OklahomaHorses Magazine November 2021

22 OklahomaHorses • November/December 2021 es integral to soring, strengthen penalties, and make the actual soring of a horse for the purpose of showing or selling it illegal, as well as directing another to do so. This legislation is endorsed by hundreds of stakeholder groups and individuals across a broad spectrum. Congress enacted the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in 1970 to make illegal the abusive practice of “soring,” in which unscrupulous trainers deliberately inflict pain on Tennessee Walking, Racking and Spotted Saddle Horses’ hooves and legs to force the horses to perform an exagger- ated, high-stepping gait and gain unfair competitive advantage at horse shows. Soring methods include applying caustic chemicals, using plastic wrap and tight ban- dages to “cook” those chemicals deep into the horse’s flesh for days, attaching chains to strike against the sore legs, inserting hard objects such as screws and resins into ten- der areas of the hooves, paring the soles of the feet down to sensitive tissue, attaching heavily weighted shoes, and using salicylic acid or other painful substances to slough off scarred tissue to disguise the sored areas. Sored horses often live in constant pain throughout their show ring careers. Decades ago, the USDA set up an indus- try-run enforcement system in which Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) are autho- rized to train their own inspectors, called Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs), to inspect horses for soring at shows. But DQPs are employees of these show organizations (which have an incentive to allow horses to be shown) and are often exhibitors of Tennessee Walking Horses themselves. So, not surprisingly, many DQPs avoid citing violations by those who hired them, ensuring lenient oversight and widespread soring that goes undetected and unpunished. Though the HPA was signed into law more than 50 years ago to protect horses from painful soring, this abuse continues unabated. A 2010 audit by the USDA Inspector General exposed how trainers in the industry go to great lengths to evade detection rather than comply with federal law and train horses using humane methods. The IG recommended stiffer pen- alties and eliminating the flawed system of industry self-policing, as well as increased funding to enable the USDA to oversee the law more adequately. The American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Equine Practi- tioners, along with the American Horse Council and many show horse industry groups, all endorse this legislation. AAEP issued a 2008 white paper condemning sor- ing, calling it “one of the most significant welfare issues faced by the equine industry.” It called for the abolition of industry-run inspections, saying “the acknowledged conflicts of interest which involve many of them cannot be reasonably resolved, and these individuals should be excluded from the regulatory process.” AAEP also said the “Penalties should be much more severe and consequential to owners, trainers and other support personnel than in the past.” AVMA and AAEP jointly urged Congress “to quickly pass PAST and put an end to the inhumane and unethical practice of soring, once and for all.” They’ve called for a ban on devices associated with soring: “Because the industry has been unable to make sub- stantial progress in eliminating this abusive practice, the AVMA and the AAEP believe a ban on action devices and performance packages is necessary to protect the health and welfare of the horse.” In a joint state- ment, these lead veterinary groups stated, “For decades we’ve watched irresponsible individuals become more creative about finding ways to sore horses and circumvent the inspection process and have lost faith in an industry that seems unwilling and/or unable to police itself.” Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act (H.R. 3355/S.2732) Legislation (S.2732) to permanently ban horse slaughter in the United States and end the current export of American horses for slaughter was recently reintroduced by a