Whether moving horses within the state of Florida, or moving horses into Florida from another state, it is important to abide by Florida’s laws. In this article, we examine the laws and requirements for horse transport in Florida, as well as some related laws.
Transport within Florida
All horses that are being transported within the state of Florida must possess official documentation demonstrating a negative equine infectious anemia test that is dated within one year of the blood sample that is taken. Foals that are under six months old and accompanied by a dam that has documentation demonstrating a negative equine infectious anemia test are exempt from complying with these test requirements. An official equine infectious anemia test must be conducted at a laboratory that is approved at both the state and federal levels. Equine infectious anemia tests that are considered acceptable include:
- Competitive Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay test
- Agar gel immunodiffusion test
- Other tests approved by the State Veterinarian and licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Transport into Florida
All horses that are imported into Florida from elsewhere must possess official documentation of a negative equine infectious anemia test that is dated within one year of the blood sample being taken. Foals under the age of six months that are accompanied by a dam that has documentation of a negative equine infectious anemia test are exempt from testing requirements. Like horses that are transported within the state of Florida, an official equine infectious anemia test must be conducted at a laboratory that is approved at the federal and state levels. The tests noted in the section above are also considered acceptable for horses being transported into the state from elsewhere.
However, horses imported into Florida from out of state have additional requirements. In addition to a negative equine infectious anemia test, all horses that are imported into the state of Florida must possess an official certificate of veterinary inspection. Specifically, this documentation must be in the possession of the driver importing the animal or the person who is otherwise in charge of it. In addition, this documentation must accompany the animal to its destination in the state. The certificate of veterinary inspection is also required to be legible and completed by the issuing veterinarian, and it must include the following information:
- The address and name of the consignee
- The address and name of the consignor
- The premises identification number and point of origin
- The examination date
- The point of destination
- The number of horses examined
- The age, sex, name, and breed of each horse
- The location where the horse was examined
- The horse’s body temperature at examination
- The markings and color of each horse
- Prior permission number
Contact Our Wellington Equine Law Lawyer
If you require additional clarification on horse transport laws in the state of Florida, Gueronniere, P.A., is here to help. Experienced Wellington attorney Grace de la Gueronniere is here to assist you with your equine law needs. Please contact us as soon as possible to schedule an initial consultation with an experienced equine law lawyer.