# Coggins and trail riding?



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

If you're taking the horse out in public then yes, you need a current negative Coggins.

Yes, you can get in trouble. If it's a public trail or a state park area there may be someone there checking for Coggins and you'll be turned away. You could also receive a fine for bringing the animal off your property without a current one.

Horses don't immediately drop dead if they contract EIA, but they're highly contagious and if yours had it they could infect others. There's a reason it's illegal to transport or ride horses off your property without a current Coggins.


----------



## jewelerin74 (Jun 30, 2013)

I didn't mean drop dead right away. The person we got the two from live a couple miles down the road and they had them for around 4yrs. I wouldn't think she would have it. But i'm not sure obviously. I didn't even know it took a week to get the results.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

If I'm reading this correctly, a Coggins test is only required for horses being imported into Minnesota. There doesn't seem to be any specific requirement for travel within the state.

MINNESOTA EQUINE INFECTIOUS ANEMIA RULES


----------



## Incitatus32 (Jan 5, 2013)

I'm not in Minnesota so I'm not an expert and don't quote me but I don't think you would need one (I can't see a way to regulate it efficently) and I've never had to show one. I didn't get one the past year due to finances and I've only gone on a couple of trail rides with a group of horses from my barn since. At the same time it would be nice to have one just so that you know (think like manners) and aren't exposing other horses. Our vet told us that the test is for everyone's peace of mind. The reality is that there is a possibility that your horse (or another) can get infected ten minuets after the test is taken or give a false negative. Still I'd get your horse tested. I'm not going to say go trail riding or don't but I think if your upfront with your vet, and the people that are taking you they could give you more answers and opinions.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

The statutes for EIA/Coggins do vary from state to state.


----------



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

To just go trail ride, I would not think you would have to show one. However, if it is an organized ride with many people, you likely would need to show it.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Here in Utah, I don't need a coggins to transport a horse inside the state. I do need a Coggins to cross state lines.

Various National Parks, ( Bryce Canyon, Zions, Yellowstone ) all require a coggins to enter the park. My state park do not.

Depending on the event. Different event organizer may or may not require coggins or current health certificates for horses coming to participate. We used to require current health papers for horses attending the Competitive Trail Ride that I sponsored and managed. It was just a rule I had so the other 100 horse owners were more comfortable bringing there horses to compete amongst so many other strange horses.

If you are just going on a trail ride with 3-4 friends and staying inside the state. You are probably OK., But check with your local state laws.


----------



## AQHSam (Nov 23, 2011)

If you have to pay someone to access the trails, I would guess you have to show your coggins.

Where I ride, the trails are on private land and the trailhead is at a privately owned campground. To park the trailer and day ride is $5. Break the bank, righr? but the owner requires a current negative coggins. Her property. her rules.

You may want to ask about how you access the trails. then go to their website and research if the property requires negative coggins.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

In Arizona, to the best of my knowledge, we only need one if we cross state lines. I frequently hitch a ride with other people for trail rides and nobody ever even thinks about Coggins tests. Not unless they are leaving the state. So I guess this really depends on the area you live in.


----------



## womack29 (Oct 30, 2011)

In Texas it is required at all state parks but I will say in the last 5 yrs I have never been asked for proof.


----------



## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I get asked every time I go ride. Fish & Game, Park Police, they will all ask to see your Coggins in this state. I even had campus police ask me for my Coggins when I rode in a parade at OSU.


----------



## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Painted Horse said:


> Here in Utah, I don't need a coggins to transport a horse inside the state. I do need a Coggins to cross state lines.


Same here (northern Nevada/California), at least AFAIK. Where we ride (and in the places I hike/bike, and see other people riding), I don't recall ever having seen any sort of official who would be in a position to check. The only places where I think they do check now are the agricultural inspection stations going into California on major highways.


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

The coggins exam is probably the biggest scam in the horse industry. The only thing a coggins shows is that the horse was negative for EIA at the *exact *moment it is pulled....and that is all. 
That said, as someone else posted, in Texas it is required everywhere. So I pay my 30 bucks and get it done.....but I grumble about it....a lot.


