To go along with the For the Tennessee Walking Horse website and this blog, we decided to start a new Facebook page! Our current Facebook page is an extension of this blog, used to educate the public about soring and how to train horses correctly. But we decided we needed another page. Let me explain why.
I recently left a Facebook group because once again, people like us who want to see the abuse end were being attacked. Sadly, we were having lots of fun on the page until one Big Lick person started saying things like "you wish your horse could move like this" to me, and to another woman that a horse was "better than that thing you got." Of course, we stand up to defend ourselves, and the attacks and bashing continues. I got called a "suck-tit crybaby." During all this time, the moderator posted that this wouldn't be tolerated and to stop. Then there was a post on the page calling us "foshists" and various other names, laughing at and making fun of us because a lot of us left, but it's since been deleted (I did save the post, however.) Is this truly how we want our industry to represent themselves? And really, is it no wonder why this industry is falling apart? When I first got into the breed, this is the kind of crap I ran up against even BEFORE I knew about soring, and frankly, it turned me off. There is a reason why I don't show anymore, why I don't participate in large events anymore with the TWH, and those people are the major reason why. I am sometimes very, very ashamed to own a TWH.
So, in light of this, I discussed with the group who runs the FTTWH website, and I decided that we "foshists" and "nwhaists" and "barefootists" and "flat-shodists" and "snafflebit-ists" and "bridleless-ists" need a group where we can relax and have fun and do all our chatting, post our horses for sale, ask questions, etc. without being bombarded by the BL folks. So, I want to introduce to you:
The Natural Tennessee Walking Horse Facebook group
You can post anything you want: stuff for sale, stallions at stud, training services, book reviews, brag about your horse, foals born, whatever you want! No pads, bands or chains on this site--just the horse flat-shod, keg-shod or barefoot with his natural, God-given gait. We welcome everything and anything related to the TWH and the horse industry in general. Anything Big Lick related will be deleted, and we won't allow people on the group who have proven on other groups that they need to attack others. The current FTTWH group will still be going to talk about soring and ending it, and to post horses in need and ask questions as you need to. But we'll leave soring discussions off the other page and make it a place for everyone who needs to find other natural owners like us! Anyone is welcome to join, so we hope to see you there!
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American Horse Council Announces Support of Pads Only for Medical Purposes
Good news comes from the sound horse world! After Marty Irby's big meeting with the American Horse Council last week, he walked away confident that they would support pads and chains in the show ring. (Information received from the Walking Horse Report--unfortunately I only have the announcement he made but not the link.) And it seems that they do, but not in the way he intended.
The AHC released the below letter to the USDA APHIS in support of pads and action devices being allowed in the show ring only for therapeutic or medicinal purposes. Their list of reason why they shouldn't be banned is outlined in their bulleted list.
Pads may serve several legitimate needs, such as:
• To protect the hoof from abrasions or penetration on hard or uneven surfaces;
• To provide a cushioning agent for the hoof and limb when working or showing surfaces are unduly hard or rough;
• To maintain the natural angle of the foot and pastern;
• To compensate for conformational abnormalities of the foot and limb;
• To aid in keeping the shoes intact on horses with thin-walled or brittle feet;
• To permit the use of packing under the pad to maintain proper softness and flexibility of the hoof;
• To protect the foot from the development of septic processes;
• To facilitate the application of therapeutic medication to the hoof;
• To increase or decrease support to the foot and limb as an aid in the treatment of lameness; and
• To build up the proper matching length and angle of any foot that has been broken or damaged.
My favorite of these is "To maintain the natural angle of the foot and pastern." The giant manhole covers used on the BL horse absolutely DOES NOT do this. In fact, it goes completely against the natural angle of the foot and pastern. Quite frankly, none of the reasons in their bulleted list apply to the TWH.
