For the Tennessee Walking Horse

NEWS and ARTICLES - NWHA Results from the 2011 National Investigation

2012-01-31T21:13:00.004-07:00

I know I'm putting this on the blog really late, and I apologize for not getting it up here sooner. I've had other issues to attend to to help the sore horse.

On January 25, 2012, NWHA released their findings from the investigation concerning the 2011 National issues. I talked about what happened in this previous post. I've copied and pasted the memorandum by NWHA below. Click here for the online memo. My comments are after the memo.

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To: NWHA Members
From: NWHA Board of Directors
Date: January 25, 2012
Re: Issues Arising From the 2011 National Show

The NWHA Board of Directors takes seriously circumstances or events that impact the integrity of NWHA and credibility of its mission, that of gait keeper for the sound horse. Therefore, it is imperative that any procedural or substantive shortcomings within NWHA (whether real or perceived) are identified and addressed so these problems do not occur again and NWHA can move forward in its mission.

The Board has used due diligence and exercised its fiduciary duties investigating, finding facts, and working to both resolve issues and ensure the problems will not be re-occurring. In the spirit of transparency and the genuine desire for an outstanding 2012 show season, we share with our members, by way of the attached report, the resolution of this matter. It is our desire that evaluation, admission of problems, and awareness of need will result in positive change and growth.

Thank you for seeing this through with us . . . it IS about the Horse!

Findings of Facts & Resolutions of Issues Arising from the 2011 NWHA National Championship Show

I. SHOE MEASUREMENT WITH GO/NO-GO TOOL A. Findings of Fact
1. It became evident at the 2011 National Show that NWHA’s Designated Qualified Persons (DQP’s)
have been taught two different methods of shoe measurement using the Go/No-Go Tool.
2. Tickets were written at the 2011 National based on measuring the shoe “all the way around”
with the Go/No-Go Tool.
3. Currently, the procedure for measuring a shoe with the Go/No-Go Tool is neither standardized or
in writing.
4. At the 2011 National, a DQP used the procedure he had been taught to measure shoes.
5. Tickets were written based on the measurement procedure the DQP had been taught.
6. When Jim Potter received a ticket, he questioned the procedure in order to understand and brought
the shoes, in question, into compliance.
7. Mr. Potter did not protest or question the ticket. He did question the DQP Director about the
correct procedure.
8. In compliance with NWHA rules, all tickets stood as written.
9. The DQP Director was called and asked what was the correct procedure.
10. Dr. Gordon Lawler questioned the DQP’s knowledge of the procedure and use of the tool. This
action is in violation of NWHA Rule 2.2 E. Dr. Lawler has acknowledged the rule violation and has
apologized to the NWHA through the Board of Directors.
11. The DQP served out his shift in full authority as the Show DQP per the NWHA and HPA rules.
12. The next day, the DQP, during his off duty hours, presented on the grounds with a Styrofoam model
of a shoe and solicited conversation with exhibitors outside the DQP area.
13. The DQP Director was called by Lori Snyder-Lowe to inform the DQP Director that the DQP was
communicating with exhibitors.
14. The DQP Director relieved the DQP of all further duties at the 2011 National for communicating with
exhibitors in direct violation of NWHA Rule 11.4 D. This action is distinguishable from the HPA rule
that a DQP may not be dismissed while performing his duties as a DQP. He was not on duty.
Therefore, there was no violation of the HPA rule.
15. Due to the discrepancy in shoe measurement using the Go/No-Go Tool, the NWHA Executive
Committee determined an equitable approach to eligibility for championship classes as needed and
provided the same.
16. At no time did NWHA question the validity of the tickets written. None were rescinded.

B. Resolutions
1. Immediate suspension of use of the Go/No-Go Tool until a written protocol for measurement is
developed and taught to all of the DQP’s. It is the goal of the Board to have this instruction take
place at the February 2012 DQP Training Clinic.
2. A policy and procedure manual for all DQP procedures shall be developed and maintained with
updates as needed.
3. The DQP Director shall be in attendance at the National Championship Show for all days that have
rail classes. This requirement shall be a part of the DQP Director’s job description and in the DQP
Director’s contract with NWHA.
4. All DQP inspections at the National Show shall be videotaped. NWHA also reserves the right to
video warm-up arenas.
5. An Ethics Committee shall be established. The committee will consist of three (3) NWHA
members, preferably with law enforcement or legal backgrounds. The single purpose of the
committee shall be to field concerns from Judges or DQP’s who have either observed unethical
behavior to or by a DQP or Judge, or have been the victim of unethical behavior. The DQP or
Judge must contact all three committee members within 24 hours of a perceived issue to initiate an
investigation. SOP’s for the committee shall be immediately promulgated.
6. A DQP Committee shall be established. The committee will consist of three (3) NWHA DQP’s and
the DQP Director. Duties will include: review of DQP applicants; review and revision of rules and
regulations applicable to the DQP and DQP program; establishment of operating procedures; review
and provide information to the Board, DQP’s, and members concerning USDA rules and regulations;
review and evaluation of the DQP Training Clinic and refresher courses; and, review and evaluation of
the DQP program.
7. Clarify NWHA Rule 11.9 A which identifies the persons allowed in the DQP inspection area by
revising Rule 11.9 A in this manner: the words “NWHA Officials” shall be changed to “Show
Officials.”
8. Dr. Gordon Lawler shall receive a letter of censure for conduct unbecoming a Director and for
violation of NWHA rules.

II. COMMUNICATIONS WITH DQP’S CONCERNING PERSONS ON SHOW GROUNDS
A. Findings of Fact
1. Connie Holbrook, in her capacity as Show Secretary, confirmed she told the DQP at the 2011
National Show about a person on the show grounds who was not an exhibitor, trainer or owner of a
horse that was entered in the show, but was on the grounds and in the arenas with bands and no
Coggins. Ms. Holbrook requested assistance by the DQP to remove this person from the
grounds.
2. Connie Holbrook went with the DQP to deliver Jim Potter’s ticket. The DQP requested her
assistance as show management in accompanying him into the barns.
3. Connie Holbrook made the remark to DQP’s “Folks from the dark side are watching us” but did not
target or name anyone.
4. Connie Holbrook made the statement “He’s a bad dude” in answer to the DQP’s question, “Who’s
the big man?” The person she was referring to was not an exhibitor, trainer or owner of a horse
showing at the 2011 National.

B. Resolutions
1. Connie Holbrook was acting within her official duties to escort the DQP to the barns. This duty
had been delegated by show management.
2. Connie Holbrook rightfully alerted the DQP to a person on the grounds with bands and in the
arenas. While self-policing is a vital element of NWHA’s successful mission, it must be
undertaken so as not to target or encourage wrongful communications between the DQP and
management or exhibitors. Therefore, a protocol for communication with the DQP by an
exhibitor or by show management relative to concerns of NWHA or HPA violations will be
developed and implemented immediately. This protocol will require all communication be in
writing, signed, and presented to show management. Show management will present it to the
DQP. A paper trail for complaints will assist in decreasing inappropriate communication with
DQP’s and/or unfounded targeting as well as identifying baseless rumors.
3. Connie Holbrook used poor judgment in making subjective statements about a person to the DQP.
She will be given a letter informing her to refrain from such statements in the future.
4. A protocol for providing “self-policing” information to the DQP’s shall be established. The protocol
shall require a written and signed information form in which complaints relating to another’s
behavior or observations of horses with a bad image can be initiated. It shall be filed with the
Show Manager, Office Manager, or Horse Show Committee Chair as is appropriate and shall be
filed within six (6) hours of identifying a perceived problem or it will not be accepted. The Show
Manager will present the written complaint to the DQP. No exhibitor, trainer or horse owner
shall have a conversation or contact with the DQP other than when taking a horse through
inspection. The Show Manager or designee shall be the ONLY person to present the written
complaint to the DQP with regard to complaints by exhibitors, trainers or owners.

III. RUMORS CONCERNING UNDUE INFLUENCE
A. Findings of Fact
1. Rumors concerning undue influence were propounded against Lori Snyder-Lowe. However, no
evidence was presented or found to substantiate these rumors. The Board of Directors, after
careful inquiry, refuses to act on rumor and, therefore, finds this matter closed.

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I want to point out some very important things here. NWHA actually did something about this. Instead of pretending nothing happened or hiding information, they put forth an investigation and came up with excellent solutions. Starting an Ethics Committee, clarifying rules, and writing standard procedures are going to make a major difference.

Of course, not everyone's going to be happy with the results. I do know there were a few things that happened that I personally would like to have seen addressed. Many of you know about the "leak" to the Walking Horse Report, and the WHR is continuing to bash NWHA to try to shut them down. I believe the leak should be found (if he/she hasn't been already) and held accountable for his/her actions. But that was not part of the issues for this particular meeting. However, I believe that this has been handled extremely well. I think that NWHA took steps that no other HIO would take in these circumstances. They worked toward the integrity of the association and following their association's rules. Most other HIOs would have buried the situation and left it at that since they continue to support the sore horse. I think anyone who is an NWHA member should be at least satisfied with that fact. I'm very happy this board stepped forward and did what was right!

NEWS and ARTICLE - Blackburn Gets Away With a Slap on the Hand UPDATED

2012-01-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Paul Blackburn gets away with soring with a slap on the hand. This horrible man who uses bolts to sore horses and who just happened to get caught not having removed a bolt at a show is only going to get one year probation and has to WRITE AN ARTICLE about what he did!

Here's the article--click here for the online link.

UPDATE: click here for another article that's more comprehensive. See * below for more.

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Sentence in Tennessee horse soring case includes defendant writing newspaper story
Jan. 23, 2012
Written by The Associated Press

CHATTANOOGA — A Tennessee man who pleaded guilty in a rare federal horse soring case has been sentenced to write a newspaper article about the illegal practice that involves placing bolts on the animals’ hooves or using painful irritants to accentuate their gait for horse shows.

U.S. District Judge Harry S. Mattice sentenced Paul Blackburn of Shelbyville to one year of probation and ordered him to write the horse soring article to be published in his community newspaper.

Blackburn pleaded guilty along with three other defendants whose sentencings in Chattanooga have been reset to Feb. 27.

Records show Blackburn was part of a horse boarding and training operation that involved the cruelty violations.

Blackburn declined comment afterward other than saying he was “just at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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This is OUTRAGEOUS. WRITE AN ARTICLE???? That's a GREAT idea--let's educate others how to sore! And that he was "just at the wrong place at the wrong time"...well, In my opinion, that certainly says that first of all, he's been soring horses for a long time and has no problem with it, and second that he's just going to continue soring horses once his probation is over. He obviously does not care about what he's done. It's just business as usual.

*And the bit in the second article about his family being hurt by him going to prison for six months...PLEEEEEEAAAASE. As stated in the article, Davis was making $12,000 per month abusing horses (30 horses x $400 per horse per month). I'm sure Blackburn was raking in the same kind of dough. Don't tell me that his family would suffer. In fact, I would hope that this would teach a lesson to his six kids: sore horses and you go to jail, simple as that!

Get your letters in to the USDA! They need to hear our complaints loud and clear. This has gone beyond far enough--these men and women will continue to abuse their horses and abuse the system!

Contact information for the USDA:

You can file a complaint with the USDA/Office of the Inspector General at the following email addresses:
Gil Harden - gil.harden@oig.usda.gov
Kim Miller - kim.miller@oig.usda.gov
Kristan Shields - kristan.shields@oig.usda.gov

Send copies of ALL correspondence, regarding this matter, to the following people:
Robin Lohnes - American Horse Protection - AMHRSEPROT@aol.com
Gail Golab - American Veterinary Medical Assoc. - ggolab@avma.org
Chris Heyde - Animal Welfare Institute - chris@awionline.org
Dr. Harry Werner - American Association of Equine Practitioners - hwwvmd@wernerequine.com

Russell Gaspar - Past attorney for Horse Protection Coalition - RGaspar@cohenmohr.com

APHIS Contacts:
Gil Harden - Office of the Inspector General/USDA - gil.harden@oig.usda.gov
Gregory L. Parham - Administrator/USDA/APHIS - Gregory.L.Parham@aphis.usda.gov
Kevin Shea - USDA/APHIS - kevin.a.shea@usda.gov
Dr. Chester Gipson, USDA/APHIS/HPA - Chester.A.Gipson@aphis.usda.gov
Dr. Rachel Cezar, USDA/APHIS/HPA - Rachel.Cezar@aphis.usda.gov

NEWS - TWHBEA Continues to Lose Money

2012-01-19T00:43:00.003-07:00

TWHBEA has published their Comparative Statements of Activities, which is printed in the Voice magazine and available to view online at this link. If you can't get it to open, below is the statement itself ( click for a larger view.)

I also found this document: the Independent Auditors' Report of TWHBEA's FY of 2009.

Let's take a look at all of these numbers in the revenue department.

11-30-2008: $3,448,108.00
11-30-2009: $2,307,710.00 Earnings in 2009 from 2008: - $1,140,398.00
10-31-2010: $1,963,702.04 Earnings in 2010 from 2009: - $ 344,007.96
10-31-2011: $1,641,139.77 Earnings in 2011 from 2010: - $ 322,562.28
Loss of earnings from 2008 to 2011: $1,806,968.23

Now if we look at the individual departments within TWHBEA, we can see that membership and registry have been going down since 2008. In fact, the only departments where TWHBEA gained money in 2009 compared to 2008 was in Contributions, Gifts and Grants ($35,386.00). In 2010, they only gained money in the Pleasure Horse ($3,972.00), Youth (2,882.20), and Horse Show (2,700.00) departments.

Now I can't find information (yet) comparing financial information from 2009 to 2010, but it kinda really isn't necessary, since there's a pretty clear trend. TWHBEA continues to lose memberships, registration and support. And why are they not realizing that the place they most gain money is in the Pleasure Horse division? What does that tell you, TWHBEA? Who are the most important assets to your business? It clearly isn't in the members and registrations.

Also, how many of you TWHBEA members realize that your membership money is going to pay for severance packages for former TWHBEA employees? To the tune of $44,234, no less. Nothing like contributing to a business rather than an association that supports its members and the horse.

I think the continued affirmations I keep hearing that TWHBEA has started making money again are clearly false. Or, perhaps reps from TWHBEA are just lying to their membership in order to make them think everything's okay. Does everyone see how all of this is spiraling out of control? First it starts with one excuse, then another one to cover up that excuse, then another one...what's your excuse this time, TWHBEA, when the numbers are right here in front of us in black and red?

NEWS and ARTICLES - USDA to Start Streamlining Sending Violations to Court; "Unity Committee" Goals

2012-01-12T00:28:00.004-07:00

USDA to Start Streamlining Sending Violations to Court

There is some great news for the sound horse on the horizon! The USDA Secretary's office has been doing their research, and they have learned that the APHIS, the division of the USDA that is supposed to enforce the HPA, has too many open investigations in their backlog. This doesn't just include HPA violators--it includes all of the areas they are supposed to enforce. So now, work is going to be done to get these investigations into court! The USDA released a stakeholder letter last week concerning this, which I've copied and pasted below. Here's the link to the letter online. Here's also a link to the Q&A document the USDA put out covering their most commonly asked questions about this process.