----------



## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

I agree with 6gun


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

I guess you two feel like Polio vaccines are a scam as well because, noone YOU know has polio ?
While we are at it, the heck with HIV testing and TB testing, they must be a scam as well sense it only shows you arnt HIV positive at the moment of testing.
The reason EIA is so rare now is specifically because of the widespread testing. Laws mandating testing and killing or quarantining infected horses has nearly eradicated the disease. Sure a horse can get it right after the test, but at least all he can do is spread it for 12 months, not 20 years. In the 60's this disease killed alot of horses, some times hundreds at a time, it has a 30% mortality rate.
Since mandatory testing measures came about in most places in the 70's positive test results have gone from about 12% to less than .016%.

Its not a scam, its a public equine health issue that needed to be addressed and was. Its people that regurgitate nonsense and convince people not to test their horses that keep the disease going.


----------



## Oreos Girl (May 24, 2011)

I agree with 6gun on this one. The test are good for 1 full year, but if my horse is exposed the day after the test was done, even before it is processed, I am still good for that year. Also more recent studies have shown that it isn't nearly as contagious as previously thought. A horse is Mississippi tested positive when it was taken across state lines. It was in a herd of 60 other horses prior to transport, none of the other 60 horses tested positive.

Joe4d, this isn't a vaccine it is a test to see if the horse has the illness.


----------



## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Joe4d said:


> I guess you two feel like Polio vaccines are a scam as well because, noone YOU know has polio ?


There's a difference between a vaccine, and a test administered at long intervals. And it does seem rather pointless to require the test for horses that are being trailered to & ridden in places near their home, when there are herds of thousands of untested wild horses roaming the same areas.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

I don't see where Joe stated anywhere that it's a vaccine. In fact, he said TEST more than once, so I don't know why y'all are hammering that point home. He's also correct about the _test_ being used to help eradicate EIA. There _is_ no vaccine for EIA, so the only protocol for it is either lifelong quarantine for horses with it or euthing the ones who have it the worst.

Regardless of how you _personally_ feel about it, if you plan to take your horse off your property a negative Coggins is required. My two riding horses get blood pulled for it, buy my stay at home retiree does not. It's inexpensive and painless for everyone involved, so I don't know why some of you are willing to risk the health of _my_ horses by not having it done. That's completely selfish and irresponsible.


----------



## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Just info.. there were 36 positive results out of about 1.5M tests in 2012 (U.S.). The estimated horse population is around 10M (U.S.).
You can see the results by state at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/eia/ 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

6gun Kid said:


> The coggins exam is probably the biggest scam in the horse industry. The only thing a coggins shows is that the horse was negative for EIA at the *exact *moment it is pulled....and that is all.
> That said, as someone else posted, in Texas it is required everywhere. So I pay my 30 bucks and get it done.....but I grumble about it....a lot.


I agree that it is something of a scam. But it is incurable and some testing rather than none has made it hard to find. I have never had a POS test, or known any other horse owner who had one in my history of horse ownership, since 1985.
I DO know that without it a state _can_ impound your horse and charge you by the day. OP, don't know of ANYWHERE that you can get a one week turnaround on a Coggins! The best I've ever done is 3 weeks, and that was when I tested in February.
For those who don't know, Equine Infectious Anemia is a form of virus similar to Aids. It is not transmittable between horse and human, but a POS result of the blood test will result in the state destroying your horse.


----------



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Back to the op's concern, if you are in MN and it is not an organized ride stating you have to have a coggins done, you'll be fine. To cross state lines, you should have a health certificate and coggins papers. 

We live in ND and have gone into MN several times, even to the state parks that never ask for the papers. We've never been stopped going into or out of MN. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen. We've only been on one organized ride that required a coggins. The rest haven't. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Far less of a dumb statement than comparing a coggins *test *to a *vaccine. *A vaccine prevents a disease, a coggins only tells you if your horse has one, and only at the exact second the blood is pulled.


----------



## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Corporal, Usually the time involved in getting a Coggins done is the transportation time. If your Vet uses a local lab where he can drop off the blood samples and get a email or fax results back, You can have your results in 3 days. 

But my vet ( and I assume many others ) choose to send the blood off in standard mail vs driving across town, My vet sends his to an out of state lab that is cheaper than the local University lab that is nearby. So yeah, mine usually take 2 weeks to get back and I'm fine with that.

