Here are four practical ways to organize your horse’s health papers so you’re always ready to hit the road.
1. Stay road-ready and –friendly. Keep traveling papers in a plastic folder or three-ring-binder that can stay in your truck or that is easy to grab and throw in.
Three-ring plastic sleeves keep flimsy Coggins test results and health papers clean and easy to read and find. It’s also a great place to keep other documents you might need, such as copies of your horse’s registration papers and discipline membership cards and papers.
2. Front-end organize. Take 10 minutes to pre-plot your calendar, either digitally or by hand. When you’re planning the year out for competitions you want to make, plot in reminders and deadlines for your health papers and Coggins tests, and any vaccinations your horses need.
3. Find out what you need. If you’re crossing state lines, head to interstatelivestock.com to find state-to-state requirements for horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine. Plug in the species, state of origin and state of destination, and the website shows what you need.
4. Keep backup records. Keep original documents at home when you can. If you have to travel with originals, be sure to leave copies of them at home as a backup. Or take photos of them with your cell phone!
