Demand the USDA protect horses: End soring now!

Friend,

We were worried this could happen: The Trump administration has delayed a long overdue regulation protecting horses from soring…again. Now, vulnerable horses are facing another show season where their flesh could be burned with caustic chemicals or their hooves cut to the quick, with hard objects jammed into their tender soles all to produce an exaggerated high-stepping gait known as the "Big Lick."

This practice, known as “soring”, is abuse plain and simple, friend, and it can’t be allowed to continue. We must put pressure on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect horses now and stop any further delays! But we need your help: Please send an urgent message to the USDA now and urge them to take action to protect horses from harm.

Despite the broader horse industry distancing itself from this abusive practice, a small segment of the Tennessee walking horse industry continues to use these barbaric methods and fight any regulations that would finally ban this cruelty once and for all. And now that the Trump administration has delayed the rule that would finally put an end to industry self-policing—which has allowed this practice to persist for decades—these trainers will continue tormenting the horses in their care…just for a blue ribbon.

We can’t let that happen. Vulnerable horses are suffering pain and betrayal from the people who should care for them most. We must push the USDA to implement the desperately needed reforms to end the failed system of industry self-policing and reject any further delay or rollbacks to the rule.

We only have until May 20 to make our voices heard: Send a message to the USDA NOW demanding they move forward with the implementation of their soring rule and protect horses from harm!

Thank you for acting to end animal cruelty!

Sara Amundson
President
Humane World Action Fund