It’s not about the result, it’s about the weak tactic rather than diplomacy.
How long can that approach work?
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I don’t know.
We will have about 3 more years and 10 more months to see.
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If any other administration had leaned so heavily on threats and EOs, well…
But it’s ok now, for some reason.
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I don’t have much too add, but I am relieved my horse imported from Canada arrived last week. The tariffs would have really mucked up everything.
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Tony Swartz can say he wrote it and it’s fiction, but his entire writing track record is NOT as a fiction writer. It’s as a business writer. So which is it?
I stand by my own perception that what I’ve seen President Trump do mirrors pretty closely what I read in the book.
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I didn’t realize making enemies out of our allies and disregarding all economic wisdom was “negotiation” 
Very silly to defend when the equine sports rely on international trade so much.
(if anyone wants the guy’s own words plus an opinion from a behavioral scientist/past Wharton prof)
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A tariff isn’t an export tax which is what you are describing. A tariff is an import tax. It would not be levied on the seller but on the buyer, by the USA. The seller never sees anything to do with it, you as the buyer owe it to your government in your country. So prices stay the same but the overall cost to you the buyer goes up by the amount of the tariffs.
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There is no way all those old men in Congress would ever approve anything that might interfere with the supply of those drugs in the US.
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Do you even have an idea as to the what majority of the terrain is along the northern border? It is not easily accessed from either side. Forests, swamps, mountains, wide swaths of prairie cover most of the border on both sides with no or few people living there. There are no roads. Migrants that try crossing over the border from the USA in these areas die, especially in the prairies. Individuals who are going to jump the border do it where there is civilization. These areas are monitored by Canadian and US border helicopters (I live on the border and have them fly over several times a day), there are border agents from both countries that have vehicles parked along access points into both our countries and there are sensors along the border to alert both sides to possible border jumpers. Perhaps more are caught because the areas that they can try to cross is limited do the inhospitable and vast wilderness most of the northern border is and the accessible areas are highly monitored.
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Slaughter is still legal in the USA. The USDA has to inspect slaughterhouses, though, and they have said in the past it’s a low priority for them.
Oh, I fully expect the BLM to get into supplying horses for slaughter.
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The Horse Protection Act is in effect and has been since 1970. Its goal was to prevent soring in Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses. Many equestrian governing bodies (including USEF) asked for more time before a new rule goes into effect, because the wording of the rule is very unclear and applies broadly to all horses and all disciplines.
The rule requires shows to have authorized personnel to detect and diagnose soring at horse shows (paraphrasing here). Organizations overseeing horse shows reached out and basically asked for clarity on what that means, because the definition of soring under the HPA is so broad they were concerned about their ability to implement the rule within the meaning of the regulations.
If you would like more information, you can read about it here: https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/v5FIXunL6RM
The actual horse welfare issue we will see more of over the next four years is an increasing amount of horse owners that cannot afford their horses due to rising costs of hay, shavings, and grain because of tariffs. If the tariffs also make it harder for horses to be exported for slaughter, we’ll see the instances of neglect and starvation cases rise even faster as owners priced out of ownership lose meat buyers as an outlet.
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I saw a FB post from a Tennessee Walker dude celebrating that recent rules that “damaged the industry” had just been repealed. I assume something about Big Lick, I didn’t dig further.
If the President declares that mustangs pose an imminent threat to US security can anyone stop him having them all slaughtered?
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The current administration is having a free for all and no one is stopping them.
If an African born gazillionaire can strongarm into the US Treasury, anything is possible.
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I’m under the impression that he is pretty much doing whatever he wants and deciding for himself what programs we need or don’t need. I’m all for reducing government and red tape, but you can’t put one single person in deciding what’s good for the entire country. It’s the entire point of our government.
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My BO is importing a horse from Ireland and the cost of the horse did not change, but the travel costs were significantly higher if it flew after Feb 1. She made sure it was in the US before the end of January.
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If any other administration had leaned harder and backed up what they said we probably wouldn’t be here now
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Most US hobby horses have been given substances that make them ineligible for human consumption.
If people expect that they may not be able to afford their horses, they should plan to put them down when they’ve still got the $ to do so rather than wait til they have $0.
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And for further negotiations, if you’re dealing with a jackal that traps you in a corner so that you give in to stay alive, how will you view future relationships? There’s no trust in a respectful outcome.
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Any thoughts on the agricultural implications/. Horse implications of dumping those two reservoirs in California?
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