Activists against the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses will get a chance to hear firsthand from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about proposed changes to how horse shows are inspected.
Dr. Rachel Cezar, the head of efforts to enforce the federal Horse Protection Act, will address the third annual Sound Horse Conference on Friday in Louisville.
Last week, a USDA report concluded that the enforcement program, which relies on paid private inspectors at horse shows, is ineffective
“We found (the existing) program for inspecting horses for soring is not adequate to ensure that these animals are not being abused,” the USDA inspector general found.
Soring is the deliberate injuring of walking horses’ front legs, through illegal chemical or mechanical methods, to encourage an exaggerated high-stepping gait for the show ring. “The big lick,” as the style is known, often wins big prizes for exhibitors, but to achieve it, trainers sometimes use painful treatments such as painting on caustic chemicals, piling on heavy weights or huge padded shoes, or planting painful objects under the shoes.
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