Columbus, OH — The American Quarter Horse Association has stated their opposition to the proposed federal legislation, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 (S. 4547).

The AQHA’s opposition emphasizes:

1) The “bill lacks details about the funding sources” and that “funding for this central authority will need to be attainable, affordable and sustainable for all jurisdictions.”

2) The “bill in its current form allows jurisdictions an opportunity to include Quarter Horses upon their own choosing” and that “the Association is concerned about our breed if they choose to do so.”

3) “Of particular concern to AQHA is the proposed elimination of race-day use of the medication furosemide, commonly known as Lasix, which is used to mitigate the occurrence of exercised-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) in racehorses.”

These are some of the exact same concerns that the U.S. Trotting Association has with this proposed legislation.

The AQHA represents more than 221,000 members.

The concerns of the USTA and AQHA, along with opposition from national and local horsemen’s organizations, national veterinarian associations as well as other industry organizations, clearly indicates that the horse racing industry is not united in its support for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act as has been purported by the Thoroughbred entities behind the effort to enact it.

To read the complete AQHA announcement, click here.