By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update 6/2/2021: The split sample test has confirmed that Kentucky Derby champion Medina Spirit had betamethasone in his system, according to the New York Times.
So far, the 2021 Triple Crown season has produced astonishing proof of how badly horse racing needs further regulation to ensure that horses aren’t being routinely and illegally drugged.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Almost half the U.S. Senate has called for swift action to end the indefensible practice known as horse soring—in which scofflaw trainers of Tennessee Walking horses and related breeds torment horses to get them to fling their front legs high, just to win a cheap blue ribbon in a show ring.
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
Update (3/15/2021): The Senate has voted to confirm Rep. Deb Haaland to lead the Department of Interior by a vote of 51-40.
Tom Vilsack’s confirmation hearing to be Secretary of Agriculture was today. If he is confirmed by the full Senate, it will mark the official launch of our 2021 animal welfare agenda with the agency he will lead for a second time. But for several months already, we’ve been advancing our priorities concerning the United States Department of Agriculture with President Biden’s transition team and members of Congress.
With our final 2020 Humane Scorecard now online, we invite you to check out how your federal legislators stood on a range of key issues. Please share this scorecard with family, friends, and fellow advocates and help spread the word!
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block
With the signing of the omnibus bill this past weekend, U.S. federal law now includes critical protections for horses we have fought hard for over many years. These include measures to stop the widespread drugging of racehorses and provide increased track safety, keep horse slaughter plants in the United States shuttered, and boost funding to stop the cruel soring of Tennessee walking horses and related breeds.
These are historic achievements, and we’re proud to share the details with you.
