status management across the UK equine industry.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Digital Stable: Platform for equine owners and keepers to manage and update equine passports digitally
- Digital Vet App
- National ChipChecker
- Central Equine Database (CED)
- Digital Smartcards
- Digital Livery
Products and services
- Central Equine Database National-scale equine record system operated on behalf of Defra, providing authoritative identification, registration, and traceability data for horses, ponies, and donkeys in the UK. It serves regulators, passport issuing organisations, border security, biosecurity, and food standards agencies.
- Digital Stable Online digital stable record-keeping service for equine owners to store and manage identification documentation for their horses, ponies, and donkeys.
- National ChipChecker National microchip lookup service that enables quick verification of equine identification against the Central Equine Database, used by vets, enforcement bodies, and owners.
- Digital Vet App Mobile application for veterinary professionals to perform microchip scanning, equine identification checks, and registration workflows at the point of care.
- Digital Smartcards Digital credentialing product that issues verifiable smartcards for equine professionals, enabling authenticated identity and qualification verification across the sector.
- Digital Livery Digital product for livery yards to manage equine records, identification, and registration workflows for horses in their care.
- Equine Professionals Portal Web portal serving equine professionals with identification, registration, and credentialing tools to support their work with horses and their owners.
- International Hub International partner network and platform that supports cross-border equine identification and traceability between the UK and other jurisdictions.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1.8 million equines registered on the Central Equine Database (CED)
Companies that use Equine Register
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Equine Register technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Equine Register partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)coreEquine Register manages the UK's Central Equine Database (CED) on behalf of Defra, holding records of 1.8 million equines. This is a core government partnership providing the official national equine registry. The company collaborates with Defra on policy development for equine identification and public awareness campaigns.
- British Horse CouncilcoreThe British Horse Council is an industry trade body that has publicly endorsed Equine Register's solutions, stating the database has potential to bring huge benefits to owners, sporting bodies, and equestrian businesses.
- World Horse WelfaremajorLeading horse welfare charity whose CEO Roly Owers has publicly stated that Equine Register's solutions will be transformational for holding people accountable for horse welfare through verified ownership records.
- The Horse TrustmajorHorse welfare charity whose CEO Jeanette Allen has endorsed the CED and Digital Stable as beneficial to the sector and meeting government regulatory requirements.
- Passport Issuing Organisations (PIOs)core81 Passport Issuing Organisations integrate with the Central Equine Database through the Digital Stable platform. These include breed societies, studbooks, and ID-only passport organisations that issue and update equine passports and submit data to the CED.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Equine Register competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Weatherbys: Weatherbys is a UK-based bloodstock and equine services firm that operates identification, registration, and racing-related services for thoroughbreds and other horses. Directly comparable to Equine Register because it manages equine identity and lifecycle data for the UK horse industry, operating complementary identification infrastructure to the Central Equine Database.
- Petlog (The Kennel Club): Petlog is the UK's largest pet reunification microchip database, run on a not-for-profit basis with industry support, providing 24/7 lookup of companion animal microchips. Directly comparable as a national animal identification registry using a free public verification service paired with stakeholder-funded database operations.
- AVID Identification Systems UK: AVID Identification Systems is one of the UK's principal pet microchip databases and suppliers of microchips and scanners for companion animals. Comparable as a UK animal identification registry operator with a public-facing lookup service and commercial database operations.
Others
- World Horse Welfare: World Horse Welfare is an international equine welfare charity that campaigns for improved horse welfare standards and policy. Comparable as a major UK-based equine stakeholder that has publicly endorsed Equine Register's traceability systems to strengthen welfare enforcement.
Broad incumbents
- Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI): The FEI is the international governing body for equestrian sport, operating a global registration system for horses and riders competing at FEI events. Comparable as a global equine identity and registration authority with sport-focused databases and regulations, parallel in structure to the national CED operated by Equine Register.
- AKC Reunite (American Kennel Club): AKC Reunite operates one of North America's largest pet recovery services tied to microchip enrollment and 24/7 lost-pet support. Comparable as a national-scale animal identification and recovery registry using microchip-linked ownership records, although focused on companion animals rather than equines.
- Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health): Allflex Livestock Intelligence supplies livestock identification tags, readers, and traceability software used across cattle, sheep, and pig production globally, owned by MSD Animal Health. Comparable as an established, scaled provider of animal identification and traceability infrastructure, though operating across multiple livestock species rather than equines specifically.
- Datamars / PetLink: Datamars is a global identification and traceability business offering RFID tags, microchips, and software for both companion animals (PetLink) and livestock. Comparable as a multi-region ID infrastructure provider whose portfolio overlaps with Equine Register on animal identity and registration services.
Regional players
- British Horse Society: The British Horse Society is the UK's largest equestrian charity, representing riders, drivers, and horse owners and maintaining the national equestrian register. Comparable as a UK equine stakeholder with related membership, welfare, and identification functions, though primarily advocacy- and education-led rather than registry-operated.
- British Equestrian (formerly British Equestrian Federation): British Equestrian is the UK national federation for equestrian sport, working with member bodies on competition, welfare, and equine identification policy. Comparable as a UK industry stakeholder that influences traceability and welfare standards that Equine Register's platform supports.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Equine Register social profiles
Digital presenceEquine Register financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Equine Register leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Equine Register funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Equine Register M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Equine Register
What does Equine Register do?
Equine Register operates the UK's Central Equine Database on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), managing identification records for approximately 1.8 million horses, ponies, and donkeys. The company delivers digital identification tools, microchip lookup services, and biosecurity intelligence to passport issuing organisations, veterinary practices, government agencies, and individual equine owners. Its software platforms integrate chip scanning, smartcard issuance, and cross-border traceability data to support regulatory compliance, food crime investigations, and disease outbreak response.
Is Equine Register a public or private company?
Equine Register is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Equine Register founded?
Equine Register was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Equine Register based?
Equine Register is headquartered in Cirencester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Equine Register make money?
One revenue line is on record: government Contract (Defra).
Who are Equine Register's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Weatherbys, Petlog (The Kennel Club) and AVID Identification Systems UK. World Horse Welfare is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), AKC Reunite (American Kennel Club), Allflex Livestock Intelligence (MSD Animal Health) and Datamars / PetLink. Regional players are British Horse Society and British Equestrian (formerly British Equestrian Federation).
Does Equine Register have an API?
No public API is recorded for Equine Register.
What industry is Equine Register in?
Equine Register's product category is Equine Identification & Traceability. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAEANAC, Equine Veterinary Services, with a secondary code of HLAMABAL, Regulatory, Health Certificates & Export/Import Compliance (Large Animal/Equine). Its NAICS code is 54194 and its SIC code is 200.