๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
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.
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.
๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ
๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐, ๐๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐, ๐๐๐๐, ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ: โข Notify APHIS no less than 30 days in advance of the event, also specifying whether or not they are hiring/requesting an inspector. โข Notify APHIS of any event updates 15 days prior to the event โข Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act to the APHIS regional director within five days after conclusion of the event. โข Allow free and uninhibited access by HPIs to records, barns, horse trailers, stables, stalls, arenas, and all other show or exhibition grounds. โข Verify identity of each horse entered at a show, exhibition, sale, or auction โข Maintain all horse show and exhibition records for 90 days and make available to inspectors. โข Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act to the APHIS regional director within five days after conclusion of the event.
๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ฐ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ, ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ. ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฑ๐ก๐ข๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐/๐จ๐ซ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฌ, ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐:
โข 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 โข Any substance that could make a horse sore or have an inflammatory reaction is prohibited, including therapeutic liniment โข No substances may be used on the limbs of a horse, including skin and hair conditioners or fly spray โข Horse owners are not the only ones liable. Any participant with horses is subject to liability, including agents, haulers, trainers, vendors, supporters, and sponsors. โข Mandatory rest periods must be observed during shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions. โข Any information requested must be provided to inspectors on demand. โข Horsesโ 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. โข Horse inspections may include, but are not limited to, โvisual 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. โข Horses can be detained by HPIs for 24 hours. โข Therapeutic treatments, including massage, chiropractic treatments, and PMF must be administered or overseen by qualified veterinarians โข Complete veterinary records must be kept and maintained for horses receiving therapeutic treatment of any kind. โข Requirements for shipping and transporting horses. โข Any horse winning first place in a class is required to be re-inspected. โข 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.
๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง, ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐๐๐ข๐๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐๐-๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐.
๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฒ.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association website states that there have been 541,322 TWHs registered since the associationโs 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?
๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ซ ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐. ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง/๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐, ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐๐. ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ.
๐๐๐๐ค๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐
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 โthe 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.โ 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 โsoringโ 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: โSoring 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. ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐ง, ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ผโ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ง๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ๐ฉ ๐จ๐ค๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐จ๐๐ค๐ฌ๐จ, ๐๐ญ๐๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ, ๐จ๐๐ก๐๐จ, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐จ ๐๐ญ๐ฉ๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ฃ๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐จ.โ
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.
๐๐ ๐๐ง ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ซ ๐๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ, ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฅ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ฏ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ.
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 USDAโs APHIS is now solely responsible for training and employing Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs), who must be licensed veterinarians or veterinary technicians. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐:
15 U.S.C. 1823-1825
๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ. ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ข๐จ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐๐๐ก. ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ง๐ข๐ณ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐@๐ฐ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐.๐ข๐ง๐๐จ.
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
๐๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐๐-