But the option is always there to pay Fed Ex for over night delivery or pay for hand delivery for same day delivery to a nearby lab.


----------



## palogal (May 30, 2008)

Joe4d said:


> I guess you two feel like Polio vaccines are a scam as well because, noone YOU know has polio ?
> While we are at it, the heck with HIV testing and TB testing, they must be a scam as well sense it only shows you arnt HIV positive at the moment of testing.
> The reason EIA is so rare now is specifically because of the widespread testing. Laws mandating testing and killing or quarantining infected horses has nearly eradicated the disease. Sure a horse can get it right after the test, but at least all he can do is spread it for 12 months, not 20 years. In the 60's this disease killed alot of horses, some times hundreds at a time, it has a 30% mortality rate.
> Since mandatory testing measures came about in most places in the 70's positive test results have gone from about 12% to less than .016%.
> ...


 
Are you under the impression that Coggins is a vaccine? It's not. It's good for a year and it's a crock after the moment it's pulled.


----------



## jewelerin74 (Jun 30, 2013)

How long does it take a horse to die if it does have it? If it were to not survive of course. Just curious.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## xlionesss (Jan 30, 2012)

Lol Joe didn't say it was a vaccine..He was stating that it's a helpful tool in preventing EIA from creating a whirlwind, just like VACCINES do, along with testing for TB and HIV. With tests like these we can help treat and prevent(in EIA cases, euthanizing to prevent an outbreak). 

on another note, we need coggins to transport in my state, I believe. Though all boarding facilities REQUIRE one pulled yearly whether you leave the property or not. 
I generally receive my results/paperwork back within a week at most, but I have paid a fee and gotten it back within 2 days.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Speed Racer said:


> IRegardless of how you _personally_ feel about it, if you plan to take your horse off your property a negative Coggins is required.


Depends on where you live. Hereabouts it's only required if you cross state lines.


----------



## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

I would contact your county office or even vet and see what they say. They should know State and local laws that could effect you when it comes to coggins.

I know here in KY they changed the law a few years back and not only do we need a current coggins to take the horses off property we also need a health certificate. Do people chance it and not have it done? I'm sure it happens all the time. Does anyone get caught? Yes. I've heard of random checks happening on the trails, though it hasn't happened to me personally. I prefer to be safe than sorry. I'd rather pay for a coggins than a higher priced fine.


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

yes the coggins is a scam argument is just like some of the people that arent vaccinating their kids because they think its a scam or some government conspiracy. I am fully aware of the difference between vaccine and coggins test. There is no EIA vaccine, its 30 % fatal. thats why the tests are important. Like I said this disease used to kill alot of horses. A positive result is rare now specifically because of widespread testing.


----------



## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Joe4d said:


> yes the coggins is a scam argument is just like some of the people that arent vaccinating their kids because they think its a scam or some government conspiracy.


 either you missed my point or I didnt explain it very well, yes testing your horse is important. The scam is requiring it at events, because unless you came straight to the , trail ride, rodeo, show, etc from the vets (if you are fortunate enough to have a vet with his own lab and I am) the result is meaningless. Your horse could have been infected in the trailer on the way home.


----------



## palogal (May 30, 2008)

Joe4d said:


> yes the coggins is a scam argument is just like some of the people that arent vaccinating their kids because they think its a scam or some government conspiracy. I am fully aware of the difference between vaccine and coggins test. There is no EIA vaccine, its 30 % fatal. thats why the tests are important. Like I said this disease used to kill alot of horses. A positive result is rare now specifically because of widespread testing.


 
The Coggins test is a scam because it's no good once the horse leaves the vet. It's about as useful as a test for colic. It only shows the horse is not positive at that moment. Transition of EIA is also most common through biting insects. So again, unless you are keeping your horse in a bubble from the vet to the event and back home and keeping him in that bubble until his next Coggins, the test is pointless. Not to mention, having been to several shows and rides over the years, I have NEVER been asked for proof of a negative Coggins aside from recognized events that are required to check due to association rules.


----------



## jewelerin74 (Jun 30, 2013)

Thanks everyone for the answers. I called the park and all I need is a pass. No coggins. I would have it done but it is booked full for a month!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------

