I've had an inspector drive up behind me in a rest stop in GA and check
my paperwork. But in general most states don't do much checks, probably
due to budgets, except FL and as you say CA. One showed up to a ride in
Kentycky one time to check health certificates.
The hay check I ran into in AZ had nothing to do with weeds it had to
to with Fire Ants. It was somewhat a pain since the hay way in the
first stall and the only way to get to it was to take the horses out -
not something I look forward to doing along side an interstate.
We could open the window so they could look at some of it. I finally
asked the woman if she had ever seen a fire ant - which she hadn't.
Then I asked her if she had ever been bit by a fire ant - which she
hadn't. Then I suggested that if there were fire ants in the hay, the
horses would have long since kicked trailer into shreads to get away
from them. With that ( and me wrestling a bail through the window and
breaking it apart so she could see it ) she let us go.
Truman
Heidi Smith wrote:
>The state of FL is the
only one I know of where you will stop at the bourder (or else they
will run you down) and you will have to show a health certificate to
get in.
CA does that, too.
I've also been stopped in Oklahoma
(they have "roving check points" and when they set one up at a rest
area, they wave in all passing horse trailers--I understand several
states do this, but that's the only one I've personally experienced),
Oregon (years ago, in my previous incarnation as an Idaho resident),
and Washington. All pretty simple when your paperwork is in order.
And of course, the scope of this
hasn't covered Canadian border crossings--fresh in my mind since we are
just home from there and about to do it again. The Canadian papers are
a bit trickier as one's vet has to send them to a federal vet for
endorsement (for which, of course, the federal vet collects money), and
they are pretty picky. I did have a twitchy US inspector on our way
home from our last trip think that our papers were amiss, and telephone
his superior--he was apparently told in short order that what we had
was what we were supposed to have, since he said, "Yes, sir. Yes,
sir," and hung up the phone, handed us our paperwork back, said "Have a
nice day," and waved us on through. <g> I WAS surprised that
the Canadian border people did not inspect our hay--which was duly
weed-free and appropriately tagged--but again, better safe than sorry...
