The National Academy of Sciences announced today that their report on the review of the inspection process for Tennessee Walking Horses will be released publicly on January 13, 2021.  The committee has been meeting over the past year to review and make recommendations on how to improve the inspection process under the Horse Protection Act.  

The release from NAS characterized the report this way, “This report, which came out of a study that was requested by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders Foundation, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, examines the quality and consistency of examination methods currently used at inspections to detect soreness in walking horses. The report identifies new and emerging methods, approaches, and technologies for detecting hoof and pastern pain and its causes, along with research and technology needs to improve the reliability of methods to detect soreness. The report also includes a review of the “scar rule” of the Horse Protection Regulations and provides a recommendation for the revision of the scar rule language.”

The committee which consisted of Drs. Jerry Black, Bart Southerland, Tracy Turner, Susan White, Robin Foster, Pamela Ginn and Sarah Le Jeune met five different times and had their initial report reviewed by an anonymous peer review committee prior to its finalization and release.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine invites the public to virtually attend the report release of A Review of Methods for Detecting Soreness in Horses briefing webinar on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, at 10:00-11:00 AM ET. The webinar will feature:

• A presentation by the Chair of the report's authoring committee
o Dr. Jerry Black, DVM, Chair, Colorado State University
• A public Q&A session with study committee members will follow
The full report will be available to download for free at the National Academies Press website on January 13th. 

To register to attend the presentation virtually click here.