Victory in court for sored horses

By Kitty Block and Sara Amundson | HSUS Some really good news from a federal courtroom on a fight we’ve long been waging for horses: Last month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the United States Department of Agriculture had unlawfully withdrawn a 2017 rule designed to fix…

Horses get some help from DC lawmakers

H.R. 8294: Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023 H.R. 8294 blocks the operation of horse slaughter facilities in the United States by permanently barring the use of federal funds to inspect such facilities. The bill includes $4.1 million—an increase of more than $1 million from the prior fiscal year—to enforce the…

“Big Lick” horses win in court. Can they get a break from Congress?

WASHINGTON D.C. — Former U.S. President Donald Trump in January 2017 improperly blocked a new USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service rule meant to protect show horses from taking effect, ruled a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 22, 2022. The appellate court verdict,…

The Horse Protection Act: Soring, the Scar Rule, and Self-Regulation

THE NATIONAL LAW REVIEW Published 27 August 2020 The Horse Protection Act (HPA), 15 U.S.C. § 1821 et seq., passed in 1970 and amended in 1976, outlaws the practice of horse “soring,” an inhumane practice of causing pain to a horse’s foot or leg to produce a more desirable gait. “Soring” is defined as the application…

Walking horse group successful with new rules

Cross-posted from WBIR TV When legislation to toughen federal protections against horse soring gained momentum last year, opponents said the proposed rule changes would decimate their walking horse show industry. But a Murfreesboro-based walking horse group says it has found a way to thrive regardless of what becomes of those stiffer rules. Dee Dee Miller,…

Fight to end horse soring is everyone’s duty

Written by former SENATOR JOE TYDINGS Citizens must take stand against cruelty to horses Forty-three years ago, while serving in the U.S. Senate, I introduced the Horse Protection Act to stop the cruel and intentional soring of the magnificent Tennessee Walking Horses. Unfortunately, although the Horse Protection Act was enacted into law in 1970, far…