On September 21, 2026, the USDA issued a press release regarding “Actions marking a new Era of Companion Animal Welfare”.
Included in the release were references to horses and the Horse Protection Act. This caused alarm in the equine industry, as some felt this was signaling USDA plans to change horses from federally designated “livestock” classification to companion animals.
AHC made inquiries with USDA leadership, who acknowledged the confusion and stated “The Department is actively working on amending its public messaging related to this issue.”
A new release was subsequently issued on September 23, 2026 removing those references and a link can be found below.
