Walking horse leader declares: It is time for change
The president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ as well as Exhibitors Association (TWHBEA) is backing a proposed police that would toughen penalties against soring, growth sanctions on those who disobey disqualification orders as well as prevent trainers from using metallic chains as well as so-called “stacks” as well as pads.
President Tracy Boyd said he as well as vi members of the association’s executive commission had voted to back upward HR 1518.
The neb aims to toughen the 43-year-old Horse Protection Act which was introduced to outlaw abusive grooming practices inside the walking Equus caballus industry, known every bit soring.
Soring is the intentional purpose of chemic or mechanical irritants to sensitize the lower legs of horses to encourage the high gait which is desirable inward the walking Equus caballus industry.
Boyd said the determination he made lastly weekend to back upward the neb was the toughest of of his life, as well as had potential ramifications for many of his friends.
“It carries potential ramifications for immediate employment solid unit of measurement members every bit well,” he said.
“I, along amongst vi other members of the Executive Committee, voted to back upward HR 1518, improve known every bit the Whitfield Amendment. That was on Sabbatum morning. Before lunch, our vote was non ratified past times the TWHBEA Board of Directors.
“Presently, the TWHBEA has taken no official opinion on the proposed legislation.”
He said: “For most of us, our present manufacture is to a greater extent than near people as well as families than it is near winning blueish ribbons. It’s near the people, the fellowship, the employment solid unit of measurement fun, the friendly competition.
“Let’s non lose sight of that.
“No thing what happens amongst the Whitfield Amendment, proposed legislation or time to come versions … the pads as well as chains create non define this breed.
“The Tennessee Walking Horse is the greatest breed inward the world. We all handgrip on that. Just imagine the possibilities that be for us if nosotros could rid ourselves of this dark cloud, this stigma i time as well as for all. Forty-three years is long enough.
“I’m sad to those I’ve offended as well as hope that i twenty-four hours you lot volition forgive me,” he said.
“Let me live clear … I dearest all facets of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed. I back upward the surgical operation division. How then, you lot say, tin I back upward this legislation? As president of TWHBEA, I stand upward for the oldest as well as largest membership-driven arrangement inward the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.
“TWHBEA, beingness an international organization, is likewise the most widely recognized ‘brand’ representing the Tennessee Walking Horse.
“I have got ever said, ‘The time to come of the padded present Equus caballus is inward the hands of 2 groups … the trainers who prepare it as well as the owners who ain it’.
“Unlike the American Quarter Horse Association, for example, which controls all aspects of the quarter Equus caballus industry, our manufacture is non gear upward that way… primarily due to the regulatory issues involving enforcement of the Horse Protection Act.
“TWHBEA has no say over the padded present horse. TWHBEA has no command over the padded present horse. TWHBEA has no authorisation over the padded present horse. TWHBEA, does however, acquit the brunt of the criticism aimed at the padded present horse.
“Our membership numbers are straight affected past times the controversy. The grouping amongst the to the lowest degree input takes the hardest hit. Why? Because every bit the breed registry as well as the largest membership driven organization, nosotros are the confront of the breed as well as are perceived every bit its ultimate authorisation inward the basis equine community.
“For many years, the padded present Equus caballus drove the marketplace as well as TWHBEA benefited. In the slow 1990s as well as early on 2000s, when our manufacture was breeding 25,000 mares as well as registering 14,000 foals, it was largely due to the padded market.
“Breeders were breeding for that $US15,000/$US20,000 yearling. Horses were selling. New people were coming into the breed. In 1997, TWHBEA hitting the 20,000-member grade as well as inward the early on 2000s operated nether a $US5 1000000 budget. We had only about 25 or xxx employees. We were the second-fastest growing breed inward America as well as the fourth-largest breed registry overall.
“Today, nosotros have got fewer than 10 employees. We’ve gone to a four-day operate calendar week as well as cutting our staff’s salaries past times 20 percent. We are downwards to 8300 members. Breeding production levels are at 1950s numbers.
“It is clear to me that what our manufacture is doing is no longer working inward today’s world. Times have got changed. The world, through technology, gets smaller as well as smaller every day. We can’t cover whatever longer. It is clear to me that our past times has finally caught upward amongst us as well as the icon currently conveyed past times our surgical operation Equus caballus is no longer accepted inward 2013.
“TWHBEA has lost members inward droves, as well as the fell emails I have got received tell me why. It is our reputation. It is soring. It is our image. My responsibleness lies amongst TWHBEA as well as its 8300 remaining members who stand upward for all fifty states as well as many unusual countries.
“Sadly, nosotros have got no to a greater extent than friends exterior our industry. The American Veterinary Medical Association no longer supports us. The American Association of Equine Practitioners no longer supports us. The U.S. of A. Equestrian Federation volition non recognize our padded present horse. The American Horse Council, whom we’ve cultivated a closed working human relationship amongst for many years, has turned away from us, declining our annual sponsorship this year. The World Equestrian Games refused our sponsorship as well as returned it to us.
“The Kentucky After Christmas Sale had no surgical operation horses this year. Last fall, the University of Tennessee featured a flat-shod Equus caballus rather than a padded present Equus caballus to perform at its annual homecoming football game game. All of this breaks my heart.
“I believe our modern-day padded present horses are cleaner than they’ve ever been. The employment is that nobody exterior our manufacture believes it. And when you’ve lost earth you lot have got lost it all … as well as nosotros have got clearly lost the public.
“For 2 years our manufacture has known that Congress would seek to remove our pads as well as chains unless nosotros provided an acceptable alternative. How did nosotros know that? Chester Gipson, deputy administrator for fauna assist at the U.S. of A. Department of Agriculture’s Animal as well as Plant Health Inspection Service told us so.
“He told TWHBEA, he told the Trainers’ Association, he told the Celebration as well as WHOA. Since that proclamation the padded Equus caballus leadership’s response has been to pigment the chains as well as implement an ambiguous swabbing program.
“Now the padded leadership is threatening to suspend the licenses of trainers who present nether compliant HIOs [Horse Inspection Organizations]. Anything beyond that … ‘Hell No’ was the answer. ‘No compromises!’
“I sympathise that the Performance Show Horse Association (PSHA) may live working on proposed legislation to the Whitfield Amendment. I get-go heard this inward Jan as well as have got heard it i time again recently. I hope so. My agreement is that versions of the Whitfield Amendment volition cash inward one's chips along to live introduced inward Congress twelvemonth subsequently twelvemonth until something gets passed. It is non going away. So I applaud PSHA if they are working on an alternative. I hope they come upward up amongst something soon.
“I desire the surgical operation partitioning to survive. I believe inward the involve for the division. I exclusively know that it can’t as well as won’t live every bit it is currently presented. This to me is obvious. The padded present horse’s survival lies at the feet of the trainers who prepare it as well as the owners who ain it.
“If I lose only about friendships over my vote thence so live it. But I hope as well as pray that the trainers who prepare padded horses as well as the owners who ain padded horses volition notice a means to set a Equus caballus inward the band that earth tin support. Until then, nosotros volition stay alienated from the mainstream equine world. It’s every bit uncomplicated every bit that.
“In lodge for this manufacture to grow as well as attract novel people, strong, bold, drastic activity is needed. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 dissimilar direction volition live required. I only hope our manufacture volition remove the direction rather than have got it chosen for us. We all know that the pads as well as chains lone create non terms the horse, that is no longer the point.”
Belum ada Komentar untuk "Walking horse leader declares: It is time for change"
Posting Komentar