PAST Act received unanimous support from House Subcommittee

Contact: Julie Broadway
American Horse Council

Phone: 202-296-4031
Email: jbroadway@horsecouncil.org

For Immediate Release

PAST Act received unanimous support from House Subcommittee

Washington D.C. –Thursday, June 23rd, 2022, The American Horse Council saw the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (H.R.5441) receive unanimous support from the House Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. The AHC urged the committee to markup the PAST Act and approve it as introduced, as already passed by an overwhelming bipartisan House vote of 333-96 in 2019. The current version of the PAST Act lays out a common-sense solution to prevent the continued practice of soring and is limited in scope to Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses and Spotted Saddle Horses.

The PAST Act, as introduced, addresses several specific aspects of the business and competition concerns that are not replicated in any alternative presented historically. Any legislation that falls short of requiring USDA licensing of inspectors will fail to address the conflict of interests present in the existing inspection system. Additionally, any change in language that limits scientifically recognized inspection techniques should be called into question, including language to prohibit palpation. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine final report on Methods of Detecting Soring – released in January 2021 after a comprehensive 16-month study by experts – embraced palpation and observation of horse movement as the basis of all examinations for leg pain and lameness when performed by appropriately trained inspectors.

The AHC supports this legislation, as does the American Association of Equine Practitioners, The United States Equestrian Federation, the American Quarter Horse Association, the American Paint Horse Association, the American Morgan Horse Association, the Pinto Horse Association of America, the Arabian Horse Association, the American Saddlebred Horse Association, the United Professional Horsemen’s Association, the Appaloosa Horse Club, the American Veterinary Medical Association and many other state and local groups. This bill is focused on the problem it is intended to solve and does not adversely affect other segments of the show industry that are not soring horses and have no history of soring horses.

Please contact the American Horse Council with questions or comments.

About the American Horse Council 

As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day.