News.

It's always fun to share horsey news with fellow horse folks. Please send us your news, wrap up of events and clinics, comings and goings at your barn and don't forget to add a photo or two. We'll share it on our facebook page. If you'd like us to give you press coverage of an event please email us the details as far in advance as possible.

AHC submits formal request to USDA on Horse Protection Act regulations

Following the public release of the proposed new regulation for the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in August 2023, the American Horse Council (AHC) has actively engaged with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convey our concerns. In December 2024, we formally requested a postponement due to regulatory ambiguities. This request was granted, moving the implementation date from February 2, 2025, to April 2, 2025.

Since the Final Rule was published, AHC and many members of the horse industry have requested clarifications on the interpretation of the regulation including a perceived “mission creep” of applying the definition of soring beyond what was intended by Congress. Our focus has been to curtail unintended consequences not related to ending intentional soring. For example, did Congress intend to ban the use of fly spray? Read the full article...

AQHA Announces 2025 Dates
Mark your calendar with the tentative dates for these 2025 AQHA events.

The American Quarter Horse Association has an exciting line-up of events planned for 2025. Mark your calendars and set your reminders today with these dates, organized by category. Dates are tentative and subject to change. Read the full article...

Study Looks at Welfare of Lesson Horses

University of Guelph researchers share preliminary results of a study suggesting bigger may not necessarily be better when it comes to riding school programs and equine welfare. Other researchers have shown that riding lesson horses have poorer welfare compared to pleasure horses, when comparing incidences of abnormal behaviors, physical injuries, health issues, aggression towards humans, and “depressed-like” postures. The variability in injury and death rates among lesson horses across different barns suggests that management practices play a significant role in their health and longevity; with larger lesson facilities reporting higher incidences. Read the full article...

Revisions to Horse Protection Act Effective February 1, 2025

The American Horse Council (AHC) is releasing this advisory to inform the industry of important changes to the Horse Protection Act (HPA). Background on the HPA can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/hpa.

As ageneral reminder, the HPA covers all equine breeds and disciplines to eliminate the practice of soring horses. The AHC and other industry stakeholders have engaged in numerous meetings with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) to obtain clarifications and details on the new revisions to the HPA Rule.

New requirements Effective February 1, 2025: Horse show and event managers will be required to:

Provide notice to APHIS at least 30 days in advance of the event via mail or email.
Provide any event updates 15 days in advance of the event
Report any violations of the horse protection act within 5 days post event

Note, the new rule defines horse show as a public display of any horses in competition except where speed is the prime factor, rodeo events, parades, or trail rides.

One of the key changes to the rule is that 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 website. Historically, USDA has inspected fewer than 50 events nationally per year. Read the full article...

Understanding Reportable Diseases

For a horse owner, receiving a positive test result from your veterinarian for an equine infectious disease can be scary and overwhelming. What is the disease? How did my horse contract it? What happens now? What is the role for state and federal animal health officials in disease control management?
Because some infectious diseases can cause significant number of sick horses and deaths and are easily spread, individual states and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) act on reportable diseases to prevent disease spread. Read the full article...

A New Approach for Treating Kissing Spine

Overriding Spinous Process, otherwise known as Kissing Spine can cause back pain and poor performance, especially when two or more vertebrae touch or overlap. Assistant Professor Dr. Nathalie Cote in the department of Large Animal Surgery at Ontario Veterinary College recently presented a new less invasive surgical approach to treat this issue that is showing great preliminary results. Read the full article...

MMP Enzymes and Laminitis
Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

MMPs are matrix metalloproteinases – enzymes that break down connective tissue protein/collagen in the body. If you follow news releases and articles about equine laminitis, you have surely seen mention of MMP enzymes since the late 1990s. Turns out they are not the major players as was originally thought.

The basement membrane (BM) in the hoof is a thin layer of connective tissue lining the junction between the dead laminae of the hoof wall, and the live laminae of the inner hoof. This system locks the hoof wall to the tissues inside like Velcro.

In laminitis caused by things like colic/gut infections, black walnut shavings, grain, or experimental fructan overload, it was noted the basement membrane is damaged or destroyed and that the level of MMP enzymes is increased. This led to the theory that the activation of MMP is what causes laminitis. Read the full article...