Humane Society Says Feds Allow Torture of Horses
WASHINGTON (CN) Prized horses are blistered and maimed to obtain a show-winning gait, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture illegally withdrew a federal rule that would prevent it, the Humane Society said this week in a federal lawsuit.
Boasting a naturally graceful stride, the Tennessee Walking Horse has been a longtime star in horse shows, the Humane Society says that Department of Agriculture recently stripped protections from the vaunted animals by killing a 2017 rule that bolstered the Horse Protection Act of 1970 and its 1976 amendments. The rule made it clear that intentionally harming a horse was illegal.
The Horse Protection Act was enacted to end the cruel and inhuman practice of horse soring whereby devices, equipment and foreign substances are used to inflict pain on a horses limbs and feet in order to provoke a high-stepping gait, the complaint states.
In a statement accompanying the 46-page lawsuit Tuesday, the Humane Society said: With the final rule, the agency at long last took the necessary actions to move toward fulfilling its obligations under the HPA. the Humane Society said in a statement Tuesday.
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