The new USDA rule prohibits the use of performance packages. | Photo: Courtesy USDA

A new USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) rule has banned the use of chains and stacks in the training and exhibition of Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) and Racking Horses.

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) prohibits soring, the deliberate injury to a horse’s feet and legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait.

The final rule published on Jan. 13, specifically prohibits the use of action devices, including chains weighing more than 6 ounces, on Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions. The final rule also forbids the use of boots other than soft rubber or leather bell boots and quarter boots used as protective devices and associated lubricants. It also prohibits the use of “pads and wedges on Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, except for therapeutic pads and wedges