How it works

You are familiar with your tack equipment, but how would you prove to someone else that your equipment is really yours? In the event of a dispute, it will come down to who can make the better claim on the equipment. Wouldn't it be better if your tack equipment could 'speak' for itself and settle the dispute?

TackTrac provides you with a system for permanently marking all of your equipment in a reliable and unobtrusive manner. TackTrac tags are small RFID (Radio Frequency ID) devices that can be inserted into various tack equipment to provide a unique and registerable identification number to all of your equipment. Combined with our online database, these tags can provide ample evidence to the real ownership of your equipment.

How RFID tags work

RFID tags are small microchips (about the size of a grain of rice) that work by sending out a small encoded radio signal when in the proximity of RFID reader equipment. The RFID readers supply a small amount of elecromagnetic power which allows the tag to transmit a faint radio signal. The tag's signal contains the unique identification number encoded onto the chip during the manufacturing process. The reader device can then display this number to the user.

The tags do not have any battery of their own, and have no moving parts, so there is nothing to wear out. Properly installed tags should last for decades.

The TackTrac registry database

After you install your tag, you can register in the TackTrac registry database. Included in each package is a number (your tag ID) and an 'unlock code' which allows you to register that tag under your account. Should your item ever be lost or stolen, after contacting the police, connect to the TackTrac registry database and edit the status for your tag. You can mark the item as 'LOST/STOLEN' which will mean that if anyone scans that item and looks up the tag, they will know that the owner is currently looking for that item. In addition, you can provide contact info to be used in the event someone finds the item.

Reading TackTrac tags

The RFID technology used by TackTrac is based on the same technology used by veterinarians worldwide, the Avid Eurochip. This technology is used by veterinarians, animal shelters, and livestock farms for tagging pets and livestock for identification and recovery purposes. TackTrac tags can be read by over 100,000 deployed readers. In addition, TackTrac resellers (farriers, saddle fitters, stables, etc.) are equipped with a reader, so it is likely there is at least one compatible reader in your area already.

TackTrac saddle and tack protection

	Install chip into saddle View installation instructions (PDF)
	Owner registers chip ID into the TackTrac database
	Saddle is lost or stolen!
	Owner contacts authorities (informing them the saddle is 'chipped' and providing ID number)
	Owner marks the item as missing in the TackTrac database
	Alerts are sent from TackTrac to affiliates and law enforcement agencies
	Saddle is located by police or TackTrac affiliate and scanned
	ID number is searched on the TackTrac database
	TackTrac shows the ID as missing and provides contact info for owner
	Saddle is returned to owner