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Horse medication records: UK, US and Australia

The rules are about the food chain, and about competition. Where you live decides what applies; here it is per country, with the source.

4 min read · Content checked in October 2026

United Kingdom (England; Scotland, Wales and Ireland similar)

From the Veterinary Medicines Directorate’s guidance note VMGN 16 and the trading-standards guide Business Companion (checked 21 September 2026).

Situation	What must be recorded	By whom
Horse signed out of the food chain (“not intended for human consumption”, Part II of Section IX in older passports, Section II in the post-2016 format)	Vaccinations given by a vet go in the passport; no other record-keeping duty for the keeper	Vet (vaccinations)
Horse not signed out	Records of all medicines administered, with proof of purchase, kept for at least five years, not necessarily in the passport	You, as keeper
Phenylbutazone (bute) or other substances not allowed in food animals	The horse must be signed out (irreversibly) before or when treated	Vet and owner sign the passport
“Essential substances” list (Regulation 122/2013) in a food-chain horse	Entry in the passport with a statutory six-month withdrawal	Vet

Practical consequence: for most leisure horses the legal duty is the vaccine entry only; everything else is good practice, competition rules or an insurer’s condition. Source: VMGN 16 paragraphs 43–49 (gov.uk); Business Companion, horse passports (May 2026). The framework is the Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 and assimilated Regulation (EU) 2015/262.

Competing: the rules that do apply everywhere

Body	What it asks
British Equestrian anti-doping (BEFAR): BD, BE, BS, BC and others	Prohibited substances; detection times are published, withdrawal time = detection time plus a safety margin agreed with your vet; keep the paperwork
US Equestrian (USEF GR4)	A Medication Report Form for medication given in the seven days before competing; a horse treated in an emergency may not compete for 24 hours; the trainer files within the hour. A rule update took effect on 27 July 2026; check the current text on usef.org before you rely on this line
FEI	Prohibited substances list and detection times; detection times are not withdrawal times; ask your vet

United States and Australia: the private owner

Country	Rule
United States	No passport and no federal record-keeping duty for a pleasure horse surfaced in official sources. Coggins tests and health certificates are for travel, not medication. Some states (California) have their own equine medication rules for racing and showing.
Australia	A Property Identification Code (PIC) is required for any property keeping horses, including agistment. A horse sent to an abattoir travels with a Horse Vendor Declaration listing treatments in the previous six months; knackeries fall outside the food acts. No medicines-record duty for a private horse was found; “not for human consumption” is a declaration at sale or slaughter, not a passport section.
Canada	Not verified in this research (assumption: an Equine Information Document with a 180-day medication history for horses going to slaughter). Check with the CFIA before relying on it.

What is wise for every horse

The law asks little of most owners, and that is exactly when you lose track: the wormer in March, the painkiller after the farrier, last year’s eye ointment. When the vet asks in six months “what did he have back then?”, you want the answer.

So keep one sheet per horse, or one list: date, medicine, dose and how often, who gave it, why, until when, and the withdrawal time if there is one. Put a running course on the feed chart by the feed bin too, with its last day, so whoever feeds sees it and doesn’t double up. The medication log and the medication planner below are made for this.

Frequently asked

Does a wormer have to go in the passport?

No. A wormer you give yourself doesn’t go in the passport. If your horse is not signed out (UK), it does belong in your own records with the withdrawal period from the label.

How do I know whether my horse is signed out?

Look in the passport in the section on medicinal treatment (Section IX in older passports, Section II in the newer format): the declaration is there with date and signature. In doubt, ask your vet or the passport-issuing organisation.

What exactly is a withdrawal period?

The time after the last dose during which the horse may not be slaughtered for food. It is on the label or in the vet’s record; the vet sets it. The medication planner turns it into a date; you enter the withdrawal period itself as your vet gives it. Competition withdrawal is a different thing: see the competition table.

I’m in the Netherlands or Germany. Is it the same?

The European basis is the same, the details differ. The Dutch and German versions of this page describe those countries.

Halster doesn’t diagnose. If you’re unsure about your horse’s health, call your vet.

In Halster

Keep medication notes with your horse

Record the product, amount given and time in Halster as a personal note alongside your required documents.

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