H.R. 1684: PAST Act of 2025

H.R. 1684 rewrites the enforcement architecture of the Horse Protection Act, a 1970 law that banned soring but left enforcement largely in the hands of horse-show organizations themselves.

The bill's findings section lays out the problem in blunt terms: the USDA Inspector General has determined that the current inspection program is inadequate. Violations remain prevalent among Tennessee Walking Horses, Racking Horses, and Spotted Saddle Horses — the three breeds most associated with the practice.

The fix is structural. Instead of relying on inspectors loosely tied to show management, USDA would license, train, assign, and oversee inspectors directly. Those inspectors would need to be free from conflicts of interest, with preference given to veterinarians. They would issue citations on the spot and report violations to USDA within five days.

The bill also creates a public accountability system. USDA would be required to publish violation records on the APHIS website so show managers can check whether a participant has a record. That turns enforcement from a closed-loop process into a transparent one.

Penalties get significantly sharper. Criminal fines rise from $3,000 to $5,000. Maximum prison time jumps from one year to three. Civil penalties increase from $2,000 to $4,000. And the bill adds escalating disqualification periods for sore horses: 180 days minimum for a first finding, one year for a second, three years for a third. After a third personal violation, a trainer or owner can be permanently barred from the entire horse-show world — not just walking horse events, but all of them.

The bill also bans specific equipment on the three named breeds: action devices (chains, rollers, and similar gear placed on the lower leg), weighted shoes, pads, wedges, and hoof bands — unless they are strictly protective or therapeutic. That targets the tools of the trade directly.

With 206 cosponsors — a rare number for any bill, let alone one focused on a single animal-welfare practice — H.R. 1684 has the broadest support of almost anything sitting in committee right now.