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Tell the USDA You Support Its New Horse Protection Act Rule

Dear John,

The US Department of Agriculture has finally proposed long-overdue and critical reforms to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and protect Tennessee walking horses from the myriad abuses associated with "soring." Soring refers to the deliberate infliction of pain on Tennessee walking horses' hooves and legs in order to produce an exaggerated high-stepping gait for competition.

Soring methods include applying caustic chemicals to a horse's limbs, using plastic wrap and tight bandages to "cook" those chemicals deep into the horse's flesh for days, attaching chains to strike against the sore legs, inserting hard objects such as screws into tender areas of the hooves, paring the soles of the feet down to sensitive tissue, and using salicylic acid or other painful substances to slough off scarred tissue in an attempt to disguise the sored areas.

In early 2017, the USDA had nearly finalized a new HPA regulation aimed at cracking down on soring. Before the rule could go into effect, however, the process was frozen under the Trump administration. This past July, however, the USDA elected to formally withdraw the 2017 proposal and is now proposing a similar rule. The proposed regulation would represent the first significant upgrade to the HPA in over 50 years. Of critical importance, it would eliminate the current system by which industry self-polices HPA compliance--a system that has been an abject failure in detecting and stopping abuse of horses for competitions. It would ban devices used to sore horses, and ensure that only veterinary professionals and others who are trained and licensed by the USDA inspect horses.

The USDA is accepting public comments on the proposed rule through October 20.

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What You Can Do
Under the status quo, Tennessee walking horses continue to suffer horrific abuse: It's long past time that USDA cracks down on soring. Please tell the USDA that you strongly support adoption and swift implementation of the proposed reforms and encourage the department to make the final rule as strong as possible. ([link removed])

Thank you in advance for your help and for all you do for animals!

Sincerely,

Joanna Grossman, PhD
Equine Program Director and Senior Advisor, Farmed Animal Program

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Photo by Clarence Alford

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