Be sure you're complying with the appropriate animal health regulations before taking your horses across state lines.

By Katrina Huffstutler

If your plans for the new year include traveling to an event or across state lines with your horse, now is the perfect time to brush up on your animal health regulation knowledge. I visited with Dr. Dee Ellis, executive director of Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) and Texas' state veterinarian, to discuss the must-knows, the major misconceptions and tips for making your trip hassle-free.

Anytime you cross state lines, you need a certificate of veterinary inspection.
Also known as a health certificate or health papers, the certificate of veterinary inspection is just that — a document certifying a veterinarian has visually inspection the animal and found it safe for travel. It's proof that the practitioner has examined the horse for soundness, respiratory distress and other general health factors. In many cases that also means taking the horse's temperature and listening to its heartbeat.

Ellis says it's important to remember the need for a certificate of veterinary inspection is related to movement, and not just necessary when going to an event where horses will be commingled. That means whether you're driving out-of-state for a rodeo or permanently moving, you'll still need to meet the requirements.

He says your veterinarian generally has 3 options: a traditional certificate of veterinary inspection sold by the TAHC, an electronic certificate sold by either GlobalVetLink or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the equine passport.

"An equine passport is kind of like a driver's license for horses," Ellis says. "It has a picture of the horse on it along with their name, age and description, and your name and information."

He goes on to explain the equine passport is the result of a partnership between Texas and most of the southern states. The document incorporates equine infectious anemia (EIA) test results and a certificate of veterinary inspection and is valid for 6 months, making it more convenient for road warriors than the traditional certificate, which is good only for 30 or 45 days.

Ellis says the most important factor to consider when choosing travel documents is what method the destination state will accept.

"You always need to check with the state of destination to see what they will accept. While that's really your veterinarian's job, it doesn't hurt to do some leg work.

"And remember, it doesn't matter where you live — the state of destination controls what is needed on your certificate of veterinary inspection or equine passport. In other words, if you are in Texas and going to Louisiana, you have to do what Louisiana requires, not what Texas would require. It doesn't matter what we do, it's what they want," he says.

In most cases, you'll also need proof of a negative equine infectious anemia (EIA) test.
If you're a Texas resident, you'll almost always need an EIA test, whether you're traveling across state lines or going to an event or competition within the state, Ellis says. That's because Texas is 1 of 5 states that still has a significant level (about 10 cases per year) of the disease.

He adds the tests are good for either 6 or 12 months, depending on the state of destination.

He points out that the test is often referred to as a Coggins test, named after the developer by the same name, but Coggins is actually only 1 type of EIA test.

"It's kind of like saying you're going to get a coke, but you actually order a Dr Pepper. It's used as a generic term, but the person could just as easily be referring to an ELISA or other type of EIA test," Ellis says.

Plan ahead — but not too far ahead.
"One of the most common ways people get in trouble is they allow their health certificates to expire," Ellis says.

"Health certificates are generally good for 30 or 45 days. In Texas, they are good for 45 days, but if you're traveling to another state, it doesn't matter what Texas says — it's what that state says. And then the passports are good for 6 months," he says.

Ellis encourages people attending multiple events to time the issuance of the health certificates so they don't expire before the series of events is complete. For example, for someone attending the Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston stock shows, get those health certificates a day or 2 before leaving for Fort Worth instead of 2 weeks before, so they wouldn't expire before Houston.

"Folks really need to pay attention to those dates on their health certificates and know what their destination state requires, so they don't get in a bind," he says. "That expiration date is really important."

Don't worry about the in-between states.
Ellis says TAHC commonly gets calls from travelers worried about the states they will be travelling through, but assures them there's not need to be concerned.

"You don't have to worry about meeting the regulations for a state you are transiting," he explains. "If you live in Texas and are traveling to Colorado, you're not required to meet New Mexico's requirements. If you have all of the necessary papers to enter Colorado legally, you don't also have to comply with New Mexico's regulations just because you're driving through. If you get stopped and you have a health certificate that reflects you are from Texas going to Colorado, they will say ‘OK, go ahead.' "

Have a spare.
Ellis recommends getting an extra copy of your health certificates (you can make a photocopy and then ask the vet to sign the copy in red ink as an extra precaution, since some states accept only original signatures) and keeping them separate from the original copy, in a waterproof container or baggie.

"If you get out of state and you're going to a number of rodeos and the dog eats your papers or they blow out or you lose them, it's good to have an extra," he says, adding that a lost or damaged health certificate is a common problem that is easily preventable.

International travel requires extra preparation.
Taking your horse abroad? That's a separate jurisdiction, Ellis says.

The international movement of horses is regulated by USDA-Veterinary Services and requires an extra step.

Ellis explains, "For a state health certificate, your vet just fills it out and gives it to you and it is good. But for an international health certificate, the same veterinarian would have to fill it out and send it to the USDA-Veterinary Services office — in Texas that would be in Austin — and they would endorse it. You have to have an endorsed health certificate before you leave the country. And what they do by endorsing it is just make sure your veterinarian has completed all of the requirements for that country. They are double-checking it."

There is a fee for that endorsement and it's tied to a special form with specific rules. It takes about 2 weeks to get the endorsement, so Ellis recommends planning ahead and having your veterinarian talk to Veterinary Services in advance.

For more information, visit tahc.state.tx.us or find the organization on Facebook and Twitter.
Not a Texas resident? Visit TAHC's Links page to find your state's official animal health agency.