Voice Your Complaints to the House & Senate Agriculture Committees About the New APHIS HPA Rules

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) is a federal law that has been in place since 1970 to regulate the horse shows for Walking Horses, Colorado Spotted Saddle Horses, and Racking Horses.  Therefore, the practice of soring horses is already illegal and prohibits sored horses from participating in shows, exhibition, sales or auctions. The HPA also prohibits the transportation of sored horses to or from any of these events for the Tennessee Walking Horse.

In recent years, it has been proven time and time again that the existing Rules under the HPA have been effective in halting the practice of soring.  Yet, at a time  when Congress is looking to create jobs, these misguided Rules would destroy what is left of the walking horse industry today. 

Q. Why are new Rules needed if the existing Rules under the HPA are doing their job?

A: The optics of these new Rules being implemented next year tells us that the PAST Act never passed on the merits of the legislation itself, so now the animal rights groups have pressured USDA/APHIS to implement these "new Rules" to further erode what is left of the Walking Horse industry. 

These new Rules Include: 

• Eliminating industry self-regulation and the role of industry-backed Designated Qualified Persons as inspectors at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions.  Only APHIS inspectors and independent non-APHIS-employed horse protection inspectors screened, trained, and authorized by APHIS will have inspection authority. 
• Prohibiting any device, method, practice, or substance applied to a horse that can cause or is associated with soring.
• Prohibiting on Tennessee Walking or racking horses all action devices and non-therapeutic pads, artificial toe extensions, and wedges, as well as all substances on the extremities above the hoof, including lubricants.
• Removing the scar rule from the regulations and replacing it with a more accurate description of visible dermatological changes indicative of soring.
• Amending recordkeeping and reporting requirements for management at covered events to better enforce the HPA.

The Cavalry Group's position about this Rule has been the same as our opposition to the PAST Act and we contend that these Rules are setting a dangerous precedent to regulate ALL horse breeds due to the overreaching, general language addressing weighted shoes and action devices. 

It's important to also remember the rulding out of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in 2015 which found that USDA inspectors had been abusing the Rules under the Horse Protection Act to disqualify participants at USDA inspected horse shows. (McGartland/Contender Farms v. USDA - 5th Circuit 2015)