The Walking Horse Report also has information about it as the stakeholders meeting was attended by folks from the TWH industry. Here's the article from the WHR.

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APHIS To Reduce Backlog And Streamline Enforcement
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Copyright 2012

By Jeffrey Howard

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) held an industry stakeholder call to announce improvements to their investigation and enforcement streamlining efforts. APHIS pointed out on the call conducted by Dr. Kay Carter-Corker that over 2,000 open investigations are on the books of APHIS as of the end of 2011. Dr. Chester Gipson was unable to participate on the call due to illness.

Dr. Carter-Corker pointed to two areas of focus, first was to reduce the number of cases in backlog and secondly to reduce the time it takes to investigate. APHIS created a task force to address the backlog and is identifying the most critical cases to pursue. Dr. Carter-Corker pointed out that factors such as the cases significance to overall animal health, APHIS ability to successfully complete the investigation, the seriousness of the violation, age of the violation and whether the violator is a previous offender would be taken into account. For those they choose not to pursue letters of warning will be sent and the investigations will be closed.

On average APHIS requires 600 days to conduct an investigation and come to a resolution. If the case is then turned over the Office of Inspector General they can take much longer than that. The goal of APHIS is to reduce the average time to 355 days. In order to do so Dr. Carter-Corker pointed to creating templates for communication, pursuing cases with the most and best evidence and taking a more national approach to the investigations.

In closing Dr. Carter-Corker informed the participants that APHIS mission was to target those that pose the greatest risk to animal welfare. During questions, APHIS pointed out that approximately 800 of the 2,000 open cases dealt with animal welfare and 1/3rd of those dealt with the Tennessee Walking Horses and related breeds.

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Now here's a way to explain this to better understand it. Basically, what's been happening is HPA violations are documented by the HIOs or VMOs, then sent to the APHIS, the part of the USDA that's in charge of the HPA. The APHIS is then supposed to review the investigations, decide which ones need prosecution (usually on the basis of the severity of the violation), then turn them over to the Office of the General Counselor of the Office of the Inspector General to have them prosecuted. This is how Chris Zahnd ended up on the stand--his case was severe enough to get him into court. However, as we suspected, the HPA directors have not been doing their job, and that's why the violators aren't spending time in jail. So guess what? NOW the USDA has stepped up and is demanding they do their job! Here are the basics:

There are approximately 2,500 current open investigations in the APHIS. This is a compiled amount and includes all areas the USDA APHIS regulations, not just the HPA. So don't read that as 2,500 HPA violations--that's not correct.

The APHIS has done research and learned that they have the resources to prosecute up to 1,000 violations per year. This means they have to go through the violations and decide which are the worst. The worst ones will be sent on for investigation.

Of note is that they are going to include in their criteria for deciding on the investigations that are bad basing it on REPEAT VIOLATORS! Guess what? TWHBEA, SHOW, PRIDE, KYHIO...they're all FULL of repeat violators! So this may mean that some of the big wigs in the industry who continue to call the shots and are allowed to sore and get away with it are going to see their time in court! In a time when our government is getting harder and harder to believe in, this is one move that I know I'm 100 percent behind!

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United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Washington, DC 20250
Jan 1, 2012

Open Letter to Stakeholders:

As a regulatory agency, our mission to protect plant health, animal health, and the welfare of animals is a critical one. And, we are very serious about taking enforcement action against those who jeopardize this mission by violating our regulations. In recent years, APHIS' backlog of open investigations has increased to well over 2,000, and we had about 2,050 open investigations at the end of fiscal year 2011. These investigations include alleged violations involving animal welfare and horse protection issues, agricultural import and export rules, and quarantine rules, as well as unauthorized releases of genetically engineered organisms, violations of standards concerning accredited veterinarians, and unlicensed veterinary biological products.

Such a large backlog in open investigations has greatly impacted our enforcement process-primarily, the number of open investigations does not enable APHIS to swiftly address serious violations. In an attempt to streamline our investigation and enforcement process and ensure we pursue timely and appropriate sanctions for the most egregious violations, we are taking two interdependent actions: reducing the number of open investigations in the backlog and drastically decreasing the time it takes to resolve investigations. This effort is one of the six business process improvements the Secretary announced back in November that APHIS would be undertaking.

APHIS has determined that it has the capacity to process up to 1,000 investigations per year. However, the Agency first must focus on reducing the existing backlog and pursuing only those investigations approximately 600 to 800) containing the most serious violations. To determine which investigations should be pursued and are of the highest priority, APHIS will be carefully weighing factors such as:

• each investigation's significance with respect to protecting plant and animal health and animal welfare,
• APHIS' ability to effectively pursue the alleged violation(s),
• the impact or seriousness ofthe alleged violation(s),
• the age of the alleged violation( s), and
• whether the investigation involves a person who has a history of not complying with APHIS regulatory requirements.

For those investigations we decide not to pursue and believe a warning may prevent future violations, we will issue official warning letters to close them out. These letters will clearly indicate that any further violations may result in more serious consequences such as civil penalties or criminal prosecution. We will also be working internally across all our programs and with the Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection to employ evaluation criteria-similar to those mentioned previously- so that we focus our resources on the most serious violations where we can achieve the most benefit and impact.

Reducing the backlog of open cases is just the first step-streamlining the enforcement process is equally important for maximizing efficiency and effectiveness. Current data indicate that it can take approximately 600 days, on average, to resolve an investigation and to pursue informal enforcement action, such as an official warning or stipulated monetary penalty. (Cases that are referred to the Department's Office of the General Counselor Office of the Inspector General can take considerably longer.) Through our streamlining efforts, we expect to reduce the time it takes to resolve these investigations by approximately 40 percent, so that the average investigation is resolved within 365 days.

By taking actions like these, we are focusing on those mission priorities that matter most to our Agency and our stakeholders. We are committed to effective enforcement of our regulations, and we owe it to you, our stakeholders, to do so in the most efficient way. By targeting the most serious violations of our regulations, we are in turn addressing the biggest risk to agricultural health and the welfare of animals.

I look forward to updating you on the results of this important streamlining initiative in the coming months.

Sincerely,

Gregory L. Parham
Administrator

Unity Committee Goals

Here's the report from the Walking Horse Report about the current work being done by the "Unity Committee."

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Unity Committee Sets Goals
Monday, January 09, 2012

The Unity Committee, comprised of representatives of WHOA, TWHBEA, WHTA and The Celebration, met for the first time on Friday, January 6, 2012. This group discussed at length the possibilities of the improvement and strengthening of the image of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry from within and in the public arena. In this first meeting, the group established a structure of the group, goals, and planned their next meeting.

The Unity Committee will be made up of three representatives from each of the groups. These representatives are: WHOA – Kim Bennett, Duke Thorson, Tam Brogden; TWHBEA – Marty Irby, Christy Lantis, Tom Kakassy; Celebration – David Howard, Jim Allison and Henry Hulan; WHTA – Jamie Hankins, Link Webb, Chris Bobo. There is no one group that has a stronger position than the other; all will have equal input and voice in the group. The Unity Committee will remain open to including input from other organizations. The group also established some initial goals. Initially the group will focus on the following:

1. Unification meetings to include other industry groups in both large and small settings.
2. Encourage and support promotion and marketing of the Tennessee Walking Horse through a ‘one voice’ campaign.
3. Education to create a higher level of competency, integrity and professionalism among our trainers, owners, judges and inspectors.
4. Create consistency and predictability in the rules, judging, & inspections.

The Unity Committee will meet again on Friday, February 3, 2012. All members of the Unity Committee welcome input and may be contacted individually.

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So, let's be realistic here.

1. Unification meetings to include other industry groups in both large and small settings. Which ones? I'm sure you won't include FOSH, NWHA, the IWHA, or anyone who is against soring and actually wants to see it end.

2. Encourage and support promotion and marketing of the Tennessee Walking Horse through a ‘one voice’ campaign. Who's voice? The voice of the sore horse industry, the sound horse industry, or the horses? Because all I hear are the horses screaming in pain and wanting this to stop.

3. Education to create a higher level of competency, integrity and professionalism among our trainers, owners, judges and inspectors. Education on what? How not to be a backwoods hick and stop thinking about yourselves over the welfare of the animal? Geez, this makes no sense whatsoever. Sounds more like education on how not to allow your secrets to get out.

4. Create consistency and predictability in the rules, judging, & inspections. Well, really, the consistency and predictability is already there. Let sore horses show, especially let sore horses in that are owned by BNTs (Big Name Trainers), only "catch" small time trainers and give them minimal penalities, and get together to decide each year which horse will win the WGC. Yep, that's already in place.

Let's also take a look at our committee members and see what their HPA violation records are. (Includes violation and suspension dates.)

WHOA
Kim Bennett - Spent time in court in 2002 for his violation and lost: click here. He tired to appeal in 2007 and it was "affirmed" that he violated the HPA: click here.

TWHBEA
Marty Irby - Bilateral Sore 11/7/01 to 7/11/02
Tom Kakassy - Unilateral Sore 5/17 to 6/15/09; Illegal Chains 10/6 to 10/19/09; Scar Rule 10/30 to 11/12/05; Unilateral Sore 5/2 to 5/15/06

WHTA
Jamie Hankins - Scar Rule 10/28 to 11/10/02; Not Specified 12/18/90 to 7/17/91 (from the USDA)
Link Webb - Unilateral Sore 11/14 to 11/27/11; Ticket 3/25/11; Not Specified 9/1/02 to 4/30/03 (from the USDA); Unilateral 4/24 to 5/7/05; Scar Rule 9/6 to 9/19/05
Chris Bobo (from a family of sore horse trainers)

Hey! Look at that! HALF of these people are violators or from a family of violators. But did we really expect anything else? I'll give them one thing, though--at least they are all united to keep things the same!

RESEARCH and THOUGHTS - Claims that the TWH was bred to be a show horse

2012-01-09T00:48:00.000-07:00

So I've had a few Big Lick supporters tell me recently that the TWH was originally bred to be a show horse. I thought this a bit odd, because the history that I've always known is that the breed was originally designed to be a riding and carriage horse. The horse was bred to be a smooth, easy ride for plantation owners to be able to oversee their farms easily and comfortably, with minimal stress on the horse himself. The horse was also used to hitch to the cart and take the family to market or to church. Showing started on a whim, where TWHs were shown at local shows with Saddlebreds and other breeds, and then started to command their own breed shows due to their popularity. So I decided to look up some history on the horse from the breed associations themselves. Below is what I found.

Historical Information

‎Originally bred as a utility horse, the Tennessee Walking Horse is best suited for a recreational mount due to its smooth, easy ride and its gentle disposition. A calm, docile temperament, combined with naturally smooth and easy gaits insure the popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse as the world’s greatest show, trail and pleasure horse.
~ Tennessee Walking Horse: The Basics, compiled by Sis Osborne, TWHBEA website. Click here for the link.

For more than a hundred years prior to 1935 Tennesseans had been riding a horse which had easy gaits under the saddle. Tennesseans had always loved horses. The early pioneers who cam across the mountains from the Carolinas and from Virginia brought a hardy stock of horses with them. These horses were used for a three-fold purpose, that of riding, driving and for utility work on the farms as the land emerged from a wilderness.

The horses in Tennessee in the early days had Thoroughbred blood in their veins. There was also a strain of the Pacer, and some Morgan blood prevailed. By Andrew Jackson's time racing on the flat and quarter racing were well established.

Later the turn of the century these horses with good gaits were exhibited at County Fairs. Completion was healthy and each breeder tried to produce and developed a horse which would excel at easy gaits under the saddle. These horses were known to oldsters as "Saddle" horses. They were later called Plantation Horses, or Plantation Walking Horses. Today they are known as Tennessee Walking Horses.
~ A Brief History of the Tennessee Walking Horse, Walking-horse.com Click here for the link.

For those who think the Tennessee Walking Horse is comparatively new on the equine scene, pages of history reflect the strong influence this animal has had in the building of this country and in the daily lives of our forefathers. Mainly used for utility and riding stock, he gained wide popularity for his ease of gait and ability to stride faultlessly over hills and through the valleys of the rocky middle Tennessee terrain. Being used as a utility animal for all types of farm work, as well as family transportation and recreation, the old plantation-type horse was highly valued for his smooth and sure gait, gentle disposition and keen intelligence.
~ Tennessee Walking Horse, North America, International Museum of the Horse. Click here for the link.

The Specific Reason for Breeding the TWH

James R. Brantley owned Allan F-1, the first horse ever to be registered as a TWH. Brantley "dreamed of developing a breed of horse adapted to the agricultural life and traditions of Middle Tennessee, the 'Plantation Horse', as he called it." Brantley bred Allan to Gertrude, a saddle horse with an "impeccable" pedigree. The foal "would produce an animal that met all of the qualifications he dreamed of in a Plantation Horse." The foal was Roan Allen F-38, and Mr. Brantley said he "had it all: beauty, conformation, and, as history would later prove, championship qualities that excelled in what became the rapidly-developing breed of the Tennessee Walking Horse."
from Tennessee Walking Horse: An American Tradition, coffee table book. Click here for the link.

For years, Mr. James R. Brantley dreamed of developing a new breed of horse, an easy-to-ride saddle and harness horse that could serve as the utilitarian horse of his era. In 1903, he purchased the older stallion named Allan. Allan carried in him bloodlines of some of the greatest horses of his day, and Mr. Brantley became convinced that through this horse, he could achieve his dream.
from In Memory of Allan F-1, Walkers West. Click here for the link.

Honestly, I could keep posting more and more links, but you get the idea. I found the same information over and over again, and most of it was referenced as coming from TWHBEA.

None of this information leads me to believe that the breed was originally developed specifically to be a show horse. I believe that this claim is just another way for the BL community to have an excuse to keep doing what they're doing. These new excuses--that the horse was bred to be a show horse, that the TWH is built to do the Big Lick--it's all just ways to lie to themselves. It's sad that they have to create their own belief system to justify abusing horses. But we see the same thing in other cultures were animal abuse is the "norm", such as dog fighting, cock fighting, Mexican rodeos (which includes horse tripping), bear baiting, and canned hunts. I'll be doing more research on why this phenomenon happens, but this is definitely the beginning that I think people need to have in their heads starting now. If we understand the reasons why TWH abuse, then we can be able to get to the end of soring.

THOUGHTS - Update on What's Going On

2012-01-06T01:00:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of my readers. I want to let you know that I am still around--just recovering from the holidays and getting things back in order. There is a lot I need to post about, but that means sitting down and writing, so I will get to it.

In the meantime, there are a lot of plans going on to improve FTTWH and get more info out to the public. So stay tuned, and in the meantime, be sure to come join our Facebook group, For the Tennessee Walking Horse. This is the ONLY group associated with this blog. To join, click the blue box in the upper right corner that says Ask to Join Group. ANYONE is welcome on the group, and our discussions are both about soring and about how to help others find good information about training, shoeing, tack, etc. that isn't based in mechanics or gimmicks. The group is about the horse and no one else! Thanks!

