FPSNA - Transfer A Pony

Transfer A Pony

Welcome to one of the rarest of all breeds on the continent- the Fell Pony! If you are thinking about purchasing your first Fell Pony, and would like to ensure everything is in order prior to the exchange of funds, here are a few things to be aware of:

Ask the owner to show you the pony's passport (in person, or at least photographs), as well as the recorded ownership page. All registered Fell Ponies have what is called a 'passport'; an official black booklet which is obtained only from the one governing registry in the world, the Fell Pony Society, UK.

The individual selling you the pony should be the owner of record. Contact FPSNA at info@fpsna.org, and we can help verify whom the owner is with the registry.

A Fell Pony Society (FPS) Transfer of Ownership needs to be fully completed by the seller, with the contact information for both buyer and seller. This form needs to be signed by BOTH parties.

If there is any question regarding the identity of the pony on offer, we recommend enlisting the service of a veterinarian to scan for the pony's microchip. FPSNA can help identify if the microchip # belongs to a registered Fell Pony.

If you are purchasing a foal born that year, it is quite possible the registration will be 'pending'. Please contact FPSNA by email in this case as sadly, we have seen un-registerable foals being sold to unwitting buyers.

Example passport above

Example Transfer Form above

It is the Society's directive that the SELLER has the burden of transfer; meaning, the seller should be bearing the cost of transfer, and the expense and complexity of sending both the passport and transfer form by international post to the UK Society office.

Reputable breeders stewarding the Fell Pony in North America should always be including transfer service as part of the purchase transaction, as it keeps our registry on this very rare breed accurate and up-to-date. Ask your FPSNA member breeder to include this service in the purchase: FPSNA Member Breeders

If instead the task has fallen to you, the buyer, we offer our members a funds liaison service to purchase transfers in USD here on our website: FPS Services

Once your transfer fee is paid and the Transfer of Ownership form is complete, the form along with the passport must be sent to the FPS office in England. The current address for their office is: Fell Pony Society, Bank House, Boroughgate, Appleby, Cumbria CA16 6XF, ENGLAND

Please allow at least 10 business days for your paperwork to arrive at their office if using normal delivery.

Bred Mares:

If purchasing a bred mare, the seller must supply you with the Stallion Service Certificate on the upcoming foal. Without this, you as the mare owner will need to complete a much more difficult and expensive process in DNA verification for the resulting foal.

Verify that the mare was bred to a Fell Pony Society licensed Fell Pony stallion. Exceptions are rarely made to this rule and resulting foals from unlicensed stallions can not be registered. We recommend contacting FPSNA to verify the stallion is in fact licensed, if not purchasing from a reputable member breeder.

If the Pony is not yet FPS Registered, beware:

Late registration of any pony is a difficult business, and not guaranteed.
If the sellers have 'lost' the passport for their pony, be advised the process and cost of a Duplicate Passport is significant, if possible at all.
There is no part-bred registry for Fell Ponies, and not all purebred Fell Ponies are eligible for registration.
**Your chances of identifying and registering an unknown Fell Pony are not very likely.**

FPSNA strongly advises against buying Fell Ponies from auctions here in North America.

We are seeing many cases of misrepresentation including breed, age, height, training or foaling history and worse.

Our reputable member/breeders are happy to help assist you in finding the perfect Fell Pony.