| It could have been problematical for all breeds, but new teeth in the Horse Protection Act regulations will be geared to eliminating the practice of soring in Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses, where stronger action is needed.
The original draft of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service document would have made it illegal to put liniment on the legs of other show horses, and also caused problems with shoeing with pads and a variety of other normal practices. While supporting efforts to end soring and other cruel practices, the U.S. Equestrian Federation submitted a detailed document explaining why other breeds and disciplines should be exempt from provisions originally included in the “overly broad regulation.” APHIS specifically recognized in the issuance of its final rule the USEF as setting “leading industry standards for equestrian sport” as part of the rationale for limiting the application of the proposed amendments to Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses. Shortly after the HPA was passed in 1970, APHIS established provisions to implement the act, but “substantial noncompliance” continued. The new regulation will use trained and licensed Horse Protection Inspectors instead of private inspectors to make decisions about horses that show signs of soreness inflicted on them so they perform “the big lick,” that is a manifestation of abuse. |
