Prevent All Soring Tactics (Past) Act

Floor Speech

Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, this Wednesday is National Animal Advocacy Day. On this day, citizens are invited to help enact meaningful protections for animals at the federal, state and local level by being an effective voice for animals.

On National Animal Advocacy Day, Mr. Speaker, I'd like to renew my call for the House of Representatives to pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, or PAST Act. This important measure will stop the soring of horses, an abusive practice used by horse trainers in the Tennessee Walking, Racking, and Spotted Saddle Horse industries. Congress passed the Horse Protection Act more than 40 years ago in order to protect horses from soring. Unfortunately, a failed self-policing enforcement system and inadequate penalties in the statute have allowed this cruelty to continue.

This bipartisan legislation is already cosponsored by well over half of the House and is supported by many organizations in the equine industry, veterinary medicine, and animal protection communities. I am pleased to provide a copy of the list of support for the record to the full House. I urge my colleagues to take swift action to bring this important bill to the floor. Below is a current list of supporters of the PAST Act, H.R. 1518:

ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE PREVENT ALL SORING TACTICS (PAST) ACT
Horse Organizations

1. American Horse Council

2. American Quarter Horse Association

3. American Morgan Horse Association

4. American Paint Horse Association

5. American Saddlebred Horse Association

6. Appaloosa Horse Club

7. Arizona Coalition for Equines

8. Carolina Walkers, Inc. (South Carolina)

9. Delaware Equine Council

10. Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary (Arizona)

11. European Tennessee Walking Horse Association

12. Fenway Foundation for Friesian Horses

13. For The Tennessee Walking Horse

14. Friends of Sound Horses

15. Friesian Horse Association of North America

16. Gaitway Walking Horse Association (Missouri)

17. Idaho Horse Council

18. International Friesian Show Horse Association

19. International Walking Horse Association

20. Maryland Horse Council

21. Michigan Horse Council

22. Minnesota Horse Council

23. Mountain Pleasure Horse Association (Kentucky)

24. National Plantation Walking Horse Association

25. National Walking Horse Association

26. Natural Walking Horses (Europe)

27. New York State Horse Breeders Association

28. New York State Horse Council

29. New York State Plantation Walking Horse Club

30. Northern California Walking Horse Association

31. One Horse at a Time, Inc. (Kentucky)

32. Pennsylvania Equine Council

33. Pennsylvania Pleasure Walking Horse Association

34. Pinto Horse Association of America

35. Plantation Walking Horse Association of California

36. Plantation Walking Horses of Maryland

37. Professional Horsemen's Association of America

38. Pure Pleasure Gaited Horse Association (Oklahoma)

39. Rocky Mountain Horse Association (Kentucky)

40. Sound Trails and Rails Society (Georgia)

41. South Carolina Horse Council

42. South Dakota Quarter Horse Association

43. Southern Comfort Gaited Horse Club (Idaho)

44. Speak Up for Horses, Inc. (Kentucky)

45. Tennessee Walking Horse Exhibitors Association of Montana

46. Tennessee Walking Horse Association of New Jersey, Inc.

47. Tennessee Walking Horse Association of Oklahoma

48. Tennessee Walking Horse Exhibitors Association of Oregon

49. Tennessee Walking Horse Heritage Society

50. Texas State Horse Council

51. United Pleasure Walking Horse Association (Missouri)

52. United Professional Horsemen's Association

53. United States Equestrian Federation

54. Walking Horse Association of Michigan

55. World Walking Horse Association

56. Yankee Walkers/Gaited Horses of New England (Maine/New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island/Connecticut, and Vermont)

