FTC approves HISA enforcement rule changes affecting trainers and owners

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority won Federal Trade Commission approval for a set of Enforcement Rule modifications that tighten registration responsibilities and strengthen follow‑through on unpaid fines and purse repayments. HISA announced the approval on Jan. 9 and indicated the changes will take effect Jan. 18–19, 2026, after an outreach period to help participants prepare.

At the center of the revisions is a clear, practical rule: entering or causing a Covered Horse to race before that horse is registered with HISA is a violation. That clarification removes ambiguity for trainers and owners who manage entries and paperwork across stables and multiple jurisdictions. Equally consequential is a new provision that makes failure to pay a fine or to repay a purse by the prescribed deadline an automatic basis for suspension of the Covered Person. That change ties financial compliance directly to eligibility to participate.

The rule package also includes procedural adjustments intended to refine HISA’s enforcement toolbox. Guidance around subpoenas has been tightened, and the FTC’s order lays out procedures for when HISA should seek FTC approval before issuing subpoenas or starting certain civil actions. Those coordination steps are meant to balance investigatory reach with regulatory oversight and will affect how and when HISA moves from administrative enforcement to more formal proceedings.

This rulemaking followed an FTC comment period that opened in September 2025 and a formal FTC order approving the modifications in mid‑December 2025. HISA plans an outreach window prior to the effective dates so owners, trainers, and other covered participants can update registration practices, accounting processes, and internal compliance checks.

For participants who manage multiple horses or large stables, the practical implications are immediate. Make registration a checklist item before entering a horse; maintain receipts and timestamps for registrations and entries; treat fines and purse repayments as deadlines that, if missed, risk not only financial penalties but also suspension. Barn managers and trainers should review how entries are processed and who is authorized to sign off on them, and owners should confirm their registration records are current before shipping horses to a track.

The takeaway? Don’t let paperwork be the weak link at the entry box. Use the outreach period to tighten registration workflows and your finance follow‑up so unpaid fines or missed purse repayments won’t sideline you. Our two cents? Think of registration and timely repayment like feed and shoeing: basic, nonnegotiable maintenance that keeps you in the running.