NEWS and ARTICLES - NWHA National Issues

2011-12-14T23:10:00.001-07:00

So I've decided to talk about this, mostly because I'm a member of NWHA and I support them wholeheartedly because they are the largest flat-shod and sound TWH venue in the United States. This past year they had 1444 flat shod, keg shod or barefoot horses entered at their National Show, with no chains, bands or pads in the show ring and not one HPA violation among them. No other group can top that, not by a long shot.

I'm sure many of you have heard about the problems that happened at the National this past September. Now I was not there, so I'm not privy to what happened. I've posted the article from the Walking Horse Report below to put in some of the information.

Shoeing regulations were the issue. Per show management's instructions, some horses were targeted specifically from certain trainers' barns as to if they were too large or if they had tungsten shoes on. As far as I understand it, these were horses that were not local and were beating some of the EC and board members' horses. I also heard a rumor that the measurements for shoeing changed mid-show to accommodate a local trainer, but it's not included in the below report so I don't know if it's true or not.

However, let me point this out, folks: NO HORSES WERE FOUND SORE OR IN VIOLATION OF THE HPA AT THE 2011 NWHA NATIONAL.

Let me say that again:
NO HORSES WERE FOUND SORE OR IN VIOLATION OF THE HPA AT THE 2011 NWHA NATIONAL.

These were all shoeing issues that we're dealing with here. Shoeing regulations are not included in the HPA--they are governed by each individual HIO. Now the fact that the show management tried to influence the DQPs IS a violation of the HPA, as stated below. So that is something that needs to be addressed in whatever way is necessary for the USDA and NWHA.

I honestly am befuddled by this and have not signed the petition because of how I feel. However, I stand by the fact that NWHA is STILL the largest sound horse venue and the most flexible available to those who want to compete on a high level. This problem is minor compared to the issues with SHOW, TWHBEA, WHOA, WHTA, and all the other HIOs that continue to allow soring at their venues and continue to fight with the USDA about it. At least NWHA members are ready and willing to see this investigated and have the USDA help them if necessary. That is a big deal--they want not only to see the integrity of NWHA preserved but also the HPA upheld. This is a far cry from SHOW, TWHBEA, etc. who want to keep things status quo and continue to break the law.

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NWHA Faces Scrutiny Over Improper Contact With DQPs

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

By Jeffrey Howard

The National Walking Horse Association (NWHA) is underintense scrutiny over alleged improper contact with Designated QualifiedPersons (DQP) at The National, the championship show of NWHA held September26-October 1, 2011 at Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The Walking Horse Report obtained copies ofinterviews of several DQPs assigned to The National that were conducted byLinda Ivins, a concerned board member.

The contents of those interviews show members of showmanagement and the executive committee allegedly ask DQP’s to “target” certainexhibitors and to check those horses more closely than other horses, whichincluded entries owned and shown by members of the executive committee and/ortheir family.

When asked if they attempted to instruct you or influenceyou, a DQP working the show answered, “Yes…Ms. (Connie) Holbrook told us tolook for different people on several occasions. She really was talking more to David (Scott),” said the DQP. Another DQP David Scott added when asked whotried to influence the DQP’s answered, “Gordon Lawler, I think that was hisname, he came one time and Connie Holbrook, she came several times,” answeredScott.

Scott, who has been a DQP with NWHA for eight years and hasnever had a complaint or conduct violation, was terminated during theshow. A petition was passed around atthe show and garnered about 60 signatures to reinstate Scott. However NWHA refused to reinstate Scott. When asked who he was to “target”, Scottstated, “The names that were given to check, Connie gave me one name which wasJeff Givens…Other board members that were at the show, and I can’t tell youwhich ones it was, but Martha Day (DQP Coordinator of NWHA) said they (boardmembers) were calling and telling us to check Charlie Moore and his wife, Ithink and Jared Carrier’s horse. Andwhen they did that, they went out and bought us brand new rasps and magnets andwanted us to check for tungsten shoes.”

When the Walking Horse Report contacted Holbrook to ask ifshe attempted to influence DQP’s, she answered, “That did not happen and thatis all I have to say at this time.”

Scott also reported this conduct to the USDA. When asked if he had heard from the USDA, hestated, “I have not heard from them, but Martha has and all I know is that shesaid they were going to investigate.” Dr. Rachel Cezar, Horse Protection Coordinator with USDA confirmed tothe Walking Horse Report that the department was looking into the matter. “Yes we are aware of the allegations ofmisconduct at The National and the USDA is looking into those allegations andseeing where we need to be involved and if there have been any violations ofthe HPA,” said Cezar.

Scott stated he was asked during the show to measure shoesdifferently than had been done all year and when he explained what the changepotentially meant on shoeing to a trainer, he was relieved of his duties. “I got a phone call from Martha (Day) sayingthat Lori Lowe (then President of NWHA) had told her she wanted me to leave andnot come back,” stated Scott in his interview.

Ivins stated her interviews were only done after Lowerefused to release to the NWHA board the statements taken from the DQPs byDay. The Walking Horse Report contactedLowe and she said she knew nothing of the interviews. When asked if she knew of the statementstaken by Day, she said “Yes I am aware of those statements.” When asked the contents of those statements,Lowe answered, “I will not answer any more questions and you will need tocontact Sheryle Long of Schenck & Long, legal counsel of NWHA for furtherquestioning.”

The Walking Horse Report was able to contact Day and sheconfirmed the contents of the interviews of the DQPs. “I have no reason to believe there isanything in those interviews that is not factual,” confirmed Day. Ivins also questioned Day as part of theinterviews but did not release that interview to the NWHA board. When asked why that interview was notreleased Day commented, “I asked Linda not to release the interview to theboard after I received an indirect threat from Lori (Lowe) that she would filea lawsuit against me if it was released.” Lowe also did not allow Day to release the statements to the NWHA boardof directors. “Lori told me if I turnedover the statements to the board that it would be considered insubordinatebehavior and since I am an employee of NWHA I did not turn those over,”confirmed Day.

“I have been conflicted during this entire process becauseof what Lori told me to do yet I have a responsibility to the department and toNWHA,” continued Day. Day did confirmthat the interview and its contents have been turned over to the USDA and Dayhas asked the USDA if she is covered under the Whistle Blower provisions of theSarbanes-Oxley Act. To this point, Dayhas not heard back from the USDA on her protections.

Ivins interviewed David Scott, Polly Smith, Kathy and EmilyMortensen, all of whom worked as DQPs at The National. Ivins turned the interviews over to JasonCrawhorn, new President of NWHA, and at this point said he had not done anythingwith them to her knowledge. Crawhornemailed a statement to the Walking Horse Report which stated, “I can notcomment on the situation that occurred at The Nationals as it is currentlyunder investigation.” Crawhorn did notclarify who was investigating the matter. Ivins stated her purpose for the interviews, “I did this out of the bestinterest of NWHA, not to prove any wrongdoing by anyone or to punish anyone.”

The allegations made by the DQP’s at The National wouldconstitute a Horse Protection Act (HPA) violation by those executive committeemembers. Section 11.20 (b) (1) of theHPA states, “Further, management shall not take any action which wouldinterfere with or influence said DQP in carrying out his duties or makingdecisions concerning whether or not any horse is sore or otherwise in violationof the Act or regulations.”

An online petition has been started by an advocate of NWHAwhich states the following, “In an effort to preserve the integrity and missionstatement of the National Walking Horse Association (NWHA), this petitionrequests the NWHA to assign an Investigative Committee (IC) to investigate thealleged improprieties at the 2011 NWHA National Horse Show (Murfreesboro, TN).” The petition asks for a five-member committeethat would exclude any existing Executive Committee members or Director ofDQPs.

The petition asks the committee to investigate allegedimproprieties relating to influencing judging and/or DQPs and the committeeshould consider information from both 2010 and 2011. It also asks the committee to considerunethical abuse of power, improper conduct and conflict-of-interests andrequests that the information obtained through the investigation be publishedto the general membership of NWHA.

NEWS and ARTICLES - Chris Zahnd Caught and Sentenced for Soring and Stewarding PLUS His Previous Denied Petition

2011-12-11T23:36:00.001-07:00

Chris Zahnd, five time HPA violator in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2009 per the HPA database, was caught, tried, and sentenced for having a bilateral horse and by using a zip tie as a "nerve cord" along the gums of the horse to keep it from flinching during inspection.

Click here for The Tennessean article (copied and pasted below)

Click here for the U.S. Department of Justice article (copied and pasted below)

Unfortunately, all this abuser got was a mere two-year probation. This is a slap on the wrist because he'll still be allowed to go to shows as a spectator...but we all know how spectators can "just give some advice" on the sidelines. SHOW did ban him for life, but he can still show with WHOA, WHTA, or any other HIO if he so chooses after his two years are up unless they ban him as well.

Let's also point out that the USDOJ article says Zahnd's still allowed to have horses under his care. So I looked up his farm, called Swingin' Gait Stables. I found this ad in Hoofbeats online magazine: Choose your Gait Breeding Ad. So I went to the Choose Your Gait Breeding website. Note that two of the horses that are posted on the website are full bred Friesians, so he certainly won't be allowed NOT to work with that horse. If he's willing to abuse TWHs, will he be willing to abuse a Friesian? Not a question I can answer, but it certainly crossed my mind.

Ironically, I have seen photoshopped pictures floating on the Walking Horse Chat that have our famous squid friend with a hat on that says "Save Chris Zahnd." I have also been reading some online group chats, and people are blaming the HIO, rather than Zahnd himself, for the fact that he got caught and is putting another black mark on the industry. They said the HIO "sicked" the USDA on Zahnd, so they are to blame for this mess.

Let me make this clear: the HIO is a representative of the USDA when the USDA is not present at a show. This is why HIOs were formed: to "police" the industry so the USDA doesn't have to do it. If an HIO decides to send a case to the USDA and asked them to pursue it in court, they can do it. Aren't the HIOs there to uphold the HPA, which is in place to protect the horse, as stated repeatedly by Drs. Gipson and Cezar? Didn't the HIO do its job here? Or perhaps the industry really wants the HIOs to be protecting the industry and keep soring and abusive methods of stewarding horses alive...? Give that some serious thought.

I also found this particular case online when searching for Zahnd's stables. Zahnd v. Secretary of Department of Agriculture, No. 06-11571. Basically, Zahnd petitioned the USDA as to "whether substantial evidence supports the decision of aJudicial Officer for the Department of Agriculture that Lady Ebony's Ace, afour-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse, was sore within the meaning of the HorseProtection Act...when she was entered in a horse show in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on May 25, 2000." The Judicial Officer did agree that the horse was sored and Zahnd was sentenced to a measely $2200 fine and a one year probation. In this case, Zahnd's petition to the USDA was denied as the USDA agreed with the Judicial Officer.

So let's see here. ZAHND HAD FOUR PREVIOUS VIOLATIONS, ONE BEING A ONE YEAR SUSPENSION THAT IS DOCUMENTED AS HAVING GONE TO COURT. HIOS: WHY WAS THIS ABUSER NOT STOPPED SOONER? How many horses had to be abused in order for him to FINALLY get "caught" and put on trail? Why did this one incident stand out? What is REALLY going on here?

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Alabamaman sentenced to probation in Tennessee Walking Horse soring case

Written by

Andy Humbles | The Tennessean

An Alabamaman has been sentenced to two years of probation after he pleaded guilty to aviolation of the federal Horse Protection Act involving a Tennessee Walkinghorse soring case.

Chris Zahnd, 45, of Trinity, Ala., was sentenced on Nov. 21, by U.S.Magistrate Court Judge E. Clifton Knowles, according to an announcement madeFriday by Jerry E. Martin, United State Attorney for the Middle District ofTennessee.

Zahnd was the owner and operator of Swingin’ Gate Stables,located in Trinity, Ala.,according to Martin’s office.

On July 4, 2009 at the Woodbury Lions Club Horse Show, ahorse trained and stabled by Zahnd was discovered to be wearing what Martin’soffice described as a nerve cord in its mouth and was determined to bebilaterally “sore” by an inspector.

At a plea hearing, Zahnd admitted to a violation of theHorse Protection Act, according to the announcement by the Martin’s office.

As part of his sentence, during his two year probationaryperiod, probation officers and

representatives of the USDA are authorized to visit Zahnd’sbarn to monitor the welfare of the

horses. Additionally, Zahnd will be required to supplyinformation on all horses under his care, Martin’s office said.

A high stepping gait is valued by Tennessee Walking horseshow judges. The Horse Protection Act prohibits trainers from using illegalsoring techniques that create pain in the animal’s feet to force the horse tolift them quickly for relief.

Zahnd had already been assessed a lifetime suspension fromSHOW, the Shelbyville-based organization that works with the USDA to assureHorse Protection Act compliance. It was SHOW inspectors who discovered theviolation in 2009.

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United States Department of Justice

The United States Attorney's Office

Middle District of Tennessee

AlabamaMan Sentenced In Soring Case For Horse Cruelty Violation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 9, 2011

ChrisZahnd, 45, of Trinity, Alabama, was sentencedon November 21, 2011, by U.S. Magistrate Court Judge E. Clifton Knowles to twoyears of probation, announced Jerry E. Martin, United States Attorney for theMiddle District of Tennessee and Karen Citizen-Wilcox, Special Agent-in-Charge, U.S. Department of Agriculture,Office of Inspector General (USDA-OIG). Zahnd pleaded guilty to a violation of the federal Horse Protection Actinvolving a Tennessee Walking horse soring case.

UnitedStates Attorney Jerry E. Martin said, “The use of illegal soring techniquesundermine the equine industry while giving unfair advantage to those who engagein such cruel, painful, and inhumane training methods. This office is committed to prosecuting suchabuses that are in violation of the Horse Protection Act. ”

Special Agent-in-Charge, Karen Citizen-Wilcox stated, “The USDA- OIG will continue toaggressively pursue violations of the Horse Protection Act in order to protecthorses and competitors from illegal and unfair acts and practices.”

TennesseeWalking horse show judges value a high-stepping gait called the “big lick,” ahigh-reach of the front legs with a long, gliding stride behind, and winninghorses can be sold for significant amounts of money. Properly training a horse to walk in thismanner, however, takes significant effort and time. Therefore, some trainers use illegal “soring”techniques to quickly accentuate a horse’s gait in order to gain a competitiveedge in horse shows. “Soring” is atechnique used to create soreness and pain in a horse’s feet, which causes thehorse to lift its front feet quickly in order to relieve the pain. The Horse Protection Act prohibits thepractice, which also includes the application of irritating or blisteringagents on a horse’s legs. The irritatingor blistering agents causes the horse to suffer physical pain or distress, inflammation,or lameness, when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving. The Horse Protection Act also prohibits theuse of certain devices, including nerve cords, which are plastic zip ties thatare often applied around a horse’s upper gum to distract the horse from anypain it might experience due to soreness when an inspector is checking ahorse’s legs for such soreness.

ChrisZahnd was the owner and operator of Swingin’ Gate Stables, located in Trinity, Alabama, and trained,boarded, and showed Tennessee Walking Horses. On July 4, 2009, at the Woodbury Lions Club Horse Show, a horse trainedand stabled by Zahnd was discovered to be wearing a nerve cord in it’s mouthand was determined to be bilaterally “sore” by an inspector. At a plea hearing, Zahnd admitted to soring violationsprohibited by the Horse Protection Act.

