We are nearing completion of the first year of our participation of the Equine Interstate Movement Program (Equine “Passport” Program). Under the agreement that is in place among Southeastern states, the horse owner has the option of obtaining an interstate movement permit, or “passport”, that is valid for travel among participating states. This document is equivalent to a health certificate with the exception that it is valid for six months, rather than thirty (30) days. States participating in the agreement include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia. Minor modifications to the program for the upcoming year will relax the microchip scanner requirements that were previously part of the requirement for movement of horses into North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. Specifically, horses implanted with a 134.2 kHz microchip will no longer be required to carry a scanner when visiting those states.  Additionally, we anticipate Kentucky joining the program in the near future, possibly as early as January, 2007. For more information and other updates, please visit the equine interstate movement permit web page at: http://www.state.tn.us/agriculture/regulate/animals/passport.html.