feb 15 22

THIS MORNING'S lecture will be on coggins testing..

for those of you horse people , it is not news .. it is a test for equine infectious anemia-  a death sentance for any horse  testing positive.  
this testing started in  1973.. back when janine and gwen both rode horses and i had a bunch of 4h kids horses in   the barn

panic set in immediately. as all began to try and find horses that looked like their kids horse so they could put down the look alke and save the horse/pony so important to  the development of their child... i was no exception as janine's "tinker" was carrying her 20 miles a day all the way thru middleton square to ride with friends who eventually all went on the 50 mile ride in vermont -- eventually we got all 6 tests negative.. but it has to be one of the worst weeks of my life worrying those 6 horses thru that test.------ these kids were  about 10-12 years old as we waved goodbye to the lot of them and they rode off into the carefully marked trails of the green mountain horsemans association.

tinker was good.. being 1/2 arabian - known for distance riding.

as the next 30 years of horsing around went by...  the $10 test charge with the $50 farm call  became a real problem for poe[ple having trouble paying the hay bill anyway,,,... me.....

pain in the harassment  then.. and still now-- where 5 cars and people wandering all over my house  results in  quarintining all the equines here until i locate teh coggins test for the mare i have just reciently pruchased...  the paper is probably in the trailer which may be in north carolina.. logically---- as if i need it , it would be because i was going over state lines- and i had only one trailer..

so while i wait for the returmn of that piece of paper- the critical important coggins test...i thought  JUST WHO HAVE I KNOWN THAT TESTED POSITIVE SINCE 1973? i have known hundreds of people who  -- terrified--- pay the $60 --- to be certain to protect themselves from all these EIA  horses. really??  just who???

bless the internet.  in 2019  they tested 1,111.987 horses.. and had 51  positives----- guess what----  45 ae in texas  the other 6 are scattered around the country--- none of which are in ny and new england..  

now matt has been to texas with his horse ( if he has not been to texas he sure sounds like it) and we did have these 2 horses without 

current papers- so the probability was slight, but there.. so the verification of the health of those horses demanded the utmost care.  we must not leave room for a  well intending parent  to euthanize the wrong horse.. they must be complete. 

so they told bryan dvm to send them 3 photos instead of having one of these "official  "  persons  drive  the 4 miles from ipswich center to verify the identity.

how odd.