SAMPLE LETTER TO FEDERAL LEGISLATORS ON SORING


(Remember to edit this letter and make it your own. Letters are more likely to have an effect if they are not identical to others.)

[Date]

Dear Representative/Senator [insert name],

I am a constituent, and I urge you to support the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act of 2013, H.R. 1518. This legislation would require more meaningful enforcement by USDA to end the cruel and abusive practice of "soring" Tennessee Walking Horses.

Congress first tried to address this problem in 1970, with the original Horse Protection Act.  Unfortunately, as acknowledged by USDA's Inspector General, veterinary organizations, and even Tennessee Walking Horse industry insiders, the law has been weakly enforced and largely ineffective, allowing rampant soring to continue.  In a sport that rewards the artificially produced high-stepping gait known as the "Big Lick," Tennessee Walking Horses suffer appalling pain inflicted by unethical, law-breaking trainers who try to gain a competitive edge at horse shows by enhancing the breed's natural gait.  They use caustic chemicals, chains, hoof knives and grinders, sharp objects, weighted shoes, and other painful devices and techniques that make it hurt for the horse to step down and then they go to great lengths to cover their tracks and to push their legislators to defend the status quo. 

H.R. 1518 would amend the Horse Protection Act of 1970 to make it stronger and more enforceable.  The bill would eliminate the failed system of industry self-policing, explicitly prohibit certain devices that have been implicated in the cruel practice of soring, strengthen penalties, and hold accountable all perpetrators who are involved in this cruel practice. The bill is simple and does not cost the federal government any additional money.  It is designed to restore the integrity of this show horse industry, thereby saving jobs while protecting horses from torture and abuse.

Thank you for your consideration and I hope you will do all you can to enact this common-sense reform legislation.


Sincerely,

[Name]
[Title]
[Local group]