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Buckskin gal

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Help me decide what I should do..mind my own business or turn in some people for bringing horses into our state without what the law requires.....Up to date coggins, Health certificate and brand inspection. I am really torn in making a decision because I don't want to do any harm to anyone but on the other hand I feel if horses keep coming in without what the law requires, we could just be exposing horses that are here , to other deseases. We have always been a VS free state, up until this summer, now it is real scarey of which horse will get it next in our area. But even that came in from another state and had every animal been vet checked before coming in, it may not have gotten started. It costs tons of money to treat animals for illnesses and sometimes they die so shouldn't we all try and keep our animals safe by insisting people get health papers etc. ? Is someone just trying to save a buck by taking a chance of bringing horses in without vet checks and proper paper work? Your thoughts, please. Mary
 
All of my horses that are transported such as the show horses and such are all health, coggins, and brand inspected.

Montana is one of the strictest states I know of on this matter and if you get caught it is 300 a violation, which can add up to 900 per horse and they hold the option of confiscating you truck and trailer. Why anyone would risk it is beyond me.

One unfortunate thing about health certificates is that in many of the states they only require a 6 month health certificate. THis in no way ensures you are transporting a healthy animal. All it states is that on the day the vet inspected this horse it appeared healthy. A annual coggins does not insure that the animal has not picked it up somewhere along the way. A brand inspection, well I guess it would define ownership of a horse and make it harder to transport a stolen horse but there again, they have to be caught.

I guess I am not answering your question though. I am not sure it would do any good to report them as they would have to be caught in transport in order to get fined I think. It would make enemies within the industry and make your life hard. I understand why you are frustrated, but a clean health doesn't mean they do not have VS, it just means it is not symptematic at the time of inspection.

Just keep doing what you know is right and eventually all things come arouns that go around.
 
[SIZE=14pt]What do you do if your horses are not branded???[/SIZE]

Lyn
 
well JMO but really a health cert doesnt mean much in the way of a healthy horse first off a horse that was checked 20 days ago heck even 5 days ago doesnt mean it is healthy now.. most of the time a horse is contagious before you even know it is sick (kinda like kids)

I dont think a health cert coming from a NON VS state would have stopped the spread of this. Anytime you have horses coming in and out anywhere there is always a risk of things being spread.

now that said.. I get coggins and health certs and now in this state brand inspections since it is what i am supposed to do. Brand inspection is to my understanding to leave the state and has to meet the origins states requirements not the destination.

I lived in CA which didnt have brand inspectors for our horses and my horses therefore were never sent with one.

So yes I do get a coggins and health cert but surely dont put any expectation on the health cert to mean that a horse is currently healthy being that they are good for 30 days I know in some of the VS states they are now required to have either a 10 day or a 5 day health cert which IMO makes a bit more sense all the way around.

and since it is the law and what I do and we are all expected to do I would expect others do the same
 
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A brand inspection doesn't mean they are branded just that they have been inspected by a brand inspector.
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It is more to keep track of what horses are in the state and if one is stolen, a way to have it identified. It is a proof of ownership. Mary

lyn_j said:
[SIZE=14pt]What do you do if your horses are not branded???[/SIZE]Lyn

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Leave it alone. One has to be so careful today, unless you KNOW 200% that these horses are a risk...let it go. Do what is right for your horses. Sometimes circumstances come up and a coggins is not possible. Example: right now 100s of folks and horses are trying to be anywhere safe....do you think they have coggins or health papers? Would I have aksed if I opened my home to them? Nope...Life happens. I have been there and done that.

Just what state are you in? Your signature does not tell us.
 
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Oh i fully agree with that to in a emergency get your horse out of state how ever you need to no doubt there.

and again brand inspection only needs to be done if the state you are LEAVING from requires it has nothing to do with the states you will be traveling thru or going to.
 
I fully agree that in a case such as the hurricane that no one would be worrying about all the legal paper work in getting the horses moved!!
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Mary

Dimimore said:
Leave it alone.  One has to be so careful today, unless you KNOW 200% that these horses are a risk...let it go.  Do what is right for your horses.  Sometimes circumstances come up and a coggins is not possible.  Example:  right now 100s of folks and horses are trying to be anywhere safe....do you think they have coggins or health papers?  Would I have aksed if I opened my home to them?  Nope...Life happens.  I have been there and done that.
Just what state are you in? Your signature does not tell us.

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Annette, I do realize I could get stabbed in the back if I said anything, but is it fair that one person can get through a gate without paying the admission and the next one not? Maybe laws were made to be broken but we may as well not have them if they are. I guess I think of laws as being for the protection of all. I sure will consider what you have said though and thanks for your input. Mary

hhpminis said:
All of my horses that are transported such as the show horses and such are all health, coggins, and brand inspected.Montana is one of the strictest states I know of on this matter and if you get caught it is 300 a violation, which can add up to 900 per horse and they hold the option of confiscating you truck and trailer.  Why anyone would risk it is beyond me.

