12/30/2024
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𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬
As the February 1, 2025 implementation date for the revised Horse Protection Act (HPA) looms over the horse industry, many people who are involved with horses find themselves wondering exactly how they will be affected. Simply put, the revised version of the HPA would make unnecessary, heavy-handed government overreach the norm, devastate all levels of horse show communities, and effectively cripple much of the equine industry in the United States.
𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭:
• Notify APHIS no less than 30 days in advance of the event, also specifying whether or not they are hiring/requesting an inspector.
• Notify APHIS of any event updates 15 days prior to the event
• Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act to the APHIS regional director within five days after conclusion of the event.
• Allow free and uninhibited access by HPIs to records, barns, horse trailers, stables, stalls, arenas, and all other show or exhibition grounds.
• Verify identity of each horse entered at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction
• Maintain all horse show and exhibition records for 90 days and make available to inspectors.
• Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act to the APHIS regional director within five days after conclusion of the event .
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝/𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐏𝐀 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝:
• Anything that could make a horse sore, lame, or irritated are prohibited. Sore muscles from a focused training session or a small rub from an incorrectly fitted bell boot could be equated to intentional soring
• Any substance that could make a horse sore or have an inflammatory reaction is prohibited, including therapeutic liniment
• No substances may be used on the limbs of a horse, including skin and hair conditioners or fly spray
• Horse owners are not the only ones liable. Any participant with horses is subject to liability, including agents, haulers, trainers, vendors, supporters, and sponsors.
• Mandatory rest periods must be observed during shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.
• Any information requested must be provided to inspectors on demand.
• Horses’ legs must be blemish-free, including dermatologic conditions such as irritation, moisture, edema, swelling, redness, epidermal thickening, loss of hair, or other evidence of inflammation.
• Horse inspections may include, but are not limited to, “visual inspection of a horse and review of records, physical examination of a horse, including touching, rubbing, palpating, and observation of vital signs, and the use of any diagnostic device or instrument, and may require the removal of any shoe or any other equipment, substance, or paraphernalia from the horse when deemed necessary by the professional conducting such inspection.
• Horses can be detained by HPIs for 24 hours.
• Therapeutic treatments, including massage, chiropractic treatments, and PMF must be administered or overseen by qualified veterinarians
• Complete veterinary records must be kept and maintained for horses receiving therapeutic treatment of any kind.
• Requirements for shipping and transporting horses.
• Any horse winning first place in a class is required to be re-inspected.
• Horses that receive a rub or blemish while competing are subject to HPA violations, even if the horse passed inspection prior to entering the ring.
𝐀𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝟏𝟐𝟗-𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐏𝐀 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association website states that there have been 541,322 TWHs registered since the association’s founding in 1935. Just for comparison, the American Quarter Horse Association has registered over 6 million horses since its founding in 1940. With several other major breed associations, numerous competition organizations, and hundreds of horse sales in the nation, there are thousands and thousands of horses competing or selling that would require inspection by the new HPA.
The inspection process for TWHs is notoriously long and laborious; it is not unheard of for competitors to stand in line for literally hours to have their horses inspected. The largest TWH show is the annual 10- day Celebration where approximately 2,000 horses compete. Historically, the USDA has inspected around 50 TWH events annually. What happens when inspections are required at every show across the country, from 4-H playdays to large international events, especially when there is a shortage of qualified inspectors? It is common for TWH exhibitors to have to wait in line for several hours to have their horses inspected; what happens at a show like the NCHA futurity, with over 600 horses in the three-year old class alone?
𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐏𝐀. 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧/𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐝, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝. 𝐔𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 𝐥𝐞𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲.
𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝
The HPA was made law in 1970 to regulate the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) industry, prohibiting the showing, sale, auction, exhibition, or transport of sored horses.
The USDA defines soring as “the application of any chemical (e.g., mustard oil or diesel fuel), mechanical agent (e.g., overweight chains), or practice (e.g., trimming a hoof to expose the sensitive tissue) inflicted upon any limb of a horse, that can cause or be expected to cause the horse to suffer physical pain or distress when moving.” Soring was sometimes utilized by unscrupulous trainers to artificially create a highly animated gait in TWHs and other gaited breeds.
Since 1976, rigorous inspections of show horses, both before and after a class, have been required at all TWH events. Any evidence of soring of any kind results in instant disqualification from the class and fines. In the years since the HPA was enacted, compliance of the law has been consistently over 90%. In 2023, the compliance rate was 98%.
Nevertheless, animal extremists have not only persisted in their attacks of the TWH industry, but also in seeking to expand the definition of “soring” to encompass as much of the horse industry as possible. The recent revisions to the law are the result. The lead USDA veterinarian, Dr. Aaron Rhyner, even went so far as to say that he could see how just riding a horse could be considered to be a type of soring.
The revised rule states: “Soring has been used almost exclusively in the training of certain Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses to induce pain, resulting in an exaggerated gait that is valued in the show ring. 𝙃𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙋𝘼’𝙨 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙨, 𝙚𝙭𝙝𝙞𝙗𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙤𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨.”
It has been estimated that there are usually no more than 50 TWH shows in any given year, which stands to reason as the TWH sector is a relatively small portion of the overall United States horse industry. The new requirements would extend to ALL shows, from local 4-H playdays to annual international competitions, easily totaling hundreds of shows. Currently, speed-based events are exempt.
𝐈𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐀 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐇𝐏𝐀 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭.
While the USDA has exponentially and arbitrarily expanded the scope of the HPA, they have at the same time drastically reduced the number of possible inspectors by eliminating the use of third-part designated qualified persons (DQPs) that have historically been utilized. This has very effectively and even deliberately created a shortage of qualified inspectors.
The USDA’s APHIS is now solely responsible for training and employing Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs), who must be licensed veterinarians or veterinary technicians. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞:
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/08/2024-09469/horse-protection-amendments
𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞@𝐰𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞.𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨.
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
https://www.ruralamericainaction.com/fb_share.php?type=petition&s=stop-the-horse-protection-act
𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞- https://www.westernjustice.info/memberships