As part ofhis sentence, during his two year probationary period, probation officers andrepresentatives of the USDA are authorized to visit Zahnd’s barn to monitor thewelfare of the horses. Additionally,Zahnd will be required to supply information on all horses under his care.

The case was investigated by agents with the USDA- OIG. The United States was represented byAssistant United States Attorney S. Carran Daughtrey.

NEWS and ARTICLES - Meadows Retires; Industry Meetings Updates; USDA HPA Search Database

2011-12-05T20:39:00.001-07:00

I have three things to talk about in this post, so here we go!

Doyle Meadows retires from TWHNC

The following was from The Horse.com. Click here for the article.

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Doyle Meadows, PhD, chief executive officer (CEO) of theTennessee Walking Horse (TWH) Celebration, has announced he will retire fromthe position in October 2012.

The TWH Celebration is a high profile horse show event atwhich Tennessee Walking Horse breed world champions are chosen. The eventbecame the subject of controversy in 2006 when federal inspectors temporarilyshut the show down after finding high incidences of Horse Protection Actnoncompliance. The Act prohibits "soring," the deliberate injury of ahorse's feet and legs to achieve a high-stepping gait. When several topcompetitors declined to participate, no World Champion was crowned that year.

Meadows assumed the Celebration's CEO post in February 2008.During his tenure he oversaw the removal of the National Horse Show Commissionas the horse industry organization (HIO) that managed the Celebration, and theformation and funding of the Sound horses, Honest judging, Objectiveinspections, Winning fairly (SHOW)--the HIO that replaced it.

During its Dec. 1 planning meeting Meadows informed TheCelebration board of directors that he would retire from the position on Oct.31, after the 2012 Celebration takes place.

In his letter to the board Meadows thanked Celebrationdirectors for their support during his tenure.

"I truly appreciate all those people that have helpedme as we continue to have the world's greatest horse show in Bedford County(Tenn.),"Meadows said. "I have a tremendous amount of pride for The Celebration andwhat it means to the Walking Horse industry and our community."

Meadows, 64, said he originally assumed the post under theprovision that his tenure would be limited.

"When I came in (to this position), I said that I wouldbe here for no more than five years," Meadows said.

Meadows said he has no immediate post-retirement plans.

No one from the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders andExhibitors Association was available for comment on Meadow's retirement.

Teresa Bippen, vice president of Friends of Sound Horses, anequine welfare advocacy organization that also operates a sanctioned gaitedhorse show circuit and a judging program, declined comment.

The 2012 National Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration isslated to take place Aug. 22 through Sept. 1, 2012.

**********

I'm sure his salary was plentiful. Since 2009 was the most sore horses found at the Celebration to date, it's not like he did anything to improve the situation. Closing NHSC and opening SHOW, which contained at the time the same judges and DQPs...whoop-dee-doo.

Maybe we'll see someone get in there who is truly against soring and will help stop it...and monkeys might fly out of my butt. (Thumbs up if you get the reference!)

Industry Meetings

So here's what I've learned about the industry meetings, and quite frankly, I'm very confused.

The HIOs/groups that are involved are the WHTA, SHOW, TWHBEA, and the Celebration (TWHNC). They have made their end goal to go with one HIO, that one being SHOW, and one rulebook. Now I'm in agreement with this--I am all for one HIO and one rulebook because then it would encourage a level playing field for everyone. (I would hope, anyway--we all know how this industry plays favorites to those who bring in the most money.) I'd prefer there to be no HIOs anymore, that the USDA be the inspectors at all TWH shows, and that the rulebook either be in the hands of the registry or the USEF, just like every other breed out there. But if we can at least get down to one each, then that's more along the lines of progress.

However, I'm extremely confused. Does this mean that the other 10 HIOs will be shut down? What does PRIDE, KWHA, etc. have to say about this? I'm sure they're not happy at all--I know I wouldn't be. And what happens to FOSH, IWHA, and NWHA, who consistently have 100 percent sound shows? Overall, unless the USDA changes the qualifications for HIOs, then I would imagine that other HIOs are still going to exist. I think this is probably up to the USDA in the end.

USDA HPA Suspensions Online Search

Here's a great little tool that a friend found that the USDA has on the APHIS website.

USDA HPA Suspensions Online Search

From what I can tell, it seems this database is updated frequently when they receive HIO reports from shows. So this should be a great tool for people to learn everything about a suspension, which includes length, fines paid (if any), dates, etc. This is also a great place to look up any trainers or sellers you run across to see if they have HPA violations in the past if you wish to avoid buying from them.

NEWS - Press Release From the Industry Meeting

2011-11-30T17:09:00.001-07:00

Here's the press release from the meeting. I received this from multiple sources.

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Tennessee Walking Horse Meeting

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

WHTA - TWHBEA - WHOA - TWHNC

On Wednesday, November 30th the Board of Directors of thesefour groups met to discuss issues related to the future of the TennesseeWalking Horse in the show ring and to discuss unification within theperformance horse division.

As a result of the meeting it was decided that a “UnityCommittee” would be formed with 3 representatives from each group. Each groupwill have one week to discuss with their respective boards and appointindividuals to the committee. The Unity Committee will have no official decisionmaking power and will gather information and then report back to the groups.

Goals & Objectives Established By The Four Groups:

1- To support one rulebook and judges list.

2- This group plans to implement a program to be inclusiveof all aspects of the flat shod & padded performance Tennessee WalkingHorse.

3- To market all facets of the breed.

4- Develop an organizational structure for the committee.

5- To create and implement a unified public relationseffort.

6- To promote education in all aspects of the TennesseeWalking Horse.

In addition, the group also took a unified position of beingagainst any reduction of pads and action devices and being opposed to theproposed USDA mandatory penalties.

Mr. Jackie Brown, who graciously offered his time to facilitatethe meeting stated “the industry should be most grateful for all of theirleaders who attended and offered their thoughts and ideas as related to ‘whatis best for the horse, what is best for the industry.’”

44 people from the groups invited were in attendance at themeeting.

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Now to break it down.

I definitely agree with number 1. That issue is something that should have been addressed a long time ago. One rulebook means that everyone will have the same level playing field as long as they agree to the mandated penalties. Multiple HIOs are only necessary when there is a REAL goal to keep sore horses out of the ring.

As far as the rest, I doubt very seriously this will be a program that includes "all aspects of the flat shod and padded performance horse" when they are being selective as to which groups the committee members will be from. If they were going to be all inclusive, then they would have invited ALL of the HIOs, not just a select few. And the best way to deal with public relations will be to get rid of the stacked horse. The public doesn't like it, and therefore if you were smart and wanted to relate to the public better, you'd stop the soring and get rid of the stacked horse.

And OR COURSE they don't want a reduction of pads or action vices and oppose the USDA mandated penalties! We all already know that. But what's really telling here is that WHOA signed the mandated penalties. So does this mean they are going back on their agreement with the USDA?

They say they are working on "what is best for the horse." NO, YOU'RE NOT. You're working on what's best for your pocketbooks. If they were working on what's best for the horse, then they would agree to the mandated penalties and agreed to a reduction in pads and getting rid of chains. So that's just another one of their "man behind the curtain" ploys.

As always, more talk, more meetings, and more stalling. USDA: PLEASE STOP THIS. Please end soring and keep these people from continuing to break the law!

NEWS - THIS Garbage is What Outrages Us and What Will Tear the Industry Down

2011-11-28T21:34:00.001-07:00

This picture was posted on the front page of the Walking Horse Chat tonight. Click on the photo to view it in a larger format.

In case you don't know, the squid character is from an adults-only cartoon called Squidbillies. No, not that kind of adults-only cartoon. It's one shown on [adult swim] on Comedy Central late at night when the kiddies are supposed to be asleep. Think of it in the vein of Beavis and Butthead, Family Guy, and King of the Hill. The cartoon itself makes fun of rednecks and their attitudes, and the show is quite annoying but sometimes very truthful.

UPDATE 11/29/11: I'm now being told that people are saying that I have performed copyright infringement by posting this. But isn't it copyright infringement to use a copyrighted character from a nationally recognized television show in this manner?

I wish I could say I am completely and totally flabbergasted, but I'm not. Fact is, threats have been made to people against theirs, their children's, and their horses' lives when they stand up against soring, and that includes death threats. So implying this creature wants to "get" those who are against pads and chains doesn't seem all that surprising to me. But overall, we should be outraged for them treating us who want to see the law obeyed and horses saved like this. And really, THIS type of garbage is what is going to end this industry, and it's going to be a beautiful thing. And how embarrassing for them--this makes ALL OF YOU look like idiots. It is no wonder the TWH industry is the laughing stock of the horse industry. You don't see other breeds posting garbage like this. Shame on all of you for continuing to make our breed look like a farce. It's childish behavior like this that makes us work harder to end soring and stop you monsters from continuing to break the law and abuse animals for pleasure. You are ruining yourselves, and I'm happy to see you do it.

DON'T FORGET to write to the people in the below post to let them know we want to see a true end to soring!

NEWS - Industry Meeting on Nov 30th and WE NEED YOUR EMAILS!

2011-11-28T10:12:00.001-07:00

This is a big alert to everyone! This list was posted on the Walking Horse Chat today and we need to act! It included an announcement that on Nov 30th (this Wednesday) the industry organizations will be getting together with the following members involved. Note that this list does not represent the entire industry--only those who want to keep things as they are. The person who posted this said that s/he wants to keep their rules and equipment as they are today, and we all know this needs to stop. Be sure to email or call these people and let them know we are tired of the charades and the farce and want to see soring end now. Of course, they want to keep things status quo, and we cannot let this continue. And let's note: Keith Dane, who is a board member with TWHBEA, was not included on this list. What does that tell us? I think it's clear what they are doing!

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TWHBEA Executive Committee

Marty Irby - mirby@twhbea.com

Margo Urad - murad@twhbe.com

Rob Cornelius - rcornelius@twhbea.com

Kathy Zeis - kzeis@twhbea.com

Tom Kakassy - tkakassy@twhbea.com

Tracy Boyd - tboyd@twhbea.com

Mike Hicks - mhicks@twhbea.com

Linda Montgomery - lmontgomery@twhbea.com

Stephen Brown - sbrown@twhbea.com

Rick Weis - rweis@twhbea.com

Joyce Moyer - jmoyer@twhbea.com

Wayne Dean - wdean@twhbea.com

Lloyd Black - lblack@twhbea.com

Linda Starnes - lstarnes@twbea.com

David Pruett - dpruett@twhbea.com

WHOA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Kim Bennett (PRESIDENT)

270-781-8237 / 270-792-1471

labakb@aol.com

Dr. Jana Anderson (2011)

Cell: 931-205-9574/Bus. 615-893-6169

boldstridestables@yahoo.com

Jean Baum (2011)

920-474-7540

jeanotwh@gdinet.com

Tam Brogdon (2013)

850-321-3789

tambrogdon@msn.com

Steve Brown(2011)

360-601-4226

brostephen@gmail.com

Chip Carrier (2011)

270-586-6649 / 270-586-8227

wcarr29450@aol.com

Martha Child (2012)

615-297-1196 / 615-834-4300

marthachild@bellsouth.net

Betty Denton (2012)

931-691-1649

auntboop@comcast.net

Sally Fleck (2013)

931-680-4430

sjfleck48@hotmail.com

Darden Gladney (2013)

318-927-9316 / 318-377-2135

dgladney@glennbrookschool.com

Richard Greer (2011)

828-757-9559 / 828-757-6767 Cell

doublegranch@bellsouth.net

Don Hancock (2012)

270-365-3966 / 270-365-2071

d.hancock@mchsi.com

Phyllis Langley (2013)

208-255-2849 / 208-290-4746

wswh@intermaxnetworks.com

Bob Lawrence (2011)

229-227-5705 / 229-224-1813

lanesend@bellsouth.net

Judy Martin (2013)

931-205-0079 / 931-684-5800

kaka9551@yahoo.com

Frank E. Neal

615-202-7782 / 615-383-8874

fneal@feneal.com

Kathy Owen (2011)

615-848-0729 / 615-201-7432

Andy Rippy(2012)

615-273-2181 / 615-394-6776

andy.rippy@31w.com

Dee Dee Sale (2013)

931-580-6647

maskr8ng@aol.com

Iris Schumann (2012)

931-685-1106 / 931-685-5278

wyschumann@aol.com

Beth Sims (2012)

931-619-3037

Gail Wailing (2013)

931-389-9073 / 931-580-4245

gwall@cafes.net

David Williams (2012)

Cell 931-639-1081

david@waterfallfarms.com

Harolene Willis (2012)

931-684-6858/931-205-7800

harolene-willis@thescooponline.com

Lynn Womack (2011)

615-895-1379

womackl@rcs.k12.tn.us

THOUGHTS - The Attitude of the Industry

2011-11-27T21:37:00.001-07:00

As always, I'm constantly bombarded with negative and downright nasty emails and threats. The more truth I expose, the more threats I receive. I believe that it is so important to share some of this information because it's key to understanding why soring and the Big Lick still exist, and why they still go hand in hand. People who abuse animals are quick to abuse other people, whether it's verbal, physical, emotional, or spiritual. Anyone who has studied any criminology or watched a few shows on True Crime TV knows this. And the verbal abuse I receive is quite indicative of why we need to stop these monsters.

Here is an email verbatim from Anthony N. that I received in 2007. It was in response to a petition I put together to eliminate the Big Lick from the local shows in my area. A combination of efforts resulted in all of our local shows that have Tennessee Walking Horses in them to use either the IJA or NWHA rulebooks, so the sore horse has been eliminated in our area.

"Wanting to say that I own "Big Lick" horses and invite you to visit them anytime to see that are are cared for more than any animal you have. They are know way abused and you need to kiss my ass"

Well! I will certainly head on out to his barn then--what a warm and wonderful invite! And I guess he must have spies looking at my property, where my horses are barefoot, have free access to hay and water, 24/7 turnout, manure is cleaned everyday, plenty of shelter, get all natural supplements for each horse's individual needs, and, quite frankly, are fat; and they look in my tack room where I have bitless bridles, saddles that are measured to fit my horses, and nary a "package", chain, tie down, full and half blinders, or a 10" shank in sight, since he knows his horses are better cared for than mine. I guess if this is worse care than his, then I must be a terrible person indeed.

Look, the bottom line is this: when I am spoken to this way, and when I hear of others who are ridiculed or called names or bullied for standing up for the horse, it does not make me sympathetic to those who are "just trying to make a living" or to their wanting us to leave them alone and let them do what they want (the horse's welfare be dammed). Industry, listen up: NO ONE is going to soften to this kind of talk. If you want me to stop exposing the truth, then make a choice to stop treating people the way you do. The attitude of the industry is what is going to to tear all of them down more than anything. Whining, complaining, carrying on, and generally pretending that these horses are all sound has become not only tiresome but laughable. As the old saying goes: you catch more flies with honey rather than vinegar.

