# health certificates ???



## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I've never went to any events that required more than a negative coggins so have no experience with health certificates. The local fair is having a rodeo that I would like to compete in this month and they are requiring them. Called my vet who was out in May and did coggins and rabies and he won't issue one without coming out and examining the horse. This will cost me $75 barn call plus $40 exam plus whatever they charge for the certificate. So really not worth it.  Seems ridiculous to me since he has seen this horse on a regular basis his entire life and is out to our farm probably 10 times a year. Its only been three months since he last examined this horse. Is this typical? What do people who haul alot do? Do they have to have their horse examined before every competition to get a certificate? That sure seems like alot of hassle. I would think if the vet knows you and the horse then it shouldn't be such a big deal. Just wondering if I should be looking for a new vet or just suck it up.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Yep. Very typical. When we were showing (up till this summer) we had to have a negative coggins, health certificate and, if you live in the west, a brand inspection when you travel.
If something particular is going around disease-wise, they require a more recent health certificate sometimes rather than the usual one that's good for a year.


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

It is really to protect YOU; what if someone else who is going to that rodeo has a vet that saw his horse 3 months ago, and just faxes him a cert?.......Never mind that the horse is blowing green snot and has a fever TODAY and the rodeo is in 4 days.......


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## malinda (May 12, 2002)

Yes, it's very typical. I'm getting health certificates on two of my horses this week because I will be traveling out of state. My vet charges $35 for the farm call, $15 for the certificate, and charges for her time to take the exam. Health certificates are good for 30 days.

I've never needed a health certificate when traveling in-state, but the management of any horse event could require it if they so choose, especially if there is an equine disease going around.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

oops...our health certificates are good for 6 months, not a year here in Idaho. Unless like this past year, there is a disease outbreak and then it may only be good for one trip.
We live in Idaho and most of our showing was done in Washington so we always had to have one.


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## wolffeathers (Dec 20, 2010)

Can you avoid the $75 barn call, by trailering there?

It is a pain, but as others mentioned, if you have/raise/keep healthy animals, it is far worth it to attend events that require such than avoid it and attend events that don't require and your horse has to be around other horses that have been heaven knows where and carrying who knows what.


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## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

I guess my thought is that even if the certificate is only good for 30 days how does the vet know that your horse isn't going to be blowing snot the day after he looks at it? My vet knows me well enough to know that I wouldn't haul a sick horse or even a horse that I knew was exposed to a sick horse. If it was good for 6 monthes I wouldn't have a problem with it but its only good for 1 month. Most of the fairs around here require them for horses staying on the grounds but the rodeo horses won't be anywhere near the barns. I've only ever had one horse seriously sick with something contagious and none of the barrelraces ever require any kind of health papers. I understand what they are trying to do but tend to think its not as effective as using commonsense and not hauling sick horses and keeping your horses away from horses that you don't know. I'd never take my horse to the fair to stay because having all those people walk down the aisles petting dozens of horses one right after the other makes me cringe!

I think I have found away around the $$$ of it. My gelding was seen by a specialist at the vet clinic in Cleveland 2 weeks ago and they will send me a health certificate. They weren't the ones that did the coggins and vaccinations but they said it should be fine if I have copies of those papers with the certificate. 

I just really feel like if alot of events starting requiring health certificates then pretty soon there will be no events because no one can afford to go. Since the fairs started requiring them I bet they only get half as many horses as they used to. I don't have a problem with having a negative coggins and even a vaccination record but a certificate every time you want to go somewhere? We often show 4 shows a month in the summer and usually 1 a month even in the winter. So for the 5 horses I'm usually working a new health certificate every month. Yeah never going to be able to afford that.


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## akane (Jul 19, 2011)

Try another vet. We had to do them every year for fair show when showing 4-h and then saddle club. One of the local vets would just drive by when he had free time and look at our horses in the pasture, fill out the certificates, and leave them in the stable. He charged like $20. Another nearby vet would charge a farm call fee plus exam fee on every horse when we often showed 5 and sometimes 6 between all of us.


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## Rogo (Jan 1, 2006)

Every state is different. Here in Arizona, all you need is a Coggins test to enter the state. Nothing is needed for any of the events.

When I travel to other states, I call the State Vet of every state I'll be passing thru, including my destination state, to see what's needed. My vet then takes care of anything needed.

What ticks me off is that after spending all that money, I've never been asked for the paper work! i 'spose if I didn't have the paper work, someone would ask for it!


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## jill.costello (Aug 18, 2004)

Rogo said:


> Every state is different. Here in Arizona, all you need is a Coggins test to enter the state. Nothing is needed for any of the events.
> 
> When I travel to other states, I call the State Vet of every state I'll be passing thru, including my destination state, to see what's needed. My vet then takes care of anything needed.
> 
> What ticks me off is that after spending all that money, I've never been asked for the paper work! i 'spose if I didn't have the paper work, someone would ask for it!