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| A Warmblood horse with severe ringbone is put on a therapeutic Sigafoos Plate II to help him heal. The shoe and pad are designed to support the entire hoof, including the frog and sole, not just the walls of the hoof. From The Hoof Blog by Fran Jurga, April 25, 2012 |
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| The unnatural angles and non-therapeutic use of the stacks of pads on a BL horse Photo from article written in 2008. |
"The AHC does not condone any segment of the horse industry using action devices or pads in a manner that is not in the best interest of the horse. Furthermore, the AHC opposes any use of any action devices or pads that may result in the infliction of pain or discomfort for the horse..."
The next question is: will the industry start claiming that BL pads and chains are therapeutic or protect a horse's foot or protect from overstriding? I'm pretty darn sure the APHIS and the AHC are NOT that dumb.
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Re: USDA-APHIS: Horse Protection Program Listening Sessions
Dear Dr. Cezar:
The American Horse Council (AHC) appreciates the opportunity to submit these comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), pursuant to the recently-completed listening sessions APHIS’ Animal Care Program held throughout the U.S. to obtain feedback on the Horse Protection Program. The AHC supports APHIS’ efforts to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA). The AHC opposes any practice that might cause pain or distress to any horse under the HPA.
American Horse Council
The AHC is a Washington-based association that represents individual members and over 120 equine organizations before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies. AHC member organizations include breed registries, national and state equine associations, state horse councils, recreational associations, and organizations representing race tracks, horsemen, horse shows, veterinarians, farriers, rodeos, and other equine related stakeholders. The AHC also includes individual horse owners and breeders, veterinarians, farriers, trainers, professional, amateur, and recreational riders, and commercial suppliers. Individually, and through our organizational members, the AHC represents several hundred thousand horse owners and others involved in all sectors of the horse industry.
APHIS’ Questions of Interest
Prior to the HPA listening sessions, APHIS published a list of questions the Agency was particularly interested in receiving feedback on from stakeholders. The AHC’s comments are limited to addressing and responding to the following questions APHIS put forward in the context of how they might affect various breeds, shows, exhibits and activities that fall under the HPA.
• Should there be a prohibition of all action devices?
• Should there be a prohibition of pads?
Action Devices and Pads
The AHC does not support an outright prohibition of all action devices or pads. A complete prohibition could result in unintended consequences that may not be in the best interest of the horse, various regulated breeds or various regulated exhibitors, shows or exhibitions.
Some devices and pads are used by a variety of breeds for the protection of the horse during showing and training. For example, certain devices, which may fit within the technical definition of “action devices” under the regulations, are used by certain breeds to protect a horse’s foot or to prevent over-striding. Additionally, a simple prohibition of all pads could adversely affect certain breeds that use them for legitimate purposes for the protection of the horse’s feet and limbs. Pads may serve several legitimate needs, such as:
• To protect the hoof from abrasions or penetration on hard or uneven surfaces;
• To provide a cushioning agent for the hoof and limb when working or showing surfaces are unduly hard or rough;
• To maintain the natural angle of the foot and pastern;
• To compensate for conformational abnormalities of the foot and limb;
• To aid in keeping the shoes intact on horses with thin-walled or brittle feet;
• To permit the use of packing under the pad to maintain proper softness and flexibility of the hoof;
• To protect the foot from the development of septic processes;
• To facilitate the application of therapeutic medication to the hoof;
• To increase or decrease support to the foot and limb as an aid in the treatment of lameness; and
• To build up the proper matching length and angle of any foot that has been broken or damaged.
Pads used in these ways are applied in such a manner as to maintain or achieve appropriate hoof-pastern axis. Pads and other devices are used by a number of breeds and exhibitors in a protective or beneficial manner and are in the best interest of the horse’s health and soundness.
USDA should not implement a complete prohibition of all pads and action devices for all breeds and disciplines. Furthermore, any consideration to prohibit the use of pads or actions devices should be based on sound science and considered only after a full, public rulemaking process. For these reasons, in response to the two questions noted above, the AHC feels that the use of pads and other devices should not be banned outright.