On one of the posts on the Facebook group, one of our members and I had a great conversation about the two opposing groups (stacks vs. no-stacks) coming to a common ground. My thoughts were this: at this point, whether or not the BL horses are sored is no longerthe question. The problem is that the image of the BL and the high-stepping, crouching horses is horrific to outsiders. I understand that the industry doesn't care about this; we're constantly told "if you don't likeit, don't look at it!" But they don't realize that they are going tocontinue to lose money, memberships, and customers unless they get rid of it. They hurt ALL of us, sound or sore, when they continue to showcase thishorrible, crippled look. I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked if ithurts the horse, and that's from people who don't even know what soring is. Then when they find out what soring is, they assume all of us sore our horses,whether flat shod, barefoot or BL. There is no longer a chance for a middleground when the industry still has thousands of violations every year withstacked horses. Research showed that in 2008, 2009 and 2010, 90% of allviolations were on stacked horses. This means the BL needs to go away becausesoring is prevalent in the BL world. And quite frankly, every single person I have knownwho has BL horses says their horses aren't sored, so no one gets the chance tobelieve anyone anymore. I have watched BL trainers who I have physicallywatched sore horses turn around and tell their clients they don't sore their horses. I know that I saw that the majority of the horses in the WGC class this yeareither had past soring violations themselves or were ridden/trained by peoplewith soring violations. The lies and misguided information has gone more thanfar enough. It's obvious to me that this industry is not cleaning up it's actand therefore the BL needs to go away--they have abused the privilege to show a horse in this way. And if anything, the industry should doit for their own welfare. I don't think they realize how much respect theywould get if they truly stopped soring and showing horses that look likethey're in pain. I know I'd be happy to renew my memberships with many of theassociations if they'd admit there's a problem and truly do something about it.

Overall, it's impossible for me to have respect for people who breakthe law on a regular basis and abuse animals for the sole sake of entertainmentand money. Now, I have HUGE respect for people who walk away and say I won't dothis anymore...that takes guts and eating a lot of humble pie. Honestly, I canforgive anyone who can admit they're wrong and who won't do it again. Butunfortunately, there aren't enough of those people in the industry who call theshots right now. And we need to see the USDA step in and stop those people once and for all.

NEWS - Yet ANOTHER Committee to "Discuss" the Future of the Breed

2011-11-22T21:55:00.001-07:00

I received this from the Walking Horse Report.

**********

Industry Boards To Address Issues

Monday, November 21, 2011

Editor's Note: Thefollowing is a press release issued by the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders'& Exhibitors' Association.

Lewisburg, TN - Following a series of meetings heldthroughout the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, including at the Walking HorseTrainers’ Association (WHTA), Walking Horse Owners’ Association (WHOA), TheCelebration and the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’Association (TWHBEA), a decision was made that the boards of directors from theWHTA, WHOA, Celebration and the executive committee of TWHBEA will meet withthe goal of appointing a smaller committee to study the issues surrounding, andmake recommendations concerning, the welfare and future of the TennesseeWalking Horse in the show ring.

This decision came about in response to presentations madeat each industry meeting by Dr. Chester Gipson, Deputy Administrator for AnimalCare at the USDA. While the USDA will assist the committee appointed to studythe issues and make recommendations, this will be a Tennessee Walking Horseindustry endeavor. The meeting of the WHTA, WHOA, Celebration and TWHBEAboards, which will result in the appointment of the committee, is scheduled forNovember 30, 2011, at WHTA headquarters in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

**********

OH BOY! Yet ANOTHER committee to discuss keeping things as is! I certainly don't see any other HIOs being invited, and the HIOs that are included are those who have huge stakes in the stacked horse divisions. They are calling themselves the Walking Horse Association and have a website located here. Superhorse.org? Really? Geez. And some association--they certainly aren't including all of the stakeholders within the industry that will be affected by any changes. Plus, will this "association" really try to end soring? OF COURSE NOT! They're going to figure out how to keep things status quo. Seriously, USDA, you don't buy this crap, do you?

This website has a section where you can comment, and so far most of the comments are very negative. I actually am in agreement with a lot of them because truly, the association is only out to take care of themselves and their pocketbooks, not the industry. Feel free to make your own comments and let them know what you think at this page.

Of course, there are huge rumors going around and wild speculations along with personal interpretations of what all of this means. The most reassuring rumor I've heard--but note, it IS still a rumor--is that Gipson told the industry to take away the chains and make the pads smaller or they will do it themselves, and he's still threatening decertification. But I'll believe it when I see it.

In the meantime, I request that everyone get your fingers going for sending emails and phone calls to the USDA and get them to STOP DISCUSSING AND START DOING. I am going to work on asking for the presentation that Gipson made at the meetings, and your emails to them will also help. Don't be fooled by what the stakeholders are really doing here, folks--we need to see soring end and we need the USDA to step up and do their job!

NEWS and ARTICLES - HPA Enforcement Receives Additional Funding and is Approved by Obama

2011-11-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

BREAKING NEWS! The USDA has been granted more money to enforce the HPA! The final bill was signed by President Obama this week, so the approval has come down from the top! The final decision was to split the difference between the Senate and the House bills. This is a big deal considering that major cuts were made across the board with the USDA. But in those cuts it seems that enforcing the HPA won out among a lot of people who want to keep things status quo!

Click here to see the entire Act, H.R. 2112. Page H.R. 2112 states as follows:

ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

SALARIES AND EXPENSES

(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)

For necessary expenses of the Animal and Plant HealthInspection Service, including up to $30,000 for representation allowances and for expenses pursuant to the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4085), $816,534,000...of which $696,000 shall be for activities under the authority of the HorseProtection

Act of 1970, as amended (15 U.S.C. 1831).

We need to thank all of the people who worked so hard to get this passed and won the bipartisan support of 125 reps and 34 senators, especially since one of them is from Kentucky and two are from Tennessee! The list of people to thank that worked so hard are as follows:

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.

Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La.

Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.

Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky.

Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn.

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.

Also, don't forget to send your letters to the USDA to congratulate them AND to ask them to put this money to good use! We need to see more of these cases brought to court, so also send your request to the OIG to get them to do more work like they did in the Davis et. al. case.

Below is an except from this article from the Humane Society Legislative Fund. This is wonderful news that is going to help save the Tennessee Walking Horse! THE SOUND HORSE WINS!

**********

There was, however, great news for horses also contained inthe committee’s bill: Congress is poised to increase funding for enforcement ofthe decades-old Horse Protection Act, which has been stuck at the woefullyinadequate ceiling of $500,000 since 1976. The minibus provides $696,000 forthe Horse Protection Act—almost a 40% jump, and a very important signal thatUSDA needs additional resources to step up its enforcement of this federal lawagainst widespread cruelty to show horses. (The conferees split the difference,since the Senate bill had $891,000 and the House bill had $500,000). The HorseProtection Act combats the criminal act of “soring” horses, the intentional useof caustic chemicals and sharp objects on horses’ hooves and legs to make it painfulfor them to step down and give them an artificial, high-stepping gait in showcompetitions—in other words, deliberate, illegal infliction of severe pain inorder to cheat and win prizes.

In fact, in a very tough budget climate, with so manylawmakers focused on deficit reduction this year, we fought hard to keepfunding levels strong for a range of animal welfare programs. The HSUS and HSLFworked with Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La., and Reps.Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., to mobilize a sign-on letter,and won the bipartisan support of 125 representatives and 34 senatorsrequesting modest funding levels that are critically needed to implement andenforce the Animal Welfare Act, the Horse Protection Act, the Humane Methods ofSlaughter Act, the federal animal fighting law, and programs to help preparefor the needs of animals in disasters and to address the shortage ofveterinarians in rural and inner-city areas and public health practice. We alsoworked with Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Reps. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., Phil Roe,R-Tenn., and Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., to push specifically for the increasedfunding to crack down on horse soring.

Many programs were competing for dollars, and USDA and itsAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service took sizable cuts overall ($350million and $47 million, respectively), as did many individual accounts. But,even within this broader political landscape, we were able to maintainconsistent or increased funding levels for most animal welfare programs.

NEWS - Meetings between USDA and HIOs

2011-11-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

I received this text from the Walking Horse Report.

"[Dr.] Gipson will meet with the Kentucky HIO on WednesdayNovember 16, 2011 in Lexingtonand then make his way to Middle Tennessee to meet with the TWHBEA ExecutiveCommittee on Saturday November 19, 2011. The Walking Horse Report will be atthis meeting and have a report on the contents of that executive committeemeeting.

The Report has also learned that Gipson will meet with theWalking Horse Owners’ Association (WHOA) on Sunday November 20, 2011 and isawaiting confirmation of this meeting from WHOA. The exact intent of themeetings with Gipson is unknown however rumors are rampant as to the contentsof those meetings. Topics such as mandatory penalties, decertification and thefuture of the pad and action device have all been rumored to have beendiscussed."

As always, plenty of rumors are floating around, and I'm sure most of the people who are spreading them have it on absolute authority that their information is correct.

I have to say that I'm tired of these meetings going on and the stakeholders and members not being given the details of the meeting. What's written are just little blurbs like "we are confident we can work with the USDA in the future," trying to placate the public. There is no reason why things like this need to be kept private--the entire industry, sound or sore, needs to know what's going on. So if you are a member of TWHBEA and especially are for real change that ends soring, then it might be a good idea to request a transcript of the meeting. Take the time to write to or call the Executive Committee before the end of this week and ask for a transcript. No matter what is said, the membership deserves to know what's going on.

NEWS and ARTICLE - Barney Davis Pleads Guilty and Faces a Hefty Sentence

2011-11-09T21:48:00.002-07:00

After Paul Blackburn pleaded guilty to having sored horses, Barney Davis seems to be making the same choice. However, his crimes were more egregious and he faces a hefty sentence: up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Rate My Horse PRO posted their on the article at this link. I've also copied and pasted the article below.

To echo US Attorney Steve Neff a bit, this type of prosecution should keep trainers and owners from cheating (aka, soring) in the show ring. The problem is the Big Lick community is brushing this off. They truly believe that the Spotted Saddle Horse is a completely different breed, and this situation doesn't apply to them because the horse was not on stacks.

Reality check: The horse was pressure shod, which is one of the ways Big Lick horses are being sored today. It absolutely DOES apply, because soring is soring, no matter what breed suffers from it. And for those who think this has nothing to do with them, they are merely holding their fingers in their ears and saying la la la la la. This is just another excuse for them to ignore the fact that soring is still rampant and that anyone who receives and HPA violation should be sent to court.

The sentencing is in February. If I find out who to contact in order to request the maximum, then I will pass it on. Also, be sure to let the USDA know that we want to see a lot more of these violators going to court so the threat becomes real. Only then will soring stop once and for all.

**********

TennesseeHorse Trainer Pleads Guilty to Soring

by RMHP Staff

A spotted saddle horse trainer and two co-defendants havepleaded guilty to violations of the Horse Protection Act.

Barney Davis pleaded guilty today to two felonies includingconspiracy to obstruct justice and two misdemeanors, according to Assistant USAttorney Steven Neff. Davisfaces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He remains behind bars.

Christen Altman and Jeffery Bradford, who worked with Davis, pleaded guilty tolesser charges of conspiring to violate the federal Horse Protection Act (HPA).Bradford faces up to a year in prison and bothmay have to pay a $3,000 fine.

"We hope this prosecution and others like it will detertrainers and owners who are thinking about cheating and committing fraud inorder to reap monetary profits and achieve notoriety," says Neff.

In April, a federal grand jury returned a 34-countsuperseding indictment against Davis, Altman, Bradford, and Paul Blackburncharging them with violations of the federal Horse Protection Act and relatedfinancial crimes.

Court documents state Davis, who ran a horse training andboarding facility called Monopoly Farm, Altman, Bradford, and Blackburn, whopleaded guilty last month, conspired to violate the HPA by soring horses,falsifying entry forms, and documents.

Soring horses is an illegal practice where items like boltsare driven into horses' hoofs, foreign objects are attached to horses' legs, orchemicals like mustard oil are used to produce pain and sensitivity to alterthe gait. A sored horse tries to escape the pain in his front end so it willsnatch its legs up quickly, and gives tremendous lift in the front, known as "biglick." The altered gait is considered abuse by most horse enthusiasts.According to gaited horse experts, those that utilize soring can get thedesired effect with training rather than abuse.

The three will be sentenced in February.

View Indictment

NEWS and HOW YOU CAN HELP - A Call To Action: Help Solidify the Additional Funding for the HPA

2011-11-07T22:40:00.000-07:00

I found out this information today. As we already know, the Senate did approve the additional funding for HPAenforcement for 2012. However, the minibus bill is now being decided by a JointConference Committee. Unfortunately, Hal Rogers, the elected official who is all for keeping the HPA as is, is the chairman of the committee. They could see such a small amount of $499,000 in HPA enforcement as abargaining tool in negotiations, and I imagine Rogers will probably want to get rid of it. So, this means it is now or never for the funding. EVERYONE needs to write their legislators AND the committee membersrequesting no cut in the funding approved by the Senate.

Here are the names, phone numbers, and emails of those who sit on the Joint Conference Committee. Please write to or call ALL of them and let them know we need to see the HPA more appropriately enforced. If the email link requires you to put in a zip code from that rep's state, then state zip codes can be googled online. As it's best to write your own letters rather than use a pre-written piece, here are some pointers to use. Point out that as elected officials, we require them to make sure laws are upheld, no matter how trivial they may seem. The government has had nearly 40 years to uphold the law, but continued violations of the HPA are being recorded on a regular and alarming basis. This is an easy law to uphold if the government will step up and do it. Additional funding will help put those in violation in court and set and example to others to stop breaking the law.

Plus, since many of those who want to continue the system as is read this blog, be assured that they will also be writing to these people. So feel free to spread the word and let's make sure that the law gets upheld and the TWH is saved!

Republicans:

Appropriations Full Committee Chairman Hal Rogers - 202-225-4601, email link

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, Chairman Emeritus - 202-225-5961, email link

Rep. Jerry Lewis, Chairman Emeritus - 202-225-5861, email link

Rep. Frank R. Wolf, CJS Subcommittee Chairman - 202-225-5136, email link

Rep. Jack Kingston, Agriculture Subcommittee Chairman - 202-225-5831, email link

Rep. Tom Latham, THUD Subcommittee Chairman - 202-225-5476, email link

Rep. Robert B. Aderholt - 202-225-4876, email link

Rep. Jo Ann Emerson - 202-225-4404, email link

Rep. John Culberson - 202-225-2571, email link

Rep. John R. Carter - 202-225-3864, email link

Rep. Jo Bonner - 202-225-4931, email link

Rep. Steven C. LaTourette - 202-225-5731, email link

Democrats:

Appropriations Ranking Member Norm Dicks - 202-225-5916, email link

Rep. Rosa DeLauro - 202-225-3661, email link

Rep. John Olver - 202-225-5335, email link

Rep. Ed Pastor - 202-225-4065, email link

Rep. David Price - 202-225-1784, email link

Rep. Sam Farr - 202-225-2861, email link

Rep. Chaka Fattah - 202-225-4001, email link

Rep. Adam Schiff - 202-225-4176, email link

NEWS and ARTICLES - New TWHBEA Board Member, Good Article from 2009, and USDA & Celebration Meeting

2011-11-03T22:29:00.002-07:00

I've received three big stories in the past few days. Here's a post combining all three.