Rogo, you're not kidding! I had $290.00 worth of paperwork with me for 2 horses, 3 goats, 4 dogs, and a Macaw. I was stopped at the Ag station at 10pm on the Florida line (coming into Florida). They had me bring my paperwork in, they scanned it into their computer, then they "popped their head" into the 4-horse gooseneck trailer. They _counted heads_ (yes, 2 horses, 3 goats; all acounted for), looked into the cab of the truck at 4 cattle dogs and one Macaw in a travel cage, and said "you're good" and let me through. They didn't look at ANY of the identifying marks on any of the animals! I could have been bringing through any 2 horses and any 3 goats and they wouldn't have known the difference. So my fancy dancy EXPENSIVE paperwork that had each animal identified down to it's scars wasn't even used properly. grrrrrr.


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## saanengirl (Apr 7, 2009)

My local horse vet doesn't charge an exam fee for a health certificate. She charges $25 for the health certificate, and then charges the call fee if I don't bring the horse to her.


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

The vets do not decide on the regulations for the health certificates, the state does. "Ususally" Technically, you need a health certificate to take your horse anywhere out of state. Any organized program can decide to request health certificates. Ususally the vet has to have physically seen and examined the horse in the last 30 days and the certificate is only good for 30 days. Some places even make the certificate good for only a certain destination and time period ie: State Park XYZ August 16, 2011 - August 30, 2011. I tend to stick to my own state to avoid the issue altogether and do not participate in shows anymore.


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## Lisa in WA (Oct 11, 2004)

Here are the transportation requirements by state:

http://www.usrider.org/EquestrianMotorPlan.html


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## AugustRED (Apr 18, 2010)

Here in Ohio they don't even always require a coggins! I've always taken them to fair with nothing, not even a vaccination record. We took them out of state for the first time this summer so I hauled them into the vet ($50 savings), coggins was $30 per horse, $20 for rabies vacc's (I don't do every vaccine, every year), & $20 for a single health certificate because they were both going to the same place. I'd call around to the other local vets though, I'm sure had I taken them to the other horse vet in town it would have been double the $$ or more. I don't mind using the cheapest vet when it comes to things like coggins since they're all doing the same thing.


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## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

LisaInN.Idaho said:


> Here are the transportation requirements by state:
> 
> http://www.usrider.org/EquestrianMotorPlan.html


Interesting! I've been to Ohio with horses probably about a thousand times and never had a health certificate. Honestly didn't realize that you were supposed to have one. Always have a negative coggins on ones I'm hauling but have never actually had to show it. Last year a mare that I had leased out was shipped back from KY by way of QH Congress, she was there 4 days, without any paperwork at all. I wonder what they do if you are already in the state when they catch you? I mean if you at the border they can always not let you in but if you're already there? Big fines I'm sure but I've never actually heard of anyone getting in trouble and I know alot of people like us that just travel with negative coggins. We are hauling a STB colt to KY in 2 weeks and the owner told us that he didn't need a health certificate. Guess I'll have to see what he says when I tell him that yeah he does need one.


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

RLStewart said:


> I wonder what they do if you are already in the state when they catch you? I mean if you at the border they can always not let you in but if you're already there? * Big fines I'm sure but I've never actually heard of anyone getting in trouble and I know alot of people like us that just travel with negative coggins. * We are hauling a STB colt to KY in 2 weeks and the owner told us that he didn't need a health certificate. Guess I'll have to see what he says when I tell him that yeah he does need one.


It will vary from State to State as far as the fine goes, but around 300 bucks for the first time caught seems to be pretty close.
And it goes up the 2nd time around to 1K for the 3rd time caught without negative coggins.


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## RLStewart (Sep 10, 2006)

Well we usually have a negative coggins just not the CVI that needs renewed every month. I have on occasion hauled a young horse or broodmare to the vet in Ohio without a coggins though. Not really intentionally but I usually only get coggins done on the ones that I'm showing and if one of the younger ones gets hurt just load'em up and go without thinking about it much. Latelyhere in PA they have been making horse trailers pull into the weigh stations. Alot of people getting in trouble because their trailers are so big that they need a CDL or at least a physical card. Haven't really heard of anyone getting busted for not having CVI's though.


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## wr (Aug 10, 2003)

RLStewart, Alberta has some pretty firm rules on transporting livestock but there are certain exemptions. Everything starts and finishes with our livestock manifest but if we indicate on our manifest that we are transporting to vet clinic or simply making a pasture, everthing ends there and we require no other supporting papers. Perhaps you have similar rules that allow you to transport a horse to get a coggins test.


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## Molly Mckee (Jul 8, 2006)

I'm suprised that you don't need Health certificates and neg. coggins to go to shows, fairs and rides--20 years ago the show secratary checked the papers before you signed in, even if you never got asked for them by the cops or at a weight station. I have heard you don't want to get caught in MT without a brand inspection, even if all it says is "no brand".


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