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  • American Horse Council Reaffirms Support for the PAST Act

AMERICAN HORSE COUNCIL REAFFIRMS SUPPORT FOR THE PAST ACT

 

During the American Horse Council’s (AHC) annual meeting and issues forum in Washington D.C. the AHC Board of Trustees  reaffirmed AHC support for the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act (PAST Act). The PAST Act would strengthen the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and prevent the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses, Spotted Saddle Horses, and Racking Horses

“The AHC annual meeting brings together leaders from all segments of the horse industry and every major horse organization and allows them to discuss the issues they believe are most important to the industry,” said Julie Broadway, President of the AHC. “Soring is without a doubt painful for the horses subjected to this practice and even though it is limited to a small segment of the walking horse industry it damages the image of the entire horse industry.  There is no question that ending soring is a priority for the horse industry and the AHC is committed to passing the PAST Act.”

Soring is an abusive practice that continues to be used by some horse trainers in the performance or “big lick” segment of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse, and Racking Horse industry. It usually involves the use of action devices, chemicals, stacks, wedges or other practices to cause pain in the horse’s forelegs to produce an accentuated show gait for competition. At the 2015 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration alone U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors identified 226 violations of the HPA.

No other breeds or disciplines’ have a history of soring, have a reason to sore their horses to accentuate their gait, or have been cited for HPA violations. In fact, since other breeds show at various gaits soring would be counterproductive and harm their ability to successfully compete.

The PAST Act would amend the HPA to prohibit a Tennessee Walking Horse, a Racking Horse, or a Spotted Saddle Horse, the three breeds with a history of soring, from being shown, exhibited, or auctioned with stacks, action devices or chains.  These new prohibitions would not apply to other breeds that do not have a history of soring. The bill would also increase penalties for HPA violations and eliminate the current ineffective designated qualified persons (DQPs) program. A full description of the bill can be found here.

“The performance horse segment of the walking horse industry has had 46 years to end soring and has failed.  Only by eliminating the stacks, chains, and action devices that are integral to soring, significantly increasing penalties and creating a new inspection program will soring finally end.  The PAST Act is the only bill that takes these necessary steps,” continued Broadway.  “For this reason the AHC Board voted to reaffirm the AHC’s support for the bill.”

Most major national horse show organizations support the PAST Act, including many walking horse organizations as well as many state and local horse organizations. A full list of organizations that support the PAST Act can be found here.

“The PAST Act has a level of bi-partisan Congressional support rarely achieved by most bills and currently has 259 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 50 in the Senate.  The AHC will continue to work to pass this important legislation, but Congress needs to hear from their own constituents to prioritize and advance this bill,” said Ben Pendergrass AHC senior vice president, policy & legislative affairs.

The AHC urges all members of the horse industry to contact their Representative and Senators and tell them to take action on the PAST Act.

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  • The American Horse Council is a Guidestar Silver Participant

    The AHC believes that the more opportunities available to use horses in various activities, the better the overall health of the industry and those who participate.


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    Lynda is the membership and communications specialist for the American Horse Council. Lynda grew up in Pasadena, Maryland with a passion for horses. She relocated to San Diego, California, where her dream of owning and riding horses came true. Lynda has worked with several law enforcement mounted units and has participated in several national and international horse associations.

    Lynda believes horses play a major role in our society from therapy horses helping children learn to walk again, to helping military veterans and emergency service personnel learn to cope with stress, to keeping our parks and cities safe through law enforcement mounted units. Along with our equine partners assisting in burial services at Arlington National Cemetery. Horses impact our lives in ways others cannot.

    Lynda believes the horse industry as a whole needs to have a voice and working at the American Horse Council is a way for her to help and keep the industry alive and informed.

    Interested in a Free Microchip for your Horse?

    The United Horse Coalition is offering up to 5 free microchips (while supplies last). Click below for more info on how to get your free chip.

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    Cliff Williamson is the Director of Health and Regulatory Affairs for the American Horse Council based in Washington D.C.

    He grew up in Reva, VA on his family’s horse farm, participating in both horse and livestock 4-H activities. In 2008 he graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Animal Science, where he was an active member of both the animal science club Block & Bridle as well as the agricultural fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho. After graduation he spent 27 months in Nicaragua with the Peace Corps for their Food Security Program. Upon his return to the United States he spent four years in the animal export industry as the Director of Animal Logistics for T.K. Exports, Inc. In that time he was honored to be appointed to a seat on the Board of Directors for the Culpeper chapter of the Farm Bureau Federation.

    For information regarding any equine health issues, welfare issues, and state, federal and international requirements regarding the movement of horses, please contact Cliff. 

    cwilliamson@horsecouncil.org

    Bryan Brendle is the Director of Policy & Legislative Affairs for the AHC.

    For information regarding public policy, government relations and advocacy, please contact Bryan.

    bbrendle@horsecouncil.org

    With over 30 years of leadership experience in both for-profit and non-profit sectors, Julie holds a BS, MBA, Executive Certificate in Non-Profit Leadership  and is Certified Association Executive®. She’s a life-long horse enthusiast ranging from recreational rider, breeder, and show competitor. A native of NC, she and her husband now reside in DC along with their Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Morgan horses.

    In her down time she enjoys volunteering (she’s president of the board of PATH International), horseback riding, gardening and cooking. “I’m passionate about the equine industry because horses have enhanced my life and well-being so profoundly,” said Julie. “Working at the AHC is a way to give back to the equine community and ensure the long term health of the industry.”

    jbroadway@horsecouncil.org

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