NEWS - Keith Dane Now a TWHBEA Board Member

This is FANTASTIC news! Keith Dane, the Director of Equine Protection from the HSUS, has been elected as the Board Director for the State of Maryland! Click here for the election results on TWHBEA's website. In the TWHBEA letter to its members, it seems that only 21% of the membership voted. Well, it seems that the part of the membership that voted for Dane was the right part! I believe that this is going to help save the horse tremendously. And THANK YOU to all of you who voted for Dane! I believe that you are are going to help finally start making a REAL difference for the horse!

ARTICLE - "Spotlight on abusive horse training" from Examiner.com

This article, posted at this link, was published on October 2, 2009. While it was written some time ago, there is an interesting point made concerning a video of the 2009 WGC winner, Watch It Now.

Video - Tortured Tennessee Walking Horse Watch It Now winsobscene amounts of prize money for his cruel trainer and greedy owners.

According to the HSUS "The 2009 World Grand ChampionTennessee Walking Horse is trained by past Horse Protection Act violator JimmyMcConnell, and owned by William B. Johnson, who only recently settled aprevious HPA case involving trainer Billy Gray."

Let's also point out that McConnell was one of the complainers when his horse was found sore at this year's Celebration, and the Johnson's are currently on suspension for one year for the abuse they've caused horses at Waterfall Farms. Be sure to boycott your local Waffle House and Ritz-Carlton hotel--since the owner is now a known animal abuser, we need to be sure the public knows about it as well and put our money where our mouths are!

So, the word is out there. Let's be sure to keep it going!

NEWS and ARTICLE - USDA and SHOW/Celebration Meeting

From the Walking Horse Report:

Celebration/SHOW Board Meets With Dr. Gipson

Friday, October 28, 2011

The Celebration® Board of Directors met Thursday, October20,2011 with Dr. Chester Gipson, Deputy Administrator for USDA APHIS at theCelebration grounds in Shelbyville. Themeeting was a result of a commitment from Dr. Gipson to meet with not only the industry HIOs but alsoExecutive Committees and Board of Directors who represent stakeholders in theWalking Horse Industry.

Dr. Gipson said “The driving force behind these scheduledmeetings is to discuss both challenges and opportunites that lie ahead for theindustry. The USDA and subsequently theWalking Horse Industry cannot be successful without the entire support of bothorganizations working for common goals.” Dr. Doyle Meadows, CEO of The Celebration® said “We appreciate Dr.Gipson and his position with USDA and look forward to working with him as webegin our move toward the 2012 show season.”

This worries me somewhat. From what I understand, no one was told about this until now, and I HATE these behind the scenes meetings. What I would normally do is encourage everyone to write to Dr. Gipson and tell him to not change his stance on ending soring and to PLEASE enforce the law. However, we didn't get that opportunity. Hopefully we will hear soon what the results of the meeting were. Let's pray Gipson is not falling into the hands of their greed or being threatened by them and is going to force them to TRULY end soring!

NEWS and ARTICLES - Blackburn Found Guilty of Soring Horses

2011-10-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

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!

**********

Blackburn Guilty of HorseSoring Violations

by RMHP Staff

A Tennesseeman pleaded guilty today to conspiring to violate the federal Horse ProtectionAct.

Paul Blackburn was part of co-defendant Barney Davis's horsetraining 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 forsoring horses. It goes on to say he sored horses, transported them in thatcondition, and falsified documents.

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

Soring horses is an illegal practice where items like boltsare driven into horses' hoofs, foreign objects are attached to horses' legs, orchemicals like mustard oil are used to produce pain and sensitivity to alterthe gait. The altered gait, which is considered abuse by most horseenthusiasts, is seen as desirable for some that compete in gaited breed horseshows.

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

View Plea Agreement

My Apology on Posting Comments

2011-10-18T00:53:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I wanted to apologize that recently, your comments weren't being posted in a timely manner. I discovered that I had misspelled my email address where the comments information goes to. So I have fixed that and now I will be notified directly when comments need to be approved. As a reminder, I only have it set up so I have to moderate comments to keep spam from coming through. Thanks in advance for your understanding!

ARTICLES - Shame in the Horse Show Ring Picks Up on TWH Issues

2011-10-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Shame in the Horse Show Ring is one blog I really like to read. She tells it like it is when it comes to show venues continuing to allow abuse of all types in the show ring.

Click here for her latest post about the TWH.

Yes, the harsh language can get hard to read. But I think it's important for people to realize the message that's here. She's angry, and she's tired of the horses being abused for the sake of a ribbon, no matter what breed or discipline.

I know we'll hear all the same excuses: pads don't hurt the horse, these horses passed inspection, blah blah blah. Folks, we're dealing with an image here that makes the horses look tortured. Whether or not they're sored doesn't matter anymore. The horse world and a lot of the general public know the TWH industry's dirty secret, and so therefore when horses are being showcased as crippled, crawling spiders, people are going to think they're being abused.

She also make a great point--people WITHIN the industry need to start standing up. The problem is that plenty of people are willing to just brush off the cheaters and abusers and turn a blind eye to what's going on. Start standing up for your breed and your horses. If you want the bad image of the TWH to go away, then you need to do something about it. Make an effort to end soring for real. The industry will listen if the masses start demanding a change.

NEWS - USDA DQP Show Report Statistics Are Online

2011-09-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

This is so cool! I love it when stuff like this happens!

A few days ago I found the USDA 2011 DQP Show Report. Click here to see the link. However, I thought it was incomplete. The list was divided into the show date(s), the title of the show, the HIO, DQP Inspected, and DQP Violations. However, I thought there also needed to be clarification between how many horses were inspected and how many inspections were conducted. These numbers only represented how many inspections were conducted. I came to this determination because my local yearly show affiliated with NWHA is on this list, and the number under DQP Inspected is higher than the number of horses that I knew at the time were actually at the show. So obviously, the same horses were in multiple classes. (But I am very proud to say that NO horses were found sore at my local show! See, SHOW, PRIDE, KWHA, et. al.? YOU CAN ELIMINATE SORING!)

So I sent an email to the USDA asking if we can get some more information to clear this up. And they provided it! I was really happy that they did this for us. Thanks, USDA!

So, now the list shows a clear distinction between number of inspections versus number of horses actually at the show. Now some of the information they didn't have yet, but they told me that they'll be getting it soon. So I'm going to hold off on my calculations that I want to do on it until all the information is there. However, I want to write about what is truly happening here.

Now, when I hear things like the industry is 95%, 97%, 98% compliant, I'm always wondering where this number comes from. (And why it's so varied--can't they decide on an official number?) A while back I did some calculations on just the Celebration, and unfortunately I can't find my blog post on it right now. But overall, I learned that those percentages were coming from just the Celebration. I also learned that the percentages were based on the number of times inspections were done, NOT the number of horses that were at the show.

Why does this matter? Because it's easy for the industry to skew the numbers in their favor. See, I think it would be more accurate to take a look at the number of horses rather than the number of inspections. Obviously at a show, one horse might be shown in multiple classes. Let's break it down so this makes things clear.

Lets say we have a show, and during the show five horses are going to be in a few different classes. The horses are Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, Ben Kenobi, and Chewbacca. Here are the classes they showed in. (And yes, I'm making all of this up on the fly. The type of classes are just random choices.)

Luke Skywalker - English Pleasure 2 Gait Amateur, English Pleasure 2 Gait Open, English Pleasure 3 Gait Open
Han Solo - Western Pleasure 2 Gait Amateur, Western Pleasure 3 Gait Amateur, Western Pleasure TWHBEA Members Only, Western Pleasure
Leia Organa - Lite Shod 2 Gait, Lite Shod 3 Gait, Model
Ben Kenobi - English Pleasure 2 Gait Amateur, English Pleasure 3 Gait Amateur
Chewbacca - Model, English Pleasure Novice Riders, English Pleasure Novice Horse, English Pleasure TWHBEA Members Only

Since each horse must be inspected before each class, here's what our numbers look like.

DQP Inspected - 16
Horses Entered - 5

That's a big difference in numbers. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if we were to find a percentage of HPA violations from these two different lists, than if we just went by the DQP Inspected number we'd have a much LOWER percentage of horses found in violation?

So let's take a look at the USDA list. On page four at the bottom is the KWRHTA Derby Classic. The information looks like this.

Start Date - 5/7/11
End Date - 5/7/11 (one day show)
Name and Location of Show - KWRHTA Derby Classic, Harrodsburg, KY
HIO - KWHA
DQP Inspected - 96
Horses Entered - 69
Violations:
Shoeing, Pads, Action - 8 (this usually means illegal equipment)
Unilateral Sore - 24
Foreign Substance - 4

Now, let's do the math. First, 36 horses were found in violation. This means the following.

DQP Inspected percentage of violations
36/96 = 37.5% violation

Horse Entered percentage of violations
36/69 = 52.1% violations

See what a big difference it makes? And really, the thing is that we really are more accurate if we go with the amount of horses. The first calculation makes it look like the show was 62.5% compliant. But that just means that some of the same horses went in several different classes during the day. If we actually look at the real number of horses, the show was only 47.9% in compliant.

Folks, that's over 50% of the horses at the KWHRTA Derby Classic show that were found in violation. And the industry thinks there is no problem.

So I'm going to do some big calculations with this list once it's more thoroughly updated and we'll see some real statistics about what's going on in this industry. Thanks again to the USDA for their help. We're going to be able to continue to be able to expose the truth with this kind of data!

RESEARCH - A Lesson in Listening

2011-09-21T00:28:00.001-07:00

I've spent a lot of time studying the gaits the Tennessee Walking Horse can perform. The TWH is defined by his unique gait: a perfectly square, four beat movement where each foot hits the ground at a different moment with the same timing between each foot fall. The head and neck will nod up and down from the withers so as to balance the hind end of the horse--it is physically impossible for a TWH to gait correctly without this head nod or "head shake." This is known as the flat walk, and at faster speeds without sacrificing the form of the horse, it's known as the running walk.

The TWHBEA has an excellent explanation of the gait on their website, and since they are the breed registry, I believe it is the rule we should all follow.

The Flat Walk is a brisk, long-reaching walk that can coverfrom four to eight miles an hour. This is a four cornered gait with each of thehorse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals. The horse willglide over the track left by the front foot with his hind foot: right rear overright front, left rear over left front. The action of the back foot slippingover the front track is known as overstride. Overstride is unique to thewalking horse breed. The hock should show only forward motion; vertical hockaction is highly undesirable. A Tennessee Walking Horse will nod its head inrhythm with the cadence of its feet. This nodding head motion, along withoverstride, are two features that are unique to the Tennessee Walking Horse.This distinctive head motion along with overstride are both things the judgeshould take into consideration when judging a Tennessee Walking Horse.

The Running Walk is the gait for which the walking horse ismost noted. This extra-smooth, gliding gait is basically the same as the flatwalk with a noticeable difference in the rate of speed between the two gaits.Proper form should never be sacrificed for excessive speed in a good runningwalk. The breed can travel 10 to 20 miles per hour at this gait. As the speedis increased, the horse over-steps the front track with the back by a distanceof six to eighteen inches. The more "stride" the horse has, thebetter "walker" it is considered to be. It is this motion that givesthe rider a feeling of gliding through the air as if propelled by some powerfulbut smooth-running machine. The running walk is a smooth, easy gait for bothhorse and rider. A true Tennessee Walking Horse will continue to nod whileperforming the running walk.

To watch this movement in action, check out Papa's Royal Delight, a barefoot and all natural stallion trained using only dressage methods, conditioning, and hard work.

The TWH gait is specifically defined as "each of the horse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals." But what I'm seeing in the show ring are horses that are either performing the pace or the stepping pace with what I see as a false head nod. Now of course, as is nature's design, not every horse is going to perform perfectly at every single step. However, the TWH can be conditioned to perform as perfectly as possible for his particular conformation and body type. So it makes no sense to me that horses are being showcased in the show ring that are not performing the correct gait, especially the Big Lick horses.

I'd like to show everyone what I mean by this, and I think the easiest way I can do it is by a method I use myself that helps me more than any other when I'm working with a TWH on his gait: MY EARS. When a horse is well conditioned to perform a flat walk or a running walk, then we can literally hear each individual hoof beat hitting the ground at a separate time. Having a father who is into steam trains, I realized that the flat walk has the same rhythm that a steam train has. So dipping into my childhood, I found that if I chant the old saying from the Little Engine That Could, "I think I can, I think I can" then I can see if the foot falls are matching up with my voice. If they aren't, I do whatever exercises are needed to bring the horse around to where his feet are hitting the ground at separate intervals.

So here are some videos where I want to show you what I have seen the BL horse becoming. You can listen and watch these videos to help you learn the foot falls. Then you can watch horses in videos in the ring to see how the horse is moving and point out when it is and isn't in gait.

NOTE: THESE VIDEOS ARE BEING PUT HERE AS EXAMPLES OF GAIT SOUNDS ONLY. THEY ARE NOT TO BE CRITICIZED IN ANY WAY, EITHER ON THE RIDER, TRAINER, OWNER, TACK, OR THE HORSE ITSELF. I picked them because you can clearly hear the footfalls, as that's the focus of this post. I respectfully request that the readers this blog not to contact the people who have posted these videos.

First, here's a great example of a flat walk. Listen to the footfalls as best you can and try to ignore the wind. You will hear each foot hit the ground individually. Sometimes you might hear them falter a bit, but that's okay--that's normal with any horse.

He also has a wonderful head nod--straight up and down without the head swinging from side to side. This is key to a true flat walk--a horse that swings it's head side to side is physically not performing in the true flat walk. A horse MUST nod his head up and down to truly be able to balance his hind end correctly.

Now let's listen to another gait, the tolt, as performed by an Icelandic Horse. This is a fast gait akin to the rack, which many gaited horses and American Saddlebreds can perform. The rack is not desirable in the TWH show ring, but there are Racking Horse shows that showcase the rack. I'm adding it here so you can hear the separation of hoofbeats at a faster speed. I have ridden Icies before, and they will perform a true flat walk--it is within their conformation to do it. I've been able to get several to perform it. One was a horse who the owner told the trainer he wasn't gaited at all, and now the trainer and I have him gaiting everywhere!

If you ever get the chance to ride an Icy, I recommend it. They have big personalities in small bodies, and are very strong and sure footed. It's fun to ride that little gait all over the place!

Here is an example of a TWH performing a pace. The pace is a completely two beat gait where the two feet on one side hit the ground then the two feet on the other. It's basically a lateral trot. Listen carefully for the two beats, like a march. Not how the rider is bouncing and being slung from side to side. This rider recognizes that her horse is pacing and wants to change it.

Here is an excellent example of a TWH performing the stepping pace. Again the rider recognizes the horse is not performing well and wants to change it. Listen to the footfalls: there is hesitation between them. Also notice how the rider is being slightly bounced from side to side.

You will see this particular gait a lot on videos. It is smooth for the rider depending on the footfalls, but it's bad for the horse. They can perform it either being "strung out," where their nose sticks out far and the head bobs from side to side with no head nod, or they can be overflexed in the bridle with a hollow back where their body is not allowed to stretch out, so the horse starts short striding, or in layman's terms, mincing his steps. Both motions are harmful to the horse's back and joints over time.