Conclusion
The AHC opposes any practice that might cause pain or distress to any horse under the HPA. The AHC does not condone any segment of the horse industry using action devices or pads in a manner that is not in the best interest of the horse. Furthermore, the AHC opposes any use of any action devices or pads that may result in the infliction of pain or discomfort for the horse, but the AHC does not support an outright prohibition of all action devices or pads because, in many cases, the use of pads or devices may be beneficial. Moreover, an outright ban on action devices or pads could have unintended consequences for some breeds, shows, exhibitions, or exhibitors.
The AHC considers the safety, welfare, and what is in the best interest of the horse to be the paramount consideration in administering and implementing the HPA. The AHC encourages USDA to continue to incorporate transparency and collaboration in all HPA initiatives and urges the Agency to work cooperatively with stakeholders to ensure the horse industry thrives while also eliminating the act of soring.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit these comments. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us.
Sincerely,
James J. Hickey, Jr.
President
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McConnell Changes His Plea
Today in the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, an article was printed stating that McConnell intended to plead guilty to ONE of the charges brought against him. "In a notice filed in federal court, Jackie L. McConnell, 60, stated he intends to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the HPA." According to the article, "Plea agreements were due from the four on Tuesday. If McConnell had not made the deal, a pre-trial hearing would have taken place on May 14, with the trial itself starting on the 22nd." Click here for the article, also copied and pasted below.
So, this doesn't really tell us too much, except that clearly he doesn't feel he's guilty for beating horses and soring them at his barn, which there is video evidence of him doing. Figure that one out.
I have a strong suspicion that McConnell is going to blame the other three, Dockery, Mays and Abernathy, for these heinous and illegal acts. They may be his scapegoats in this one.
Overall, the trial is still set for May 22. We'll know more then, of course.
I also want to reiterate a point: I see that people aren't really talking about McConnell's case, yet when Barney Davis was convicted, everyone was ALL OVER him. They also banned him from several HIOs, even without his day in court. Yet now, people are saying oh, we'll see what the court says about McConnell. Why are you people doing this? What is wrong with you? Why is one person immediately guilty before he goes to trial and another one is innocent unless proven guilty? Is it because he brings in so much money to the industry? I imagine it does.
let's just pray more of these monsters are brought to trial and that the judge will throw the book at McConnell and his cronies on the 22nd. With video and photographic evidence of the horrendous abuse this man inflicted on innocent animals, we should see some kind of justice.
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McConnell changes plea in HPA case
Friday, May 11, 2012
By BRIAN MOSELY ~ bmosely@t-g.com
A Tennessee Walking Horse trainer charged with violations of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) announced Tuesday his intention to plead guilty to one of the charges.
In a notice filed in federal court, Jackie L. McConnell, 60, stated he intends to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to violate the HPA.
The notice stated that federal prosecutors intend to move for dismissal of all remaining charges in the 52-count indictment. McConnell executed a written plea agreement that has been agreed to by both sides in the case.
McConnell had been indicted in March, along with Jeff Dockery, 54, John Mays, 50, and Joseph R. Abernathy, 30, with conspiracy to violate the HPA.
According to the U.S. Code, penalties for violating the HPA in this regard carries a maximum fine of $5,000, a prison sentence of up to three years, or both.
A change of plea hearing has been scheduled for May 22 before U.S. Magistratate Judge William B. Mitchell Carter.
Bond issue
Plea agreements were due from the four on Tuesday. If McConnell had not made the deal, a pre-trial hearing would have taken place on May 14, with the trial itself starting on the 22nd.
However, according to the U.S. District Court calender, Dockery and Mays are still scheduled to appear before a federal judge next Monday.
Last week, a bond revocation hearing was held for Mays and he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshall Service.
According to testimony from U.S. Probation Officer Christa Heath, Mays violated the conditions of his release by "absconding from supervision" and providing the court with an unknown home address.
"Based on the defendant's violation, I conclude the defendant is a risk of flight," Judge Carter wrote.
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