Op-Ed: How to Stop the Cruelest Horse Show On Earth

Every horse breed has a unique set of skills—Thoroughbreds are fast, Clydesdales are strong, and Tennessee walking horses are graceful and good-natured. They are also regarded for their smooth, comfortable gait. Unfortunately, it is this disposition and gait that makes the walking horse the target of abuse. A small faction within the walking horse industry uses torturous methods to force the horses to perform an exaggerated, high-stepping prance known as the “big lick.”

To achieve this extreme, unnatural stride, trainers routinely employ a technique known as “soring,” through which horses’ pasterns are covered with caustic substances such as mustard oil and kerosene and then wrapped in plastic wrap to cook the chemicals into the flesh. When ridden, chains are attached to the horses’ legs so they strike the tender area with every step.

Big lick horses are also forced to wear tall, heavy stacks that create an unnatural angle and add height and weight to further amplify their gait. Using a variety of methods collectively known as pressure shoeing, pain is also created in the hoof by grinding the sole down to the quick or concealing hard or sharp objects between the hoof and stack.

While soring has been illegal for decades under the federal Horse Protection Act, it remains widespread due to a corrupt scheme of industry self-regulation and trainers’ dedication to finding new ways to avoid the detection of inspectors. Outspoken voices in this small segment of the industry have tried to gloss over the abuse behind the big lick, but they’re not fooling many.

At the industry’s premiere event this year, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, soring violations were widespread--with U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors disqualifying more than 40 percent of the big lick horses they inspected for violations of the HPA. Overall, USDA and the industry’s own inspectors issued double the number of violations from last year’s event. Of course, USDA found most of the violations and disqualified many more horses than the industry’s inspectors.

The inspection results at the Celebration underscore the reality that industry self-regulation is a sham. The nearly empty stands and sparsely populated classes at the show make it clear that the public is rejecting the abuse and corruption that have become the hallmarks of the big lick industry.

The Humane Society of the United States urges Congress to do the same and pass the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, H.R. 1518/S. 1406. This legislation to protect horses was introduced after The HSUS exposed the cruelty of soring to a national spotlight through an undercover investigation at a well-known training barn in Tennessee.

The PAST Act will finally put an end to the corrupt, ineffective system of industry self-regulation, ban the tall stacks and chains that are an integral part of the soring process, and strengthen penalties for violations of the law. It will optimize USDA’s enforcement of the law at no additional cost. With these reforms in place, horsemen who humanely train their walking horses will finally have the level playing field they deserve, and the breed will sever its association with abuse.

Anyone who truly cares about the future of the Tennessee walking horse breed recognizes that there is a dire need for reform. The PAST Act currently has 365 cosponsors, with a bipartisan majority in both the House and Senate. More than 600 groups and key individuals also stand behind PAST, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Horse Council, U.S. Equestrian Federation, National Sheriffs’ Association, and every state veterinary medical association.

Incredibly, there are still a few members of Congress who don’t get it, including most of Tennessee’s delegation, and they are standing in the way of progress. They’re buying into the disingenuous promises of reform from an industry that has for decades denied that there is a problem. But the big lick faction has had an abundance of time and chances to crack down on abusers, and its credibility has been blown. They’ve proven that left to their own devices, they’ll keep soring horses, rewarding horse abusers with ribbons and prizes, and giving repeat offenders nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

Congressional leaders must recognize the broad, bipartisan support for the PAST Act, and bring it to a vote. The PAST Act will save the Tennessee walking horse breed and give the vast majority of its fans something to celebrate.