Facing Industry Pressure, USDA Delays Crucial Horse Protections

Washington, DC—The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is disappointed with the US Department of Agriculture’s announcement today that it will delay implementation of regulations to protect horses from egregiously inhumane soring until April 2, 2025.

Soring involves the deliberate infliction of pain on a horse’s hooves and legs—such as applying caustic chemicals deep into the flesh, attaching chains to strike against sore legs, and inserting screws into tender areas of the hooves—to create an exaggerated high-stepping gait known as the “Big Lick” during competitions and shows.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a final rule on May 8, 2024, to end this brutal practice. The regulations, which were scheduled to take effect on February 1, 2025, entail the most comprehensive upgrade to the Horse Protection Act (HPA) since the law was passed in 1970. They eliminate the corrupt and ineffectual horse show self-policing system by horse industry organizations, prohibit pain-inflicting devices associated with soring, and enhance the ability of inspectors to detect evidence of abuse.

Over the years, efforts to improve the HPA through regulatory reforms have garnered significant support. The USDA received over 115,000 public comments in favor of improved HPA regulations, and more than 100 federal lawmakers have urged the department to finalize the rule, which is consistent with recommendations from a 2021 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Despite the final rule’s clear equine welfare benefits, 13 states’ agriculture departments recently urged the USDA to withdraw it entirely. Additionally, certain equine industry groups, including the American Horse Council, asked the USDA to delay the rule’s effective date by 60 days while noting overall support for the regulations. Lastly, a federal lawsuit filed last year by the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association and two horse show owners asked the department to vacate the rule. Citing the pending suit, other industry arguments, and limited department resources, the USDA postponed the rule’s implementation today.

“Efforts to protect horses from the appalling range of abuses associated with soring have been decades in the making,” said Joanna Grossman, Ph.D., director of AWI’s Equine Program. The Horse Protection Act regulations that were finalized last May were widely celebrated as a victory for equine welfare. Now, the USDA’s decision to put the brakes on these long-awaited and necessary reforms will likely result in needless animal suffering.”

AWI and other animal welfare groups have persistently called attention to significant gaps in HPA enforcement and have worked to advance meaningful reforms, yet these efforts have drawn stiff opposition from industry interests and the lawmakers beholden to them. After a USDA rule to crack down on soring was nearly finalized in early 2017, it was subsequently withdrawn by the first Trump administration.

“The evidence that the status quo is broken is incontrovertible,” Grossman added. “We urge the USDA and the new administration not to waver in this critical moment, particularly since the department has worked hard to develop these commonsense improvements to better detect and combat soring abuses.”