Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In theory this sounds like it's got the economy and agriculture in mind, but like every other law, it's only as good as the people who abide by it. It is required by law for every horse to have a Coggins test but that doesn't mean people do it. One of my very best friend's 5 year old nephew has an older pony who has not had a vet check, vaccinations, parasite preventative or a Coggins test done in YEARS. The boy got the pony as an infant. I can't tell you how many times I've mentioned to them that they need to call a vet, not just for the mare's health but for all horses in the surrounding area and they still have not. They are not "horse people" they just literally have a pony in a corral smaller then half the size of my backyard. Should I rat them out? Should I continue to mind my own business? What would you do if you were in my place?  Given the fact that people don't follow the rules that are in place (imagine that), what exactly does the USDA (or whatever government branch intends to oversee all this) intend to do about this sort of thing? Should that one horse that is not tagged contract something and spread it, then the system hasn't really accomplished anything.

Outwardly, I don't oppose the concept of finding ways to prevent/treat disease. My horse is already microchipped for Coggins. Why not include health records tabled under the number of that chip, sort of the way the chip in a military ID card works. But again.....people like the ones on this list aren't the ones that worry me. People like my friend's family ARE.