Congressman Staggers' Recognized for Horse Protection Law

By Jody Brumage

As we process the collections in our archive at the Byrd Center, we often come across photographs that pique our interest. Some of the most compelling are photographs which capture meetings between the members whose papers we preserve and celebrities. Looking into related documents in the collection, we uncover stories behind legislative efforts or projects which led to these intriguing meetings. One such image is a photograph of Congressman Harley O. Staggers with actor Lorne Greene, famous for his role as Ben Cartwright in the long-running television western Bonanza. Taken in 1976, the photograph shows Greene presenting Congressman Staggers with an award on behalf of the American Horse Protection Association following the passage of amendments to the Horse Protection Act.​

Congressman Staggers receiving an award from Lorne Greene in 1976.

​Congressman Staggers, a former tournament rider himself, often supported animal protection legislation, including bills which dealt with inhumane practices in horse showing contests. Congressman Staggers had the opportunity to give his input to several legislative proposals seeking to protect horses in his role as Chairman of the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee which oversaw national sporting associations.

A young Harley Staggers during a riding tournament in the early-1930s.

​In 1975, Senator John Tunney of California introduced amendments to strengthen the Horse Protection Act of 1970, especially in regards to banning the practice of “soring” in which devices or chemicals are applied to a horse’s front hooves in order to increase their sensitivity or to cause pain which leads the horse to lift their front legs higher and faster. After the Senate passed its version of the bill in the fall of 1975, the House assigned the legislation to the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee. Congressman Staggers supported the legislation throughout the committee hearing process and brought it to the floor for a vote on June 21, 1976. Three days later, the Senate agreed to the House-approved bill and it was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on July 13, 1976.

Congressman Staggers meets with three representatives from the American Horse Protection Association during Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee hearings on the 1976 amendments to the Horse Protection Act.

Despite the intentions of the legislation, critics of the bill and the practices used in horse showing organizations believed the measure fell short of mandating the necessary regulation and oversight to prevent soring. In his statement at the signing of the bill, President Ford stated “until the management of public horse shows and sales assumes – or is forced by law to assume – the responsibility of ensuring that these cruelties are not being practiced upon those horses taking part in their sponsored events, real reform will not be assured.” The issue continues to be a problem in horse showing contests today, with U.S. Department of Agriculture regulators finding high percentages of show horses having traces of chemicals or banned devices on their hooves.
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Though the campaign against soring continues over 40 years later, the American Horse Protection Association (founded in 1966 to protect horses in various sporting organizations) recognized the 1976 amendments as progress to enhancing federal regulation of the showing industry. Congressman Staggers received his award from Lorne Greene on December 8, 1976.