Now here's a listen to the footfalls of some BL horses. This one is the best example because we can clearly hear the footfalls. AGAIN, we are listening to footfalls ONLY.

And a couple more.

From what I hear, these are broken gaits. there is not four beat gait here at all. In fact, if you pause here and there during the videos, you will see that the horse isn't even in the correct gait and he will have two feet on one side in the air during forward motion.

I really don't understand how this is considered natural or the correct gait when it goes against the breed definition of the gait. The feet are not "hitting the ground separately at regular intervals." The sound is clearly broken up.

Now true, these horses are in training. But I find if I watch horses in the show ring, they also are not performing the gait correct to the breed standard. Pause the video during the classes and take a look at the footfalls. The horses are clearly not in a four beat gait. Plus the riders are being slung about, which is indicative of the pace and the stepping pace.

I worry that the flat walk is slowly being bred out of our breed because of the desire for the BL. These are the horses that are showcased the most and that make the most money for this industry, so they are breeding for the BL. Never mind what happens to those that don't "make it" as a BL horse. When those horses are tossed aside as leftovers, those who buy them are having increasingly difficult times getting the true flat walk out of them. Even though only 10 percent of the TWH show industry are BL horses, those are the horses the industry is overbreeding for, with thousands of foals every year with only a few able to "make it."

So I recommend to anyone that if you are considering breeding for a foal, find a stallion and a mare that are truly performing a true four beat gait. See them go without pads and chains on and see what natural gait it truly has--the flat walk or a stepping pace. This will preserve the initial breed standard for the breed, but it will also make your job as a rider to find that four beat gait much easier.

ARTICLES and HOW YOU CAN HELP - Tennessee Co-Op Supports Known HPA Violator

2011-09-18T17:28:00.002-07:00

From an August post on the blog Boycott the Co-Op! comes more news of an HPA violator being supported by a big business in Tennessee. Click here for the blog post.

"The Co-Op, a feed and farm store system serving Tennessee, is activelypromoting and encouraging a repeated offender of the Horse Protection Act.

"Brad Davis has two violations, in 2008 and in 2005, forunilateral soring and equipment violation and a scar rule violation."

And the best part?

"When contacted for their position, Alison Morgan of theTennessee Co-Op stated that 'While you may not agree with the trainingmethods illustrated by Brad Davis - and I realize that many people do not agreewith them - they are common and accepted practices for those who show walkinghorses.'

"So, common means ok, even if it's illegal and cruel?"

Couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you, Ms. Morgan, for confirming that the cruel training methods are, as you said, "common and accepted practices."

In one of the captions to a photo in the article, it says: "Tennessee Farmers Cooperative equine specialist Kim Smithvisits with Brad and one of his horses. Kim calls Brad a 'shining example ofthe high caliber of people in the walking horse industry.' "

Yes, he's a shining example, all right. A shining example that soring still exists and why it needs to stop.

Davis' violations are two in 2005--one for Foreign Substance and the other for Scar Rule Violation and Equipment Violation--and one in 2008 for Unilateral Sore.

Sadly, as far as I understand it, the Co-Op does a lot of community work and helps people in times of need. But obviously they are not worried about any of them obeying the law.

The blog has a nice letter you can copy and paste and send to the Co-Op, as follows. Let's let them know how we feel about their support of a known animal abuser.

Here is a sample letter, see below for contact information:

****

Hello,

It has come to my attention that the Co-op supports not onlythe padded performance division of the TWHBEA, but actively encourages andpromotes individuals that have received Horse Protection Act violations, suchas the individual Brad Davis (who received violations in 2005 and 2008). Inaddition, you have actively defended these illegal activities by promotingsomeone who received multiple violations.

For that reason, myself and my family will no longer supportthe Co-op in any manner. We will actively discourage others from supporting youas well. As you would know if you had done the research, the TWHBEA is beingactively boycotted and disowned by the large majority of horse owners, most ofwhom have migrated to other registry organizations, and as such, the TWHBEA hasfaced severe monetary and public difficulties over the past several years dueto their refusal to clean up their act, and ongoing, persistent violations ofthe HPA by its topmost officers on down. It was even refused a spot at theWorld Equestrian Games due to its extremely poor compliance with the HorseProtection Act.

Please do not spend the time to send me a form letter as youhave others. Just be aware that support of this illegal activity and those whoperpetrate it will affect your business. And, a web campaign is being developedas we speak to showcase not only your response to the concerned citizens, butyour highlighting, promoting, and defending a known repeat violator of the law.

Regards,

******

You can reach Ms Morgan directly at:

Alison Morgan

Communications Dept. Manager and Editor

Tennessee Farmers Cooperative Communications Department

180 Old Nashville Highway, P.O. Box 3003

LaVergne, TN 37086

Phone: 615-793-8418

Fax: 615-287-8859

E-Mail: amorgan@ourcoop.com

Web site: http://www.ourcoop.com/

Facebook Page Changed to Facebook Group

2011-09-18T00:57:00.001-07:00

Due to some changes made to Facebook, I've had to change the FTTWH Facebook Page to a Facebook Group. Facebook seems to have changed all pages so you can comment on them whether or not you like them. So, after extensive research, the Facebook Group option was a much better choice for FTTWH.

To join the group, go to this link: For the Tennessee Walking Horse Group. Click the Ask to Join Group button in the upper right corner. Everyone will be allowed to join, and please take the time to read the rules for the page and about posting photographs in the Docs section.

Thanks again for your continued support, and see you on the new FTTWH Facebook Group!

RESEARCH - New Suspension List From the USDA Is Online

2011-09-14T21:35:00.001-07:00

The USDA has updated their online Active Suspension List. It is current and lists the persons on suspension as of September 15, 2011. Click here for the list.

What amazes me are where the suspensions are coming from. There are NONE from NWHA, FOSH and the IWHA. How great is that? The majority of the suspensions are with SHOW, of course. Still got those people soring those horses in their group, and I see quite clearly that there are very, very few BNTs (Big Name Trainers) on there.

I think it's also important to note that several suspensions are from the MFTHBA. This means that yes, soring IS happening to Missouri Fox Trotters as well. Sadly, the TWHs are not the only breed suffering from this problem. And you would think that the MFT community would look at the TWHs and see the trouble they're in and shut down soring fast. Well, at least, I would think that.

Overall, I'm glad to see the suspension list is available for the public. This really helps in selecting horses to buy and what trainers to be wary of. I think it also shows us that SHOW is continuing to allow soring in. Why haven't their numbers of suspensions dwindled? And why were so many horses (over 120 violations--I don't know the exact number yet) found sore at the Celebration? I imagine those are questions we just won't ever get logical answers for.

NEWS - HPA Gets More Funding!

2011-09-14T11:13:00.002-07:00

GREAT NEWS! The HPA is going to have more funds to continue their hard work to end soring! The Senate Committee on Appropriations has approved over double the funding for the HPA the fiscal year of 10-1-2011 through 9-30-2012!

This is an amazing achievement in our quest to save the horse. The bill still has to go through the full Senate and go through a conference committee made up of both House and Senate members to clear up any differences they find, but overall it is most likely going to pass!

Click here for the article on the American Horse Council website. I have cut and paste the article below.

What does this mean? The APHIS is getting more funds to do their work to study equine diseases, agricultural research, work on the transporting horses to slaughter problem, and enforce the HPA on a higher level. The HPA will receive $891,000 when before it only recieved $400,000. This means more funds for the USDA to hold inspections at shows and to be able to hold court cases to convict the criminals.

BE SURE to email your Senators and tell them how much you appreciate their help in the health and welfare of the horse. Ask them if they haven't approved of the bill yet to do so in their vote. To do so, go to www.senate.gov and choose your state in the Find the Senators section up in the right hand corner. You can also write to senators in other states if you wish. This is going to help the equine industry tremendously and take us a giant step further in reaching our goal of saving the Tennessee Walking Horse from further abuse!

**********

Senate Committee on Appropriations Approves FY 2012 USDAFunding Bill

Submitted by admin on Thu, 09/08/2011 - 17:22

The American Horse Council reports that the Senate Committeeon Appropriations approved its version of the Agriculture, Rural Development,Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for2012. This bill provides funding for theU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for 2012 fiscal year (October 1, 2011 throughSeptember 30, 2012) and contains several provisions of interest to the horseindustry.

The Senate bill authorized different levels of funding forvarious USDA programs than the House bill (H.R. 2112) passed on June 1,2011. The AHC reported on the HouseAppropriations Committee approval of the USDA funding bill for 2012 fiscalyear.

USDA Funding

The Senate bill sets overall funding for USDA’s Animal andPlant Health Inpsection Service (APHIS) at $820.1 million. APHIS is the agency responsible forresponding to disease outbreaks. This isapproximately $36 million more than the House-approved funding level of $783.4million.

The Senate bill is $43 million less than FY2011 levels and$12 million less than the President’s FY2012 budget request. By comparison, the House bill was $80 millionless than FY2011 levels and $49 million below the President’s request forFY2012. However, the Senate billmaintained funding for equine, cervid, and small ruminant health at $22 millionin accordance with the President’s request and the House bill.

The Senate bill funds the Agricultural Research Service(ARS) at $1.01 billion. ARS is USDA’schief scientific research agency and has played a critical role in mitigatingthe health and economic impacts equine infectious diseases, such as EquinePiroplasmosis, have had on the horse industry. The Senate bill is approximately $100 million more than the House billauthorized.

The Senate bill is $40 million less than FY2011 levels andthe President’s FY2012 budget request; however, the House bill was $146 millionless than FY2011 levels and $150 million below the President’s FY2012 request.

The Senate also provided $7 million for the new animaldisease traceability system, which USDA published a proposed rule on in August2011. You can view the AHC’s informationon the new animal disease traceability program.

Horse Protection Act

The Senate bill approved funding for enforcement of theHorse Protection Act at $891,000 which is the same amount as the President’sFY2012 budget request and $400,000 more than the House bill authorized.

Equine Transport

The Senate bill also included committee report language expressingconcern with the lack of progress on USDA’s 2007 proposed rule changes underthe Commercial Transportation of Equines to Slaughter Act. The Senate Committee directed USDA tofinalize the rule before October 1, 2011. USDA published the final rule yesterday, September 7, 2011.

Status

This bill must now be approved by the full Senate, and gothrough a conference committee with representatives from both the Senate andthe House to resolve any differences between the two bills.

If you have any questions regarding this bill please callthe AHC.

RESEARCH - The WGC Results for Black Week Are In

2011-09-05T21:22:00.003-07:00

I decided to go through the WGC classes and see where this year's standing of violators is. WGC classes started on Friday, September 2nd, 2011. Let's take a look and see who was rewarded, even after they've proven to have been a violator. I'm only looking at the top two horses in the class, since they are designated the champion and the reserve champion. I used the HPA database, the current USDA APHIS suspension list posted on the USDA website, and the current Federal Disqualification and Civil Penalty List posted on the USDA website.

I want to point out that Gary Edwards, the trainer/rider of WGC Game World, has the following suspensions.

Unilateral Sore, 10/6/08 - 11/4/08, NHSC
Not Specified, 8/15/97 - 8/14/07, USDA, 10-year suspension
Not Specified, 9/1/97 - 8/31/99, USDA, 2-year suspension
Not Specified, 5/11/92 - 5/10/94, USDA, 2- year suspension

This is absolutely shocking that the industry has allowed this man back in after so many violations with the USDA and for such long stints. And the industry wonders why they have problems...

LITE SHOD WESTERN WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. RED SUNDAYS BEST,Laurie Toone O/E; Shelbyville, TN [The name Toone has two violations in 1998.]

2. LIL WAYNE, B JRichards for Jeff Gillespie; Tazewell, VA [Jeff Gillespie had an 8-month suspension, 2001-2002, Bilateral sore]

OWNER AMATEUR YOUTH PONIES WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. ROLL THE GOLD,Allison Thorson for ThorSport, Inc.; Sandusky, OH

2. PRIME POISON,Lilly Waites for Andrew Waites Family [Prime Poison was found to have violation against the scar rule per Andrew Waites in 2008. Wonder how those scars seemed to magically disappear? Andrew Waites also was suspended in 2005.]

OWNER AMATEUR PARKPLEASURE WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. B B KINGS JAZZ,Jeannae Patterson O/E; Gulf Hammock, FL [Patterson had a 1-month suspension for unilateral sore in 2008, conveniently served right after the Celebration. She also had a scar rule with foreign substance violation in 2005.]

2. EXPEDITED, MilesIrby for Irby Farms & Stables; Shelbyville, TN [The last name Irby has multiple violations on the HPA database.]

OWNER AMATEUR SPECIALTY WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. PLAY SOMETHINGCOUNTRY, Jeff V Smith O/E; Greer, SC [Jeff Smith is listed as having bilateral sore with foreign substance in 1998.]

2. ABOVE THE LINE, BradSpivey for Patricia Spivey; Jefferson City, TN [Brad Spivey had an 8-month suspension for bilateral sore in 2004-2005.]

OWNER AMATEUR WESTERN TRAIL PLEASURE WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP

1. A WICKED BOND,Miles Irby for Greg/Krysta Allen; Salem, OR and Shelbyville [The last name Irby has multiple violations on the HPA database.]

2. GI GIS MAJESTIC,Jordan Howell for Janet Howell; Murfreesboro, TN [Jordan Howell was suspended in 2001; Janet Howell in 2001 for unilateral sore.]

PARK PERFORMANCE WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. THE CONCEALEDWEAPON, Patti Pollack for Pollacks Silver Spur Ranch; Saratoga, CA& Shelbyville, TN [Patti Pollack had two suspensions in 2007 for the scar rule; the Pollack ranch had a suspension in 2008 for scar rule.]

2. ALL AMERICAN RITZ,Howard Hamilton for Cynthia Wright; Jackson, TN [Hamilton has 8 violations total in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, and his most recent being a 2-week suspension in 2011.]

OWNER AMATEUR NOVICE RIDERS ON NOVICE WALKING HORSES WORLDGRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. BOURE, Tam BrogdonO/E; Panama City Beach, FL

2. PAROLED FROM SANQUENTON, Ann Rea O/E; Summit, MS

OWNER AMATEUR YOUTH MARE/GELDING 12-17 WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP

1. A VICTORIA SECRET,Maisie McSwain O/E; Duluth, GA

2. CADILLACS BUM,Lilly Waites for Andrew Waites Family; Hattiesburg, MS [Andrew Waites was suspended twice: 2005 and 2008.]

QUALITY EXTERIORS 15.2 & UNDER WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP(CANTER)/WHTA 2011 RIDERS CUP

1. LINED WALKIN,Justin Harris for Andrew Waites Family; Hattiesburg,MS [Justin Harris was our bad image horse trainer/rider I posted about last month. He has 5 HPA violations: 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, and fresh off a 1-year suspension in May 2011. Andrew Waites was suspended twice: 2005 and 2008.]

2. MORE OF THE MAJOR,John Allan Callaway for Jim/Judy Leek; Cedar Creek, TX [Callaway has four suspensions: 6 months in 1988-1989, 1 year in 1993-1994, and two in 2004.]

OWNER AMATEUR RIDERS ON TWO YEAR OLDS WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP

1. COMMAND ON PAROLE,Sheryl Crawford for Crawford/Metcalf ; Bainbridge, GA [The last name Metcalf has several violations under a variety of first names.]