Veterinary and Animal Health

1. American Veterinary Medical Association

2. American Association of Equine Practitioners

3. National Association of Federal Veterinarians

4. U.S. Animal Health Association

5. Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association

6. Veterinarians for Equine Welfare

7. Alabama Veterinary Medical Association

8. Alaska Veterinary Medical Association

9. Arizona Veterinary Medical Association

10. Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association

11. California Veterinary Medical Association

12. Colorado Veterinary Medical Association

13. Connecticut Veterinary Medical Association

14. Delaware Veterinary Medical Association

15. District of Columbia Veterinary Medical Association

16. Florida Association of Equine Practitioners

17. Florida Veterinary Medical Association

18. Georgia Veterinary Medical Association

19. Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association

20. Idaho Veterinary Medical Association

21. Illinois Veterinary Medical Association

22. Indiana Veterinary Medical Association

23. Iowa Veterinary Medical Association

24. Kansas Veterinary Medical Association

25. Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association

26. Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association

27. Maine Veterinary Medical Association

28. Maryland Veterinary Medical Association

29. Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association

30. Michigan Veterinary Medical Association

31. Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association

32. Missouri Veterinary Medical Association

33. Montana Veterinary Medical Association

34. Nebraska Veterinary Medical Association

35. Nevada Veterinary Medical Association

36. New Hampshire Veterinary Medical Association

37. New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association

38. New Mexico Veterinary Medical Association

39. New York State Veterinary Medical Association

40. North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association

41. North Dakota Veterinary Medical Association

42. Ohio Veterinary Medical Association

43. Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association

44. Oregon Veterinary Medical Association

45. Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association

46. Puerto Rico Veterinary Medical Association

47. Rhode Island Veterinary Medical Association

48. South Carolina Association of Veterinarians

49. South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association

50. Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association

51. Texas Veterinary Medical Association

52. Utah Veterinary Medical Association

53. Vermont Veterinary Medical Association

54. Virginia Veterinary Medical Association

55. Washington State Veterinary Medical Association

56. West Virginia Veterinary Medical Association

57. Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association

58. Wyoming Veterinary Medical Association

59. Donna Preston Moore, DVM, former head of USDA's Horse Protection Program

60. Tracy A. Turner, DVM, MS

61. Michelle Abraham, Resident, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

62. John C. Haffner, DVM, ABVP(Eq)

63. Susan Botts, DVM

64. Angela M. Dion, DVM

65. Michelle Abraham, Resident, New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine

66. Hanna Galantino-Homer, VMD, PHD

67. Alicia Grossman, DVM

68. Sue Lindborg, CVT Research Specialist New Bolton Center, University of PA School Of Veterinary Medicine

69. Midge Leitch, VMD, former head of Radiology, New Bolton Center, University of PA School Of Veterinary Medicine

70. Harry Werner, VMD, past president, American Association of AAEP

71. Judith L. Ford, Veterinary Technician

72. Benson B. Martin, DVM, Associate Professor Sports Medicine, New Bolton Center, University of PA School of Veterinary Medicine

73. Nat Messer, DVM, University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine

74. Mary A. Robinson, VMD, PhD

75. Mary Lynn Stanton, DVM

76. Joy Tomlinson, DVM

77. Steve O'Grady, DVM, APF Animal Protection

1. American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

2. Animal Law Coalition

3. Animal Legal Defense Fund

4. Animal Protection Voters (New Mexico)

5. Animal Welfare Institute

6. Best Friends Animal Society

7. Dakin Humane Society (Massachusetts)

8. Equine Welfare Alliance

9. Homes for Horses Coalition

10. Horse Harbor Foundation (Washington State)

11. Horse Haven of Tennessee

12. Humane Society Legislative Fund

13. Michigan Horse Welfare Coalition

14. Mississippi Horses

15. Nevins Farm & Equine Center, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

16. Oregon Horse Welfare Council

17. Richmond Friends of Animals (Virginia)

18. Second Chance Ranch (Washington State)

19. Tennessee Voters for Animal Protection

20. The Humane Society of the United States

21. Virginia Alliance for Animal Shelters

22. Virginia Equine Welfare Society

23. Virginia Federation of Humane Societies

24. Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Horse Industry Professionals

1. Bill Harlin, Past President, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association and owner of Harlinsdale Farm