One unfortunate thing about health certificates is that in many of the states they only require a 6 month health certificate.  THis in no way ensures you are transporting a healthy animal.  All it states is that on the day the vet inspected this horse it appeared healthy.  A annual coggins does not insure that the animal has not picked it up somewhere along the way.  A brand inspection, well I guess it would define ownership of a horse and make it harder to transport a stolen horse but there again, they have to be caught.

I guess I am not answering your question though.  I am not sure it would do any good to report them as they would have to be caught in transport in order to get fined I think.  It would make enemies within the industry and make your life hard.  I understand why you are frustrated, but a clean health doesn't mean they do not have VS, it just means it is not symptematic at the time of inspection.

Just keep doing what you know is right and eventually all things come arouns that go around.

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Well I don't know but there has been some people right on this forum that have admitted hauling across State lines and such without health papers much less a coggins.
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I won't name names as they know who they are. But some people just are lucky I guess when it comes to this.
 
Actually, you can probably turn them in anonymously. If you want to do it, I say go for it. No, it isn't right that they are getting away with it. If you witnessed a murder, rape, or theft, wouldn't you turn that in? Laws are not made to be broken; they are made to keep things safe and fair.

Lisa, in ID you do have to have a brand inspection whenever a horse changes ownership too regardless if it is crossing state lines or not. I didn't know that when I first was buying/selling, so . . . But, I have told people who have bought from me since to make sure they get one.
 
There are also states like Washington and Oregon with reciprocal agreements to freely transport horses back and forth.......also there have been in the past 6 month passport programs for those showing in the northwest........the requirements seem to change with the seasons........

for the record I have hauled my personal horses from my personal property in one state to another without being stopped and actually I wasn't worried as the state vets fees to inspect/impound and pull coggins would have been cheaper than the local vet where I was living before.........
 
I have also hauled without the necessary papers. Opps..
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..But sometimes circumstances and time one just can't get everything done at the last moment hauls. One does not know the circumstances that these people hauled under.. Without knowing just all the ifs and or buts and other things I would not open a hornets nest could be more trouble then it is worth
 
ilikemini said:
Well I don't know but there has been some people right on this forum that have admitted hauling across State lines and such without health papers much less a coggins.
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  I won't name names as they know who they are. But some people just are lucky I guess when it comes to this.
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I wasn't aware of people doing that...maybe I am somewhat naive.
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Anyway it isn't miniature horse people I am talking about. Mary
 
It sounds to me like you know "something" and you want to blow the whistle on somebody.

My days of trying to "save the world" have long past.

My days of "shut my mouth and mind my own business" arrived some years ago. It works quite well for me.

However, if this situation was directly going to effect me or mine, then that's another story as I would not sit back and allow my little herd to become ill.

If you feel you have ample proof of this you really need to watch what you do or say or this can backfire and come back on you a million-fold.
 
No Marty, I really don't want to blow the whistle on anybody...I just want to do what is right. Saving the world...that is impossible
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unlesseveryone joins together to do it.
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I hate being selfish and think of only myself in this situation and yet like I said before I really am not wanting to harm anyone either. Mary

Marty said:
It sounds to me like you know "something" and you want to blow the whistle on somebody.
My days of trying to "save the world" have long past.

My days of "shut my mouth and mind my own business"  arrived some years ago. It works quite well for me.

However, if this situation was directly going to effect me or mine, then that's another story as I would not  sit back and allow my little herd to become ill.

If you feel you have ample proof of this you really need to watch what you do or say or this can backfire and come back on you a million-fold.

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crponies said:
Actually, you can probably turn them in anonymously. If you want to do it, I say go for it. No, it isn't right that they are getting away with it. If you witnessed a murder, rape, or theft, wouldn't you turn that in? Laws are not made to be broken; they are made to keep things safe and fair.Lisa, in ID you do have to have a brand inspection whenever a horse changes ownership too regardless if it is crossing state lines or not. I didn't know that when I first was buying/selling, so . . . But, I have told people who have bought from me since to make sure they get one.

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Oh ya i knew that to but i dont or havent yet sold locally so hasnt been an issue but thanks for being more clear well wait i did get a horse at a auction and our brand inspector was there :)
 
I hate to say it, but knoe several people that transport state to state without a health cert., I don't know if they have current coggins or not....

Me? I ALWAYS have a current coggins, and only get a health cert. if I am going out of state.

Are there states that require you to have a brand inspection to travel through them, or bring a horse into the state? I was trying to look this up when I was bringing my horse from California to Virginia, the shippers said I NEEDED a brand inspection. problem being, NOBODY in my area (or surrounding areas) offered brand inspections on horses! Cattle, yes, but not equines. The shippers didn't know what to do, I didn't know what to do, and finally, they said she'd be ok without one. We didn't have any problems.
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So, how do you get one done, if nobody offers it in your state?
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When I bought the mare, she was in Montana, she had to have the brand inspection to leave the state, no biggy, esp. since Montana offers the inspections!
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There is another state that supposedly requires a permit to leave or enter the state, I cn't remember which....I think it was either Illinois or Indiana? Does anyone know more information on this?
 

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