NEWS and ARTICLES - Blackburn Found Guilty of Soring Horses

Remember Tennessee's resident animal abusers, Barney Davis, Christen Altman, Jeffrey Bradford, and Paul Blackburn?  If you don't, click here for one of my many posts about them.

Well, Blackburn actually plead guilty guilty guilty!  Rate My Horse PRO posted the article and where you can read the court documents--click here to read them.  I've copied and pasted the article below.  I am so glad the court found him guilty.  His sentence is in January, so hopefully he'll get the max!  (Even though the maximum really isn't enough, it would still be nice to see justice served.)

Really, I don't see how these abusers can't be found guilty--the evidence was extremely clear.  However, I have to ask: why is it that with 173 HPA violations at this years Celebration (according to the USDA DQP Report), why are we not hearing about those abusers going to court?  We need to see them there, and we need to see the law upheld.  A ticket is not enough, so be sure to let your voices be heard!  Write to the USDA and demand that they start taking these tickets to court!  And let's give a big send off to Blackburn to jail.  Maybe we should tell his jail mates what he did to get in there...I hear animal abusers are looked VERY poorly on by other inmates!

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Blackburn Guilty of Horse Soring Violations

by RMHP Staff

A Tennessee man pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the federal Horse Protection Act.

Paul Blackburn was part of co-defendant Barney Davis's horse training and boarding operation at Monopoly Farm. According to Blackburn's plea agreement, he was hired to look like the farm's trainer since Davis is serving a lifetime suspension for soring horses. It goes on to say he sored horses, transported them in that condition, and falsified documents.

In April, a federal grand jury returned a 34-count superseding indictment against Blackburn, spotted saddle horse trainer Barney Davis, Christen Altman, and Jeffery Bradford. Hearings for Davis, Altman and Bradford are scheduled in U.S. District Court, Chattanooga in early November.

Soring horses is an illegal practice where items like bolts are driven into horses' hoofs, foreign objects are attached to horses' legs, or chemicals like mustard oil are used to produce pain and sensitivity to alter the gait. The altered gait, which is considered abuse by most horse enthusiasts, is seen as desirable for some that compete in gaited breed horse shows.

Blackburn is scheduled to be sentenced in January. He faces up to one year in prison and a $3,000 fine.

View Plea Agreement