Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for equestrian sport under the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act (36 U.S.C. 220501 et seq.), and numerous other organizations (including breed registries and sport-specific associations) govern and sanction high-health, high-performance horse competitions across disciplines such as racing, showing, endurance, and breed-specific events. (2) International horse competitions hosted in the United States contribute significantly to the national and local economies, but many owners and trainers avoid U.S.-based events due to non-standardized, restrictive protocols. (3) Current Federal regulations governing the importation of horses do not adequately address the unique health and welfare needs of high-health, high-performance horses temporarily entering the United States for competition or racing purposes. (4) The World Organization for Animal Health (in this section referred to as WOAH) has established internationally recognized standards for the temporary movement of such horses, addressing health and welfare concerns while also maintaining strict biosecurity protocols to protect overall herd health. (5) The WOAH High Health, High Performance framework, endorsed by Fédération Équestre Internationale, the international governing body for equestrian sport, has been adopted by multiple countries, and updating U.S. horse import and transport protocols to align with international standards is a science-based, welfare-focused, economically sound, and globally competitive move that will benefit horses, the industry, and the public.