Rule to ban horse soring is on hold after Trump orders withdrawal of all unpublished rules

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture's final rule intended to ban soring, the use of chemicals and physical abuse to induce high steps in show horses, is on hold, Michael Collins reports for USA Today. To become effective, the rule, which was announced on Jan. 13, "must be published in the Federal Register. The new rule was supposed to be published Tuesday. But on President Donald Trump’s first day in office last Friday, the White House issued a memorandum for all unpublished rules to be withdrawn and sent back to the relevant agency for review."

"The horse-soring ban is one of dozens of proposed rules that have been frozen," Collins writes. "The delay doesn’t necessarily mean the ban is dead. The Trump administration could review it and decide to move ahead, 'which is what we’re hoping the administration will do,'" said Ketih Dane, senior adviser for equine protection for the Humane Society of the United States. Dane told Collins, “It’s certainly possible the administration could decide to take no action."

The rule states: "Beginning 30 days after the publication of the final rule, all action devices, except for certain boots, are prohibited on any Tennessee Walking Horse or racking horse at any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction. All pads and wedges are prohibited on any Tennessee Walking Horse or racking horse at any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction on or after Jan. 1, 2018, unless such horse has been prescribed and is receiving therapeutic, veterinary treatment using pads or wedges. This delayed implementation allows ample time to both gradually reduce the size of pads to minimize any potential physiological stress to the horses and prepare horses to compete in other classes."