Celebration Not So Celebratory for Tennessee Walking Horses
It's that time of the year again when Shelbyville, Tenn., hosts its annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Let's hope 2008 marks the year when the horses are allowed to celebrate along with the humans by being treated and trained in a humane manner. But that's a slim bet.
Just recently the American Association of Equine Practitioners issued recommendations for eliminating the practice known as "soring." Soring is used all too often on high-level Tennessee walking horses. Soring's purpose (the application of acid and other painful substances to burn the horses' skin) is to get the horses to lift their front legs painfully high and adopt a painful and unnatural posture. Some, not all, Tennessee walking horse owners find it appealing to watch the horses parade around an arena in this fashion.
First a bit about the celebration: It is the mother of all Tennessee walking horse shows, where some 4,000 entries compete in what the organization's website describes as "the premier event for the Tennessee walking horse, during which the breed's world grand champion and some 20 world champions are named. It is a festival event, encompassing exciting classes in competition where more than $650,000 in prizes and awards are given."
But here's how the New York Times described the "celebration" that took place in 2006:
[A] long-simmering dispute between federal regulators and the horses' trainers and owners climaxed late Saturday with the cancellation of the celebration's final showing to crown the world grand champion, for the first time in the event's 68-year history.
The decision by the organizers came after inspectors who check for signs of abuse disqualified most of the horses, leaving just three eligible for the championship, the organizers said. The organizers said the cancellation was due to safety concerns after a crowd of 150 people demanded that all of the horses be allowed to show in the final event.
After the catastrophic shutdown of the 2006 event, organizers adopted a series of animal protection regulations to which entrants must adhere. This year's celebration could mark a turning point where those regulations are actually enforced. In 2007, according to the Humane Society's Keith Dane, they were not.
In an E-mailed release, Dane wrote: "Even though soring is prohibited by the federal Horse Protection Act of 1970, some within the industry still abuse horses. Its continued practice is documented by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's issuance of 103 competitor violations during the 2007 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration, the industry's championship event."
The celebration lists on its website a veritable tome of regulations it promises to enforce. They are:
- Continue an equine drug-screening program that will now include eye examination
- Use hoof testers on flat-shod entries
- Remove, inspect, and weigh shoes on random flat-shod entries after championship classes
- Prohibit use of syringes, except by licensed veterinarians
- Prohibit veterinarians from giving third-party opinions in the inspection area
- Drop girths for inspection
- Select judges with no HPA violations in 2008
- Sanction with an HIO that has signed the 2007-09 Operating Plan
- Judges to submit to polygraph test after the show
- DQP's to submit to polygraph test after the show
- Show management to submit to polygraph test after the show
- Maintain a secure inspection area
- Allow only eligible horses in the inspection area
- DQP's and VMO's may perform random inspections in the barn area
- Enforce the Tennessee Anti-Soring ordinance
More in my next post on why those regulations need to be in place and whether the celebration is enforcing them as promised.
Tags: Tennessee | animals | horses
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Reader Comments
A Misunderstanding
I think the Tennessee walking horse industry is inadequately scrutinized and criticized. I am writing a 20-40 page thesis on the the Tennessee Walking horse industry, focusing primarily on the padded walking horses. I have personally interviewed many trainers who support the industry and significant people who do not like the industry to find the real truth of the matter and to put is simply: the industry was very much corrupted and needed the government to step in and clean it up, but what most people do not understand is that the industry has made huge leaps in the right direction. It might be the case that all soring has not stopped within the industry, but there will always be people who find a way to go around the rules and cheat and unfortunately torment these amazing creatures, but I did find out that there are passionate, dedicated trainers who do not sore their horses, who in all honesty love the sport and their magnificent athletes. Because the breeding of these horses have gotten so much better, it is not necessary to sore horses the way the industry used to. In fact it is impossible to show a sore horse because of the intense, sometimes inconsistent, palpating inspections that make even unsore horses seem sore. Because the government has stepped in so much, however, those people who love their horses and train them in the right manner are getting penalized because of intense, and most of the times unfair, inconsistent, means of judging if a horse is sore or not. In my opinion the government needs to do their job in consistently regulating the show inspection tents to provide a fair and equal opportunity for the industry to continue showing one of the most magnificent horses ever in a safe, conducive manner.
go bonnie go
thanks bonnie .....the truth will set these horses free ....getting to even ride on a horses back is a true honor and gift ... why do these fool trainers and big lickers feel like they have to do them soo bad ....its just crazy .. i use to show this breed .. and i am well aware of what they do ....soo all theses whinners talking about whats not going on are liars or they are just stupid to the real facts ....it is my understanding that lots of horse loving people get into this breed and dont know whats going on and by the time they figure it out they are hooked and dont care what it takes to try and get that almighty ribbon .....
what about the fact they have to stand in a stall 24 /7 ....they cant go out on those build ups casue they would break a leg ......you cant honestly love yur horse and not be upset that he has to live like that much less the soreing AND POOR EXCUSE FOR TRAINING these trainers do ..
"It is being unethical when someone does not present the total picture. We have a problem with sore horse trainers/owners but you do not need to misconstrue data and YES, it was when FOSH keeps showing data on their website and some of these posters used that data as the gospel which is so wrong and misleading. "
WHAT IS WRONG OR MISLEADING ABOUT CITING VIOLATORS? IF ONE IS ISSUED A TICKET THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT TICKET. THE SAD PART ABOUT THE VIOLATIONS LISTS ARE THAT, ONCE THE FINES ARE PAID, THE NAMES ARE OFF THE LIST. THERE SHOULD BE A LIST THAT IS PERMANENT SO THE PUBLIC CAN KNOW WHO THE OFFENDERS ARE.
This issue is about accuracy in reporting and not defending sore horses. If you do not have ethics, ability to present all sides accurately, then you are misleading the public. I know your main issues is soundness and that is fine and fair....this posting is about accuracy and honesty in presenting data. Many others should have been on that HPA Violation LIST from way back had the HPC not "allowed the back to trailer" and all they received as a fine, ticket, back to trailer with NO SUSPENSION or being ridiculed on this blog by many vindicative people.
OFTEN THE NAMES SEEN ON THESE LISTS ARE REPEAT OFFENDERS. WHY SHOULD THESE FOLKS BE ALLOWED TO REMAIN IN BUSINESS AND CONTINUE TO REPEATEDLY ABUSE ANIMALS IS BEYOND BELIEF.
HAVING SHOWN AT MANY BREED SHOWS AS WELL AS OTHER SOUND ORGANIZATIONS SHOWS, I HAVE ALWAYS PASSED INSPECTION. THERE ARE SOUND AND DECENT TRAINERS OF THE TWH OUT THERE AND I PREFER TO GIVE BUSINESS TO THOSE THAT ARE TRUSTWORTHY.
I, FOR ONE, AM TIRED OF HAVING TO EXPLAIN THAT NOT ALL TWH TRAINERS ARE ABUSIVE OR BURNERS.
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