Amarillo, Texas — August 6, 2025 — Plaintiffs Tom Gould, Ann Mills, and the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Association have filed a reply brief urging the federal court to immediately block the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from enforcing what they call outdated, unlawful, and unfair horse show rules.
The filing asks the Court to stop USDA from using the “Scar Rule” and “No-Showback Rule” and from disqualifying horses without giving owners a fair chance to challenge those decisions. The plaintiffs argue these rules violate the Horse Protection Act, deny due process, and are harming competitors and the industry.  

According to the brief, USDA’s own experts have deemed the Scar Rule “not enforceable,” while the No-Showback Rule unfairly punishes horses that are not sore. The plaintiffs also highlight significant economic harm to the Celebration and loss of public trust in event fairness.

“All parties agree soring is wrong,” the plaintiffs state. “But the law does not allow USDA to ignore due process or enforce defective rules in the name of prevention.”  In the USDA’s brief challenging the preliminary injunction, the USDA acknowledges the industry’s likelihood of success on the due process argument.

The plaintiffs are asking for a preliminary injunction to ensure fair competition at the upcoming Celebration and all shows moving forward.  The belief of the lawyers at Torridon is that Judge Kacsmaryk will rule on the preliminary injunction prior to the start of The Celebration on August 20th.

Click here to see the industry’s original complaint
Click here to see USDA’s opposition brief
Click here to see industry’s reply brief