Horse owners in Tennessee who intentionally neglect their animals would face felony charges under a bill recently introduced into the state’s House of Representatives.

HB 3386 amends Tennessee’s aggravated cruelty to animals statute to include horses and other livestock; current law applies to companion animals only. The bill also authorizes the courts to order those charged under the law to forfeit their animals.

Rep. Janis Sontany introduced the bill in response to the seizure of 84 Tennessee Walking Horses, Spotted Saddle Horses, and Quarter Horses from a Cannon County farm in November (read more).

The Tennessee Farm Bureau opposes the bill on grounds that it places unnecessary regulation on farmers