# 2026-01648: USDA Pushes Back Horse Protection Rules Yet Again to 2026 End 2026-01648, Horse Protection Amendments; Further Postponement of Regulations, is a Federal Register rule from Agriculture Department, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published 2026-01-28, effective 2026-01-28; deemed significant under Executive Order 12866 (as of 2026-06-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-01648 - As of: 2026-06-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Document number: 2026-01648 - Title: Horse Protection Amendments; Further Postponement of Regulations - Type: Rule - Agencies: Agriculture Department; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service - Citation: 91 FR 3633 - Published: 2026-01-28 - Effective: 2026-01-28 - Comments close: not stated - Significant: yes (FR_METADATA) - Touches household money: no - Regulation identifier numbers: 0579-AE70 - Last updated: 2026-06-11 ## In one line USDA Pushes Back Horse Protection Rules Yet Again to 2026 End ## Summary The USDA is delaying new horse protection rules again, pushing the start date from February 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. This affects horse owners, trainers, and event organizers who must follow rules to stop the mistreatment of sore horses. The extra time means no new costs or changes will kick in this year, giving everyone more time to get ready. ## Abstract On May 8, 2024, we published a final rule amending the horse protection regulations. The provisions of the final rule, initially scheduled to go into effect on February 1, 2025, were delayed until April 2, 2025. On March 21, 2025, we published a further delay of the effective date to February 1, 2026, and a request for comment on whether the length of the postponement should be extended. In this document, based on intervening developments since the issuance of the March 21, 2025 delay of effective date, we are further delaying the effective date of the provisions effective February 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026. ## Effects PRIA read - Effective Date Delayed to Dec 31, 2026: benefit, medium. If you own, train, or organize horse events, the 2024 Horse Protection Amendments that were scheduled to take effect February 1, 2026 are postponed until December 31, 2026. That means the non-vacated parts of the final rule will not take effect until that December 31, 2026 date. - Recordkeeping/Reporting Requirements Postponed: benefit, medium. Certain horse show and sale managers who would have had new recordkeeping and reporting duties under the 2024 rule will not have those obligations take effect until December 31, 2026. APHIS says this action delays new recordkeeping and reporting requirements for those managers. - Court Vacatur Removed Some Prohibitions: benefit, medium. A U.S. District Court vacated parts of the 2024 rule (Sec. 11.5, 11.6(c), 11.7, and 11.8(h)) that had imposed a blanket prohibition on pads, action devices, and substances on Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses and replaced the scar rule. Those vacated provisions are not in effect. - HPI Training Rule Effective June 7, 2024: cost, low. The provision in Sec. 11.19 requiring training and authorization of Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs) became effective June 7, 2024. Any former Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs) who want to continue inspecting must apply to APHIS to become authorized HPIs and meet the Sec. 11.19 eligibility qual… - Insufficient HPI Workforce Delays Implementation: benefit, medium. APHIS has trained only 17 Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs) compared to more than 60 Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs) previously licensed by horse industry organizations. 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