Each of the nearly 4,000 horses entering the Kentucky State Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky., are being inspected by personnel from the Kentucky State Veterinarian’s office prior to being unloaded on the grounds. “We’re doing it for a multitude of reasons,” said Rusty Ford of the Kentucky State Veterinarian’s office. “It’s a good exercise in the event we have a true emergency. It’s also a good preventative measure.

“With the problems we’ve had at racetracks in past few years (with strangles and neurologic equine herpesvirus), we’re focusing on disease management,” he said.

The Kentucky State Veterinarian’s office has inspectors at the fair grounds 24 hours a day. All horses arriving for the Kentucky State Fair come through a central check station to enter the grounds. The inspectors look at documentation—Certificates of Veterinary Inspection and Coggins certificates. They identify each horse based on the Coggins and get on the trailer to visually inspect each horse.

“The inspectors are trained to recognize if a horse not looking as fit as we think it should,” said Ford. “If that is the case, we have vets on the grounds and we’ll ask that the horse be examined by a veterinarian