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Congress Is Listening. Now the Horse Industry Needs to Speak Up.

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For years, the horse industry has worked to advance practical federal policy solutions to challenges affecting horse owners, businesses, competition organizers, veterinarians, and equine organizations across the country. Through research, collaboration, and advocacy, we’ve helped develop proposals aimed at strengthening the industry, supporting horse welfare, and ensuring our community can continue to thrive.

Today, two of those efforts are beginning to gain traction in Congress.

The first is the Temporary International Movement of Equines (TIME) Act (H.R. 10611), recently introduced on a bipartisan basis by Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL). The bill would direct USDA to establish a science-based framework for the temporary international movement of high-health, high-performance horses while maintaining strong protections for equine health and biosecurity. It reflects years of work by stakeholders across the horse industry and builds on internationally-recognized standards already used in other parts of the world.

The TIME Act recognizes that these horses are already subject to extensive identification, traceability, health certification, and biosecurity requirements. By creating a system designed specifically for their temporary movement, the legislation would help reduce unnecessary barriers to international competition without compromising animal health protections. As the United States prepares to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major international events, this legislation would help ensure our policies keep pace with modern realities while continuing to safeguard the domestic horse population.

The second priority, the Horse Protection Improvement Act (HPIA), is expected to be introduced soon. The legislation would strengthen federal efforts to eliminate soring through clearer standards, more objective enforcement tools, and a more targeted regulatory approach. Supporters believe it would better protect horses while focusing enforcement where the problem actually exists, rather than placing additional burdens on sectors of the horse industry that have no connection to soring.

What makes both proposals significant is that they are the product of years of discussion and collaboration among stakeholders who do not always agree on every issue, but who have found common ground around solutions they believe will benefit the broader equine community.

Of course, good ideas do not become law on their own. As these bills move through Congress, lawmakers and their staff are asking a straightforward question: Does the horse industry actually support this?

The answer cannot come only from national organizations and industry leaders. It has to come from the people who make up the horse industry every day: horse owners, state horse councils, breed and discipline organizations, veterinarians, event organizers, equine businesses, agricultural partners, and countless others whose lives are connected to horses.

For years, our industry has asked Congress to address these issues. Now lawmakers are paying attention.

Congressional offices are deciding right now whether to support these bills, become co-sponsors, and help move them forward. When lawmakers see broad support from across the horse community, it signals that these are priorities worth investing time and attention in. When they don’t, it becomes much easier for other issues to move to the front of the line.

If we want to see these long-discussed reforms become reality, now is the moment to get involved – take action today!

1. Add Your Name in Support of the TIME Act (H.R. 10611)

2. Add Your Name in Support of the Horse Protection Improvement Act (HPIA)

3. Contact Your Members of Congress

  • Find your Members of Congress: Find Your Member
  • Call or email your congressional offices and urge them to support the TIME Act and the Horse Protection Improvement Act.
  • Share why these issues matter to you, your horses, your business, your organization, or your local equine community.
  • Ask your Representative and Senators to support these measures and consider becoming co-sponsors.

The horse industry has spent years developing these proposals, educating policymakers, and building support for meaningful solutions. Now we need horse owners and organizations across the country to help move them the rest of the way.

Congress needs to see that support for these bills extends beyond Washington and reaches every corner of the equine community. It needs to hear directly from the people these policies affect.

Please take a few minutes today to add your name, contact your Members of Congress, and encourage others in your network to do the same. The stronger our collective voice, the better our chances of turning years of work into meaningful results for the horse industry and the horses we all care about.