2. Clay Harlin, former Senior Vice-President, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association

3. Marty Irby, Past President, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association

4. Chuck Cadle, Past Executive Director, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association

5. Georgina Bloomberg, professional equestrian sponsored by Ariat International

6. Rick Wies, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association former VP, Pleasure Horse Division

7. Susan Kayne, host of ``Unbridled'' television show

8. Pat Parelli, founder of Parelli Natural Horsemanship

9. Tom Seay, Best of America by Horseback, trail riding TV show

10. Jan Ebeling, dressage trainer, member of the 2012 Olympic dressage team for the USA and co-owner of Rafalca

11. Dr. April Austin, USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist

12. Monty Roberts, award-winning trainer, best-selling author of The Man Who Listens to Horses

13. Carl Bledsoe, former member of Walking Horse Trainers' Association

14. Pamela Reband, MD, Board of Directors member and former Vice President of TWHBEA

15. Dr. Rebecca Gimenez, Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue

16. Eric Gray, walking horse farrier

17. Leslie Desmond, natural horsemanship clinician and author

18. Gael Borquin, dressage and eventing coach

19. Karl Mikolka, Former Chief Rider, Spanish Riding School, Vienna, Austria and USDF Hall of Fame

20. E. Allen Buck, Sympathetic Horsemanship

21. Steffen Peters, American Olympian and FEI rider

22. Shannon Peters, dressage instructor and FEI rider

23. Sheryl Rudolph, FITS/Fun in the Saddle, Inc.

24. Heather Barklow, Equine Connections, LLC

25. Diane Sept, Connected Riding Senior Instructor

26. Anita Adams, dressage trainer and FEI rider

27. Mary Werning, dressage trainer and FEI Rider, USDF Medalist

28. Maria Lisa Eastman, Raintree Equine Assisted Services, equine therapy program

29. Dr. Christine Teicheira, equine and human chiropractor

30. Gigi Nutter, USDF Gold Medalist, dressage trainer, owner Touch-N-Go Farm

31. Lisa Kelly Simmons, Lipizzan breeder, Past Director of the United States Lipizzan Federation

32. Jayne Fingerhut, MA, CMT, USDF Regional Champion Rider, equine business patent holder and manufacturer

33. Michelle Andrews Sabol, director of an equestrian therapy program

34. Holly Mason, Equine Biomechanics Specialist, author of It's Never Too Late

35. Terri Farley (author, the Phantom Stallion series) Newspaper Editorial Boards

1. The Tennessean

2. Chattanooga Times Free Press Law Enforcement

1. Association of Prosecuting Attorneys

2. National Sheriffs' Association

3. Sheriff Harrison Moss, Adair County, KY

4. Sheriff Stan Hudson, Caldwell County, KY

5. Sheriff Bill Marcum, Calloway County, KY

6. Sheriff Keith Cane, Daviess County, KY

7. Sheriff Rick Clemons, Grayson County, KY

8. Sheriff Bruce Hampton, Harrison County, KY

9. Sheriff Frank Latham, Hopkins County, KY

10. Sheriff Charles Lee Korzenborn, Kenton County, KY

11. Sheriff Merle Edlin, Larue County, KY

12. Sheriff Jimmy Clements, Marion County, KY

13. Sheriff Patrick Boggs, Mason County, KY

14. Sheriff William ``Butch'' Kerrick, Meade County, KY Public Opinion in Key States with Largest Tennessee Walking Horse Industry

A poll conducted in December 2012 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research found that 75% of Tennessee voters and 69% of Kentucky voters support federal legislation to strengthen the Horse Protection Act by ending the current, failed system of industry self-policing, banning the use of chains and stacks (devices implicated in the soring process) on horses at shows, and increasing penalties for violating the law. Legislators

Sponsor of original Horse Protection Act of 1970: Former Senator Joseph Tydings

Current bipartisan cosponsors of the PAST Act: 51 Senators on S. 1406 / 269 Representatives on H.R. 1518 (320 total) Celebrity Endorsements

1. Alyssa Milano, actress, Charmed, Project Runway All-Stars

2. Priscilla Presley, film and TV actress, Dallas, The Naked Gun

3. Emmylou Harris, singer-songwriter and 12-time Grammy winner

4. Kesha, platinum recording singer-songwriter

5. Viggo Mortensen, actor, The Lord of the Rings

6. Wendie Malick, actress, Hot in Cleveland

7. Loretta Swit, stage and TV actress, MASH

8. Jillian Michaels, trainer on The Biggest Loser

9. Mark Miller, musician, Sawyer Brown

10. Lynn Anderson, singer-songwriter

11. Jenna Morasca, actress, model, grand prize winner of Survivor: The Amazon

12. Alexandra Paul, actress, Baywatch

13. Dawn Olivieri, film and TV actress, True Blood

14. Joe Camp, director of Benji films, author of Soul of a Horse

15. Kelly Carlson, actress, Nip/Tuck

16. Mary Ann Kennedy, singer-songwriter

17. Lacy J. Dalton, singer-songwriter

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