National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback on HISA changing provisional suspension rule

Announcement by HISA & HIWU Regarding Provisional Suspensions: The policy changes linked to here will be effective immediately and shall apply to any Responsible Person Provisionally Suspended following a positive test for a Banned Substance.

Statement from National HBPA CEO Eric Hamelback:

“The National HBPA understands when there are seismic changes, there will be bumps in any type of implementation. While today’s changes announced by HISA are undoubtedly good for horsemen and women, they also highlight the fundamental flaws in HISA. As the NHBPA pointed out long before execution, the HISA rule-making process excludes consensus, full transparency and industry involvement, leading to bad policies that often must be reversed and do nothing but sow chaos and confusion.

“The NHBPA will continue to advocate for trainers and owners in court, in Congress and with the Authority to restore common sense and due process. We don’t object to this revision, which appears to have been done on the fly without FTC oversight, but we will continue to fight the process that makes such mistakes over and over.”