Attendees bringing horses to the World Show and Celebration are reminded that ALL horses entering the grounds must present a negative Coggins test and a valid Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.  Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (aka health papers) must be issued within 30 days of arrival at the show.

The Board also recommends that exhibitors work with the veterinarian to determine appropriate booster vaccinations needed before attending the show, including Eastern Equine Encephalitis, Equine Influenza, and Equine Herpesvirus.

All Horses Checked Upon Entry

Horses must enter through the equine entry gate to have their paperwork checked and be visually inspected.  There is a $10 per horse inspection fee. The equine entry gate will be staffed starting Friday, September 2.

Equine Entry Gate Hours:

Friday, September 2, and Saturday, September 3: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sunday, September 4- Saturday, September 10: 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

For horses arriving earlier than Friday or outside equine entry gate hours, an individual will be available Friday, September 3, and Saturday, September 4 to check in horses at their stalls.  This will occur between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. each day.  To have horses checked during this time, owners must sign up in the MFTHBA office.

Monitor Your Horses

Before, during, and following the show, all horses should be closely monitored for any signs of illness.  Horses exhibiting any symptoms of illness should not be brought to the show.  If symptoms of any type of illness are noticed during the show, horse owners should contact the on-call veterinarian and the MFTHBA office immediately.

Practice Biosecurity

Horse owners should practice good biosecurity before, during, and following the event.  Below are some suggestions for preventing disease in your horses. These recommendations were adapted from the United States Department of Agriculture brochure “Biosecurity—The Key to Keeping your Horse’s Health.”

At the show or trail ride:

• Don’t share equipment (e.g., buckets, brushes, etc.) with other horses. Diseases, fungus, and bacteria can be spread through shared equipment.
• Wash your hands, especially after you help other people with their horses.
• When you arrive at the show grounds or trail riding facility, clean and disinfect the stalls you will be using. This is especially important in locations where another horse recently occupied the stalls.
• When you arrive home, shower and put on clean clothes and shoes before going near your other horses. Clothing can carry disease from one location to the next.

Visiting farms, horse shows, and auctions:

• Have a pair of boots or shoes that you save for visiting. These shoes or boots should not be worn around your own horses. Plastic boot covers are another option. Manure and soil collected on your boots can carry disease from one location to the next.
• Change clothes when you arrive home, prior to working with your own animals.

Bringing a horse home from a show or trail ride:

• If even one of your horses travels, all of your horses need to be vaccinated. Horses can bring disease home with them to your operation. Work with your local veterinarian to determine an appropriate vaccination program. Be sure to tell the veterinarian where you plan to travel as different areas of the country have different disease concerns.
• When you return from a trip with your horses, isolate the horse from the rest of your herd for at least 2 weeks. Returning horses should not be allowed to have nose-to-nose contact with other horses.
• Work, feed, and care for quarantine horses last to prevent spreading diseases among your herd.
• Don’t share equipment (e.g. buckets, brushes, etc.) with other horses. Diseases, fungus, and bacteria can be spread through shared equipment.
• Wash your hands and change your clothes after you work with quarantined horses.
• Exhibitors are encouraged to work with their local veterinarian to determine other ways they can prevent the spread of disease.

“We want all the equine visitors to the World Show and Celebration to arrive and leave healthy,” shared Mark Mackie, MFTHBA President.  “If the health status of your equine partner is in question, we ask that you consider all the other horses attending the event when making your decision to bring the horse to the showgrounds.”