Fight Illegal Transport of Sick Horses

The horse protection act (15 U.S.C. 1821-1831) was amended to prohibit horses subjected to a process called soring from participating in exhibitions, sales, shows, or auctions. The Act also prohibits persons from transporting sored horses to compete in shows. This amendment also holds the show management or horse industry organizations or associations which sponsor, or which sanction any horse show responsible for reporting horses that have been sored to the authorities.

I am asking for an amendment be added to the horse protection act that will have the same clause for sick horses. This will have legal ramifications for the above mentioned horse professionals who do not act when they see sick horses that have come into the state illegally and are exposing other horses in the state to that illness because they have failed to act.

The story below is my motivation for creating this petition.
After purchasing a very sick horse that had been transported from Texas into Georgia at  the Feathered Horse Classic horse show in Perry GA, taking place on the Georgia National Fairgrounds in October 2009, that same horse infected my entire herd with a serious illness (strep zooepidemicus).  Strep zooepidemicus is contagious to humans and horses. I was not sure if the horse I purchased or one of my older horses that contracted the illness would survive.  I became very familiar with the equine laws on horse transport in Georgia. The breeder never supplied  a veterinary certificate with this horse to me. The show manager never asked for a veterinary certificate and then gave this horse a stall at the show. Transporting a horse across state lines with out a veterinary certificate is against the law in Georgia.  Other horses at the show that were exposed to this horse also became ill. I realized when I contacted the show manager, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the USDA and any one else I could think of that no one would take responsibility for what happened because of legal loop holes.

Below is an excerpt of the letter I sent to Governor Nathan Deal.

Dear Governor,

Below you will find the news release for when Dr. Black the state veterinarian for the Georgia Department of Agriculture took office.
If you will take a look at the reported number of Equine illness outbreaks in Georgia since he has been in office from the web site below:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/nahss/equine/ee/index.htm

you will notice they have increased every year since he has been in office.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture issued the following news release:

Dr. C. Carter Black III will step into the position of State Veterinarian and Assistant Commissioner of Animal Industry in the Georgia Department of Agriculture effective December 15, 2007.

Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin appointed Dr. Black to fill the position being vacated by Dr. Lee Myers, who is leaving for a new job as the first USDA State-Federal Liaison for the National Veterinary Stockpile stationed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Thank you,

Jane Flaspohler

There was no response to this letter from the Governor's office.

Please do make a copy of my letter or write one of your own and send to your congressman. Thank you for your support!