AVMA Welcomes Legislation to Stop Horse Abuse

AVMA

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) President Dr. John de Jong released the following statement in response to this week’s passage of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation will provide critical enforcement mechanisms to end the practice of horse soring, which is the cruel and inhumane act of deliberately causing a horse pain to exaggerate its gait and gain an advantage in horse shows. The bill will now move to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

“AVMA has worked with Congress for many years to stop the cruel and inhumane act of horse soring,” said AVMA President Dr. John de Jong. “We’re delighted to see lawmakers working across the aisle to advance this important legislation and provide horses with the protection from abuse that they so badly need. Thank you particularly to Representatives Kurt Schrader and Ted Yoho for their efforts on this issue. We are looking forward to working with Senate lawmakers to further support this legislation, and we won’t stop until the PAST Act becomes law and the soring of horses gets left in the past!”

The AVMA is the nation’s leading representative of the veterinary profession, speaking for more than 93,000 member veterinarians across the United States who care passionately about protecting animal health, animal welfare and human health. Informed by its members’ unique scientific training and knowledge, the AVMA advocates for policies that advance the practice of veterinary medicine and support the crucial work of veterinarians nationwide.