New Horse Protection Act Requirements for All Equine Events beginning February 1, 2025
Image credit: PHJ
By Jessica Hein, PHJ News:
Modifications to the federal Horse Protection Act that go into effect February 1, 2025, will require new action from event managers of all horse exhibitions, sales and auctions in the United States. Event managers will be required to notify APHIS at least 30 days prior to their event regarding the presence of a designated inspector to assess horses in compliance with the Horse Protection Act rules.
“The Horse Protection Act is a federal law that prohibits sored horses from participating in shows, exhibitions, sales or auctions,” according to the APHIS website. “Soring” is the practice of accentuating a horse’s gait through the use of substances, devices and other practices that can cause pain, distress, inflammation and lameness. While the Horse Protection Act has historically been in effect to prevent soring of Tennessee Walkers and racking horses, these modifications effective February 1, 2025, cover nearly all equine activities, regardless of breed or discipline.
According to an October 9, 2024, press release from the American Horse Council, horse show and equine event managers will be required to:
- Provide notice to APHIS at least 30 days in advance of the event via mail or email, including whether or not they are hiring/requesting an inspector.
- Provide any event updates 15 days in advance of the event.
- Report any violations of the Horse Protection Act within five days after the event concludes.
The USDA will be responsible for training Horse Protection Inspectors, which will be licensed veterinarians or individuals with extensive equine experience with a governmental agency. These will be the individuals performing inspections at events. A video of the inspection process is on the APHIS website.
Event managers and exhibitors should be prepared for potential USDA inspectors onsite and provide them with an inspection area upon request. Should an event manager choose not to request or hire an inspector, they are liable for any HPA violations found at their show.
Additional Resources
According to AHC, the USDA will post new guidance documents and further information on the Horse Protection Act Website at aphis.usda.gov/hpa. At this time, AHC does not know when those additional USDA guidance resources will be available. APHA will share more information as it becomes available.
Questions?
Individuals with questions regarding revisions to the HPA are encouraged to email horseprotection@usda.gov and info@horsecouncil.org with the subject line “HPA Question”.
