Today, the Performance Show Horse Association (PSHA) shared its opposition to the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, being offered by U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark Warner (D-VA). The House version - in amendment form - was introduced earlier this year by Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY).
 
“PSHA strongly opposes the PAST Act because it would destroy an entire equine division, costs tens of thousands of jobs, eliminate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and millions in charitable giving, devastating communities and people’s lives throughout the country,” said Terry Dotson, PSHA Chair.
 
The PAST Act would:
 
•      Eliminate a total division of the equine breed, impacting more than 10,000 horses that would be deemed no longer fit for their intended purpose;
•      Take from hard-working taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars of investments and income without cause or any scientific evidence;
•      Eliminate the Horse Protection Act’s self-regulation, which is far superior to that of the federal government and which does not need the hundreds of new federal employees required by Whitfield’s amendment;
•      Create a new federal bureaucracy that will result in a cost of tens of millions of dollars for taxpayers.