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Support of New USDA Soring Rules for Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses

Lexington, Ky. – The United Professional Horsemen’s Association, American Saddlebred Horse Association, American Hackney Horse Society and the American Road Horse & Pony Association joined the United States Equestrian Federation in supporting and applauding the recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement of new rules added to the Horse Protection Act (HPA) designed to end the practice of soring Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses. Together we commend USDA’s consideration of our comments during the rule making process, and credit our members with making our collective voice heard.

While the new rules specifically and exclusively apply to Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses, it is important to note that all horse shows, exhibitions and auctions in the U.S. are still subject to HPA regulations, as they have been since 1970.  Historically, USDA has focused its HPA enforcement on Tennessee Walking Horse and racking horse events, so many of our members may be unaware of regulations that apply to their horses.  Specifically, Section 11.2 of the HPA regulations details certain “Prohibitions concerning exhibitors.”  Though none of the prohibitions involve practices common in USEF disciplines, we recommend that our members familiarize themselves with their responsibilities in order to avoid inadvertent non-compliance.

© 2017 US Equestrian Federation

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