New rule protecting walking horses wins praise

Shoes used to forcefulness Tennessee Walking horses to exaggerate their gait. © HSUS

The U.S. Equestrian Federation has earned the praise of the Humane Society of the U.S. for a novel dominion banning participants inwards its licensed competitions from using for sure devices long associated alongside Equus caballus soring.

Soring involves the purpose of mechanical together with chemic irritants on the lower legs of horses during preparation to encourage the higher gait, called the Big Lick, considered desirable inwards the walking Equus caballus industry.

The novel dominion bans the purpose of activity devices together with stacks for purpose on whatever fellow member of the Tennessee walking horse, spotted saddle Equus caballus or racking Equus caballus breeds, inwards all classes at whatever federation-licensed competitions.

Under the rule, entirely humanely trained flat-shod horses inwards these breeds volition move allowed to compete inwards non-recognized divisions at USEF competitions.

The Tennessee walking Equus caballus breed was formerly included every bit a recognized Equus caballus exhibit partition yesteryear the federation’s predecessor, the American Horse Shows Association, but was removed from its dominion mass inwards the 1980s inwards the wake of persistent abuses of walking exhibit horses.

However, Big Lick horses direct maintain continued to move exhibited at federation-licensed shows inwards non-recognized divisions.
The Big Lick has been pop inwards the South, but is falling out of favor afterward investigations together with police enforcement actions direct maintain revealed the abuses involved inwards to a greater extent than or less preparation methods.

Undercover video footage released yesteryear the humane lodge final yr showed a nationally known Tennessee Equus caballus trainer together with his accomplices chemically soring exhibit horses together with brutally beating or “stewarding” them to learn them non to react to hurting during inspection — practices that direct maintain been illegal for decades nether the federal Horse Protection Act together with Tennessee soil law.

“The Humane Society of the U.S. is continually impressed yesteryear the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s commitment to the advertisement of humane horsemanship,” said Keith Dane, managing director of equine protection for the society.

“Spectators at USEF shows volition move able to sense the natural grace together with beauty of sound, flat-shod walking horses without supporting or existence exposed to whatever of the abusive practices long-associated alongside the Big Lick.”

The lodge encouraged other horse-show venues to direct maintain like steps inwards back upward of humane, responsible horsemanship together with non furnish a showcase for a Equus caballus exhibit dependent area ordinarily associated alongside these abusive, illegal preparation methods

 

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