A decades-long push to prohibit horse soring is again being revived in the United States Senate.

U.S. Sens. Mike Crapo, R-ID, and Mark Warner, D-Va, reintroduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act on March 21, 2024. The bill aims to protect horses from abusive show practices.

Although the Senate version of the legislation isn’t available yet, the U.S. House of Representatives version was reintroduced May 8, 2023. With 240 co-sponsors, this federal legislation looks to amend the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to criminalize horse soring, prohibit several practices that artificially alter horses’ gaits or conceal evidence of soring, and eliminate self-policing.

Soring is the intentional application of substances or devices to horses’ limbs that inflict pain to achieve an exaggerated high-stepping gait, known as The Big Lick, in show rings for Tennessee Walking Horses, racking horses and Spotted Saddle Horses.

Although federal law prohibits soring, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that some horse trainers continue the practice.

“I support the humane treatment of all animals and the responsible training of horses,” Sen. Crapo says. “Equestrian sports have implemented rules to ensure the welfare of the horses, but changes are needed to address loopholes that allow the continued suffering of sored horses. Soring is an inhumane practice and the PAST Act would finally end this horrible custom.”

Many of the proposed rule changes are similar to those in the 2023 rule proposed by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, as well as the PAST legislation that both houses of Congress have put forth over the past several years. The proposed changes have since evolved to prohibit “action devices and pads on specific horse breeds that have a history of being the primary victims of soring.” Action devices are defined as “chains that rub up and down an already-sore leg, intensifying the horse's pain when it moves so that the horse quickly jolts up its leg.”

Several activists have supported this bill since its first introduction in 2013 and urged Congress to pass legislation.

“The AVMA strongly endorses the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act and is a longtime advocate for eliminating the cruel and inhumane practice of horse soring,” says Dr. Rena Carlson, an Idaho veterinarian and president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “The PAST Act would end the needless suffering of horses by providing enforcement mechanisms to preserve horse welfare.”

The legislation would also require the USDA “to assign a licensed inspector if the show's management indicates intent to hire one.” Violators of soring would potentially be charged with a felony and subject to up to 3 years’ incarceration with fines from $3,000-5,000 per violation.