[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 49 (Friday, April 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         INTRODUCING THE PREVENT ALL SORING TACTICS ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 12, 2013

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, in 1970, Congress passed and President 
Nixon signed into law the Horse Protection Act (HPA) for the purpose of 
ending ``soring'' that was occurring in Tennessee Walking Horse, 
Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse shows. The term soring refers 
to the application of blistering or burning agents, lacerations, sharp 
objects, or other substances or devices to a horse's limb to produce an 
exaggerated high-stepping show ring gait, by making it painful for the 
horse to step down.
  Since the passage of this legislation more than forty years ago, the 
act of ``soring'' has continued at an alarming rate. The United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lacked the resources to send 
agency officials to every Tennessee Walking Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse 
and Racking Horse show. As a result, USDA gave Horse Industry 
Organizations (HIOs) the responsibility to train and license their own 
inspectors, commonly known as Designated Qualified Persons (DQP's), to 
conduct inspections at these events.
  The USDA's Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently conducted an 
audit of the Horse Protection Act Program, finding that trainers in the 
industry often go to great lengths to evade detection rather than 
comply with federal law and train horses using humane methods. The OIG 
made several recommendations, including stiffer penalties and 
abolishing the self-policing practices currently allowed under 
regulations, where HIOs are able to assign their own inspectors to 
horse shows. More recently, an undercover investigation showed that 
trainers continue to sore horses and enter them into shows undetected, 
even while the trainers are on federal disqualification. HIOs' 
inspectors are turning a blind eye to the soring of horses, despite the 
fact that they are licensed to enforce the 1970 law that prohibits this 
practice. These and other investigations show massive abuse throughout 
the Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse 
industries, demeaning the once highly-regarded sport and threatening 
jobs in these industries, as well as the economic activity associated 
with their shows that is so important to communities in my state and 
elsewhere.
  Therefore, the bill that I am introducing today, the Prevent All 
Soring Tactics Act of 2013, amends the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to 
direct USDA to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to 
be hired by event managers to inspect horses at Tennessee Walking 
Horse, Racking Horse, and Spotted Saddle Horse events for evidence of 
soring. The proposed amendment is narrow in scope and affects only a 
small number of horses belonging to one of three breeds that are 
subjected to soring. There are three components to the amendment. 
First, it will end the failed system of industry self-policing by 
having the USDA assign licensed inspectors to oversee the shows if 
requested by horse show management. Secondly, for the three breeds 
specified in the bill that have been subjected to soring, it will ban 
the use of certain devices associated with soring, but the bill exempts 
pads and boots used for therapeutic purposes. Lastly, it will 
strengthen penalties for those violating the law. The bill carries the 
support of the American Horse Council, the American Association of 
Equine Practitioners, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the 
Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, several walking horse organizations, 
and others.
  I urge all my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this common sense 
piece of legislation.

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