A federal judge is blocking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from enforcing its inspection rules during the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tenn.
In issuing the preliminary injunction, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk for the Northern District of Texas in Amarillo ruled the USDA likely exceeded its authority and failed to provide due process.
Horse owners Tom Gould, Ann Mills and the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association petitioned for the preliminary injury July 2. The injunction was granted on the eve of the Celebration, which takes place Aug. 20-30, 2025.
The plaintiffs challenged three USDA rules under the Horse Protection Act (HPA) — the no-showback rule, the scar rule and the inspection and disqualification process. The latter does not provide pre-disqualification review or appeal, which the plaintiffs argue fails to provide constitutionally provided due process protections. In addition, the court agrees with the plaintiffs that they will likely suffer irreparable harm if an injunction was not granted.
The USDA has seen HPA-related challenges, both in and out of the courtroom, this year.
Earlier this year, Kacsmaryk ruled the USDA exceeded its authority with five new HPA rules: the prohibition of action devices and pads, the prohibition of substances, the dermatologic conditions indicative of soring (DCIS) — which replaces the scar rule — and the pre- and post-deprivation review of inspector decisions.
Before the court ruling, Agriculture commissioners from 11 states — Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and West Virginia — asked the USDA to withdraw the final rule. The American Horse Council (AHC) followed by requesting the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service delay the new rules by 60 days.
