Travel Papers: Nuisance or Necessity?

Learn how equine-travel documents protect your horse and get answers to commonly asked questions for equine-travel requirements.

- BARB CRABBE, DVM

Health papers serve a much bigger purpose than granting you permission to travel with your horse. They help prevent and eradicate equine diseases, along with tracking and controlling outbreaks.

I was digging through a box of papers the other day and came across a report I’d written in sixth grade: “EIA: Is Test and Slaughter the Answer?” I still remember writing the report, pondering the dilemma, and looking for solutions. I somehow grasped the importance of controlling the spread of a terrible, fatal disease in horses. That was 1972.

Fast-forward to today. I’ve been a practicing veterinarian for 30 years. And in that 30 years, I’ve never seen a positive Coggins test, the blood test that detects a horse’s antibodies to equine infectious anemia (EIA).

How can that be? Because, in fact, testing and “lifetime quarantine” did prove to be the answer. Does that mean EIA has been eradicated completely? No. But that does mean it’s been pretty well controlled—largely because of mandatory testing required for horses transported across state lines.

Considering the low risk of your horse contracting EIA, you might find yourself frustrated by the requirements for Coggins testing and a veterinary inspection to travel to horse shows, equine events, and trail-riding destinations. It might seem like a waste of time and money to pursue an already-expensive hobby. After all, there’s nothing to prevent your horse from getting sick after the inspection and before you hit the road. And half the time, no one checks your papers anyway.