Crossing the VA/MD/PA border; certificate of vet inspection

I’ve not been able to find a good answer on this. I was planning on attending a show in PA; i’m in VA. I know that unless show management wants one, I don’t need a CVI for maryland. But, I can’t tell if PA has the same rules. (Or, if maybe they do but no one checks…)
The show says they only want a current coggins, but I don’t want to get into trouble that I can avoid.

My horse shows in zone two primarily, but we often go down and show in zone three and I have never gotten a certificate just for a show. Some shows do require proof of vaccinations and I’ve gotten that before and of course a Coggins.

1 Like

I’m in southern PA and go to Upperville, Culpeper occasionally and McDonough a lot (so opposite trip). I’ve never been asked or stopped for a health certificate. Swan Lake will check vaccinations/Coggins as required by USEF.

3 Likes

Sounds like I’ll be okay then. Thank you both!

I live in the panhandle of WV and go to MD, VA, PA often. You just need coggins and vaccine records. It’s helpful to have proof of ownership as well.

Since you are in VA you can get a 6 month health certificate, EECVI.

1 Like

Oh cool! I’ll definitely get those on my horses. That covers almost every state I show in

I grew up in PA, showed regularly, and literally didn’t know what a CVI was until I was an adult and moved away from home. :rofl:

Unless the show management wants one on file, no one in VA, MD, or PA will ask to see yours.

2 Likes

My vet doesn’t charge to fill it out, I have it for piece of mind. I’ve only used it once when transporting on I81. State patrol was happy I had it. Since vet is always out at least 2x a year, it’s simple enough.

2 Likes

Technically you are supposed to have a CVI whenever you cross state lines…in practicality, people tend to only get them hauling long distances, using commercial shippers, or going to show at venues that will bother to check them.

I live in Maryland and haul to PA at least weekly if not more…technically I should have a valid one every time I go…but the only place I’ve ever been asked for one in PA was once at Devon. I’ve hauled horses from MD to vet hospitals over state lines and never been asked for a CVI on those trips either…

So are you supposed to have one? yes. Do most people? no.

1 Like

The only state on the East Coast I’ve ever seen that actually checked health papers is Florida, which has agricultural inspection stations on the highways at the state line.

2 Likes

What was the circumstance that led to the check? I’m in the I81/I64 area and have never been checked, nor has anyone else in my small circle.

1 Like

Tire blowout. A very nice state trooper pulled over to help and asked to check paperwork while he was there. No big deal but I walked him through the paperwork I had and showed what a coggins looks like and he fed my horses a couple treats.

3 Likes

This is from the Maryland COMAR:

Out-of-State Equine
1. All horses and other equidae, 9 months of age and older, shall be accompanied by a negative
test for equine infectious anemia (EIA) made within the 12 months before the date of the
event. A copy of this test shall accompany every animal.
2. All horses and other equidae shall be accompanied by a CVI issued within 30 days prior to
entry.
3. The following contiguous states and New Jersey are exempted from the CVI requirement:
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

I swear PA used to have the same reciprocity… however, it appears they changed that recently:

I’m not sure anyone is actually enforcing this. I also live in MD and haul into PA and have never been asked for anything anywhere. I don’t even think I’ve been asked at Devon, though it’s been a while. No vet has ever mentioned it to me, either.

2 Likes

I think it would be very hard to enforce. I actually almost bought a property that was half in Maryland and half in PA. Would I have to get a CVI every time my horses wandered from one side of the pasture to another? :rofl:

1 Like

Yes.
Kentucky is very strict–you have to have a CVI to move even resident horses around WITHIN the state (presumably because of all the comings and goings of racehorses).

No one has ever asked to see my CVI in Kentucky, either, although most places would say you needed one and the vets would complete one almost automatically. “Oh, I’ll fill out the vet inspection form for you…”

Very different attitude towards it than in the mid-Atlantic where we all forget CVIs exist.

never been checked! really! I would say they check mine 8/10 times coming to KHP, and 100% of the time when I arrive before 5PM! I’ve never been pulled over for a document check, but I did hear recently that they are stopping folks for solely this reason.

I am pretty sure they have an inspection station at the KHP (that I used to see manned about 50% of the time), and of course the sales companies, shipping companies and race tracks require them. Usually dated within 72 hours to 7 days. I wrote a lot of emergency health certificates :grimacing:

KY also does the “1 year intrastate health certs” that most of the non-TB people would get.

For sure, they have an inspection station set up for show horses coming into the park. I think the fact that it is actually a Kentucky park makes it a little more stringent on the health paperwork than a lot of shows.

Plus I’ve heard you can actually get a real ticket there for running the stop signs inside the park.

I haven’t showed at the KHP in 20 years, which is why I’ve never been checked there. :woman_shrugging:

My experience not being checked is moving TB broodmares between TN and KY, going to Rood & Riddle and Hagyard, and a small shows and trail rides around the state.

Every destination would say they need a CVI, but when I got there, it would usually be “yeah yeah whatever, we don’t need to see it.” But I mean I always had one, because it was always communicated to have one.