UPDATED at 4 p.m. Nov. 26
On November 25, we interviewed Maryland State Veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Trout to get clarification on the rule the State has imposed that an intrastate certificate of veterinary inspection is now required for all equine events within Maryland. She imposed the rule as a result of the current EHV-1/EHM outbreak. You can read Dr. Trout’s most recent letter on this subject here.
We will be releasing our full interview with Dr. Trout as a podcast later this week. In the meantime, here are her answers to some of our key questions.
Equiery: What qualifies as an “equine event?”
Dr. Trout: “Anytime horses from different locations gather together is going to be an equine event. It’s clinics, it’s shows, it’s trail rides, it’s fox hunts, it’s paper chases, it’s parades. It’s any gathering. period.”
Equiery: You’re not telling people they can’t do things. You’re just saying that they’ve got to get their vet to sign off before they do.
Dr. Trout: “Right. Have a health paper and keep your head on a swivel when it comes to biosecurity and temping your horse.”
Equiery: People need to get in touch with their veterinarians because your veterinarian knows your horse’s history, your history, generally, probably the whole farm’s history, and is in the best position to decide whether the activity in question is high risk or whether your horse is dangerous.
Dr. Trout: “That’s a great way of saying it. I’m not telling you [that you can’t do things], I’m telling you to think, use some common sense, and to help with that, right now, you have to have a health certificate to travel.”
Equiery: Like a Coggins.
Dr. Trout: “Like A Coggins, exactly right. But keep in mind that a Coggins is for one specific disease in horses. Coggins is not a health certificate.”
Equiery: How long are these new rules going to be in place?
Dr. Trout: “Great question. Don’t know. Probably through Christmas, I’m pretty sure, just to get through everything. I don’t have a crystal ball. So is it going to be January, February? Is something really going to go off the rails and it’s going to be June? That I don’t know.”