2. GIN RIO, BeckyColeman for Madeleine Coleman; Greenwood,MS

THE MOLLY WALTERS FAMILY FOUR YEAR OLD WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP (CANTER)/WHTA 2011 RIDERS CUP

1. IM COPPERFIELD,Knox Blackburn for Mike Walden Family; Chattanooga, TN [Blackburn has 8 violations: 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2010. Mike Walden has 1 violation in 2004.]

2. MR HEISMAN,Brandye Mills for Randall/Sadie Baskin; Franklin, TN [Mills has 9 violations, with 4 in 2010 alone, also including 8 months in 1999-2000, two in 2002, one in 2005, and one with no date specified by SHOW; The name Baskin has one violation in 1998.]

LEAD LINE PONIES, RIDERS 6 YEARS AND UNDER WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP

1. ACE, ridden by Colton Trimble as led by Amy Trimble

2. RATTLE & SNAP, ridden by Ashtyn Claire Brown; Columbia, TN

OWNER-AMATEUR ON WALKIING PONIES WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. THE DIXIE LINEMAN,Gail Walling for Walling and Judy McDonald; Wartrace and Tullahoma, TN [McDonald was on suspension in 2003 for unilateral sore.]

2. THE ROYAL DOLLAR,Lee McGartland; Ft. Worth, TX

SHOW PLEASURE WALKING HORSES WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. CHILLIN THE MOST, Link Webb for Steve Mozeley; Charlotte, NC [Webb has 8 violations total, fresh off 2-week suspension in March 2011, also suspended in 2003, 2005, and 2010. Mozeley has 1 violation in 2001.]

2. A LINE DANCER, Bill Callaway for S&J Enterprises; Huntsville, AL

WALKING WEANLING WORLD GRAN CHAMPIONSHIP

1. INTIMIDATOR’S COVER GIRL, Amanda Wright for Andrew Waitesand George Wright families [Andrew Waites was suspended twice: 2005 and 2008.]

2. OH PANCHO OH CISCO, Roger Richards, Jr.

OWNER-AMATEUR RIDERS ON WALKING MARES AND GELDINGS WORLDGRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. MY FIRST DOLLAR, George Ann Pratt; ShawneeMission, KS

2. SOPHISTICATED, Renee Carlton; Corinth, MS

OWNER-AMATEUR RIDERS ON THREE-YEAR-OLD WALKING HORSES WORLDGRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. I’M PUSHIN’ THE LINE, Janice Fostek; Roanoak, VA [Janis & Joe Fostek has a scar rule violation in 2007 while Janice & Joe Fostek have a scar rule violation in 2004.]

2. GIN TODDY, Sue Irby; Shelbyville, TN [Irby has an equipment violation in 2006.]

OWNER-AMATEUR YOUTH ENGLISH OR WESTERN TRAIL PLEASURE,RIDERS 6-17 YEARS, WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. SUIZA, Allison Thorson

2. A WICKED BOND, Rachael Allen for Krysta Allen & TyIrby of Pleasonton, CA and Shelbyville, TN [Ty Irby has 6 violations: 6 months 1998-1989, 8 months 1999-2000, 8 months 2001-2002, 2 weeks in 2002 and 2 weeks twice in 2005.]

TWO-YEAR-OLD WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. I AM JOSE, Casey Wright for Billy and Debbie Woods; Lexington, TN [Wright has 5 violations in 2010, 2 in 2007 and 1 in 2005; the Woods last name has several violations under various first names.]

2. I’M COACH CAL, John Allan Callaway, PrattsFamily; KS [Callaway has four suspensions: 6 months in 1988-1989, 1 year in 1993-1994, and two in 2004.]

LITE SHOD WALKING HORSES WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. LIL’ WAYNE, Carlan Cotton [The Cotton name is well known for their multiple violations.]

2. HONOR MY CASH, Rebecca Emerick; Hillsborough, CA

OWNER-AMATEUR RIDERS ON FOUR-YEAR-OLD WALKING HORSES WORLDGRAN CHAMPIONSHIP

1. HE’S VIDA BLUE, Kay Green; Meridian,Mississippi [James & Kay Green have 1 violation in 2001.]

2. A BRUCE PEARL, LeeMcGartland

PARK PLEASURE WALKING HORSE WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. B B KING’S JAZZ, Brock Tillman [2 violations in 2004 and 2005, 4 violations in 2010, and currently under suspension with SHOW until a date is determined - suspension started 8/15/09, ends 8/15/99. It is possible a date has been determined but it has not been updated in the HPA database.]

2. CELINE NEON, Howard Hamiltion for McAdory’s; Louisville, MS [Hamilton has 8 violations total in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010, and his most recent being a 2-week suspension in 2011.]

OWNER-AMATEUR RIDERS ON WALKING HORSES WORLD GRANDCHAMPIONSHIP (CANTER)

1. NYPD, Kenny Compton for Jack Compton; North Tazewell, VA [Kenny Compton has 6 violations, 2 weeks in 2005, 6 months in 2006-2007, 2 weeks in 2007, 2 weeks in 2010, and fresh off a 4 month suspension in April 2011. Jack Compton has one violation in 2007.]

2. STROLLIN’ THRU THE RITZ, Brian Reece for Reece Family; Pikeville, TN

TENNESSEEWALKING HORSE PERFORMANCE HORSE WORLD GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP

1. GAME WORLD, Gary Edwards for Chester & Lynda Stokes;Ponte Vedra Beach, FL [Gary Edwards has 4 violations, one being a 10 YEAR SUSPENSION BY THE USDA from 1997-2007, also two 2-year suspensions from 1992-1994 and 1997-1999 from the USDA, and 2 weeks in 2008 from NHSC. Chester Stokes has 1 violation in 2008.]

2. FOLSOM PRISON BLUES, Rodney Dick [Dick has violated the HPA 4 times for unilateral sore and scar rule in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, and on Folsom Prison Blues himself in August 2010.]

ARTICLES - More Information on Stallions Denied Entry

2011-09-01T22:09:00.003-07:00

I discovered today that this particular article was written before the article I put in the prevoius post that was their interview with the USDA. I'm going to go through this article line by line.

Overall, though, I have a big question for those who are defending these guys: WHY? These guys have violated the HPA, which also means they have violated the SHOW rulebook for the Celebration. Therefore, they've basically been caught cheating. Why are you helping them out by defending them? Why aren't you mad? I know I would be if I were showing in the same classes as these guys. How fair is it to those who are trying to show clean to know that these guys were going to be in the same classes as them with sored horses?

And the Celebration board, who is also the SHOW board, what are you going to do about it? Again, these guys were caught cheating at your show. Are you going to dole out the proper punishment?

Here's the link to the article. Below I have copied and pasted it and included my comments.

**********

Eight stallions denied; inexperienced VMO criticized

Tuesday, August 30, 2011
By SADIE FOWLER ~ sfowler@t-g.com

Discrepancies inside the inspection area at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration last Saturday night resulted in eight horses being turned away from a chance to compete for the walking horse World Grand Championship.

Inspectors representing SHOW (Sound Horses, Honest Judging, Objective Inspections and Winning Fairly), the Celebration-sanctioned horse industry organization that ensures horses are in compliance with the Horse Protection Act, passed all but two horses of the 15 that showed up for the aged stallion competition classes.

But USDA officials denied six more horses from competing, including two which had already passed pre-class inspection by those same USDA veterinary medical officers (VMOs).

VMO criticized

At least one trainer and the veterinarian who oversees the SHOW inspectors say one VMO is too inexperienced to judge the Celebration.

"I think the VMOs were not experienced at all," said Dr. Steve Mullins, adding that he had expressed his concerns about the alleged inexperienced inspector. "The answer I got was, 'He's learning on the job.' Learning on the job? At the world championship horse show?"

Dr. Doyle Meadows, Celebration chief executive officer, also agreed some of the USDA inspectors are not experienced enough.

"All our trainers want is for people who are fair and consistent," Meadows said. "You can't have VMOs check horses two times a year and be consistent."

Really, Mullins and Meadows? Mullins, who said that to you, and how do we know what you've said is true? And who are either of you to decide if a VMO is experienced or not? You guys picked the DQPs for the show, and therefore I believe that is a sure sign that you're going to pick people who will do the work you WANT them to do.

Something we all need to remember: VMOs are licensed veterinarians who work for the USDA. They have multiple jobs, including inspecting slaughterhouses, studying herd and flock health, and other such duties the USDA is tasked with. Being a HPA inspector is only part of their job. So I know I would trust a licensed veterinarian over some backyard breeder with no veterinary experience who takes a quick class to become a DQP.

Inspection process

SHOW inspectors, known as designated qualified persons (DQPs), are charged with inspecting horses for the Celebration and many other shows throughout the year, but the USDA's VMOs are allowed to inspect as well -- and they have the final say in who shows.

"I stand behind my guys," said Mullins, referring to the SHOW inspectors. "They are committed -- committed -- to keeping sore horses out ... The government (USDA inspectors) have bragged on us all year long, and they wanted to make a statement. And they did," said Mullins, wondering why USDA inspectors suddenly differed with SHOW inspectors' calls.

Are they really? Then why are the VMOs finding horses that are sore and the DQPs conveniently are not?

Of the six horses turned down by the USDA VMOs, five of those were inspected both pre- and post-show by multiple American Association of Equine Practitioners veterinarians, all of whom said the horses were in compliance, Mullins said.

And the AAEP vets were PAID weren't they? And you brought them in, didn't you? Plus, they are not trained in the inspection process, so how exactly are they inspecting the horses?

Mullins said industry DQPs inspected 20,000 horses last year and 12,000 horses this year to the approval of the USDA. He said the USDA chose to inspect about 2,000 horses alongside the industry inspectors this year and the two organizations only disagreed on whether or not about three horses were fit to show, Mullins said.

Yes, and industry DQPs are paid to keep quiet. We all know this. The number of violations sky rockets when the USDA shows up.

At press time, the USDA had not yet answered the T-G's request for more information about the experience level of USDA inspectors at Saturday night's show.

McConnell upset

In an article published in Sunday's Tennessean, well-known and respected trainer Jimmy McConnell shared his comments after his two contenders were turned down.

Respected? What respect does this man deserve? He just got off a 2-week suspension in May, and here he is allowed to show again. I have no respect for him or the industry for letting him show again.

Dark & Shady was turned down prior to the B section and his second contender, Up For Parole, was cited for a violation of the scar rule -- a rule that's been said by industry leaders to involve too much subjectivity -- after he showed in the A section.

"They were unreasonable," McConnell told the Tennessean. "The one that checked my horse didn't know what he was doing. His first show was Jackson, Miss., (March 31-April 2, 2011) and here he is checking the world championship show. That doesn't make any sense."

And who are you to say that he didn't know what he was doing? Are you a licensed VMO or DQP?

Look, McConnell, man up and do the right thing. You sored the horse, you got caught. That's how it goes. Stop blaming everyone else for what is ultimately YOUR responsibility. But really, this is typical criminal behavior.

McConnell, who has earned the World Grand Championship honors three times since 2004, declined to comment further when contacted by the T-G.

Contenders hit

In 1974, the Horse Protection Act was passed to protect horses from being "sored" to achieve a higher, more extreme gait.

Wrong date--it was 1970. And let's note here: they specifically state the act was passed "to protect horses." Not to protect the industry, not to protect anyone but the horses themselves.

In 2006, the industry came under fire by the USDA when only a handful of horses passed inspection before the Celebration's World Grand Championship class. One of the horses which did pass that year, Rowdy Rev, a four-time world champion and a favorite going into this year's show, did not pass inspection Saturday.

"My understanding is that he bumped himself getting off the trailer and they were hoping he'd make it through and show, but he didn't," Mullins said.

And they tried to show him, of course! So it's their fault they got the ticket! If your horse bumps himself in the trailer and you're worried about him passing inspection, don't show him. It's not that hard!

And that is one of the WORST excuses I've ever heard. ANY veterinarian is going to know the difference between a horse bumping himself and soring scars.

Plus, there certainly are A LOT of TWHs that bump themselves in the trailer before a show, or who get hurt in the pasture and have scars. It makes me wonder about the care of these horses in that they get beat up so much. I know plenty of other horses, my own included, who have gone their whole lives without their pasterns getting beat up and scarred.

Bill Bobo, trainer of Rowdy Rev, owned by Bill Harlin of College Grove, expressed his disappointment in not getting to show but said the show must go on.

"I hate it for the horse and the owner," Bobo said. "But he (the owner) knows this is the horse business and it's all part of it ... Once a horse is turned down they can't show back so (this year's show) is over ... (Harlin) wants to continue to show him. There's a show in Sparta next week and he wants to show him there. We'll try him again next year."

Good call, Bobo. I'm glad to hear you are taking the high road and not blaming everyone else.

Saturday night, nine horses competed in the aged stallions splits, classes 80A and 80B. Folsom Prison Blues, ridden by Rodney Dick of Unionville won the A division. Gary Edwards of Dawson, Ga., won the B division with Game World.

Puttin' Cash On The Line with Justin Harris up took reserve in the A division. The Golden Sovereign with Tim Smith finished reserve in the B division but that was taken away when he was cited for a scar rule violation following the class.

Thorough checks

Meadows said walking horses are the only breed he knows that is inspected to the degree of the walking horse.

Not true. Endurance horses go through a far more rigorous check that no Big Lick horse would EVER pass. I've watched it, and the horse is far better protected in the endurance world than in the stacked horse world. A horse will get pulled for the slightest heartbeat above normal, for the slightest sign of lameness, and it is all to protect the horse. And you know what? The riders accept the result and move on. They don't whine and complain and blame everyone else for their horse not being fit enough to continue.

"I'm not a fan of post-show inspections," he said. "If you've ever shown a horse then you understand that there are so many things that can happen (during the show), just like with a human athlete."

Of course you don't like it, because any chemical that has been used to mask the pain has worn off by the time the horse is in the ring, so now he'll show up sore. Or the rubbing of the chain and sweat of the horse can make scars from soring more visible.

In addition to Dark & Shady, Rowdy Rev, and The Golden Sovereign, Moody Star is another well-known contender which will not be eligible for the World Grand Championship Saturday night. He is last year's reserve world champion.

The Celebration activated SHOW two years ago to oversee the inspection process. "We activated SHOW and made a commitment to enforce the Horse Protection Act because it's the law," Meadows said.

"We established a comprehensive and consistent inspection program that would assure us that only compliant horses would be allowed to show. Dr. Steve Mullins and Tony Edwards, DQP coordinator, have done the industry a tremendous service with the organization of SHOW," he said.

No, you didn't, and no they haven't, or you would have ended soring when you first started SHOW. Your board has a violator on it, your judge and DQP lists are mostly made up of violators, and you reward those who continue to sore by allowing them back in the ring (case in point: McConnell).

"These DQPs, who do not have conflicts of interest, check horses every week and I have more confidence in them than anyone else that is hired to enforce the Horse Protection Act.

The DQPs are made up of farriers, owners, and other people who service the industry. They are not completely biased nor are not without COIs.

Meadows said overall, he feels like the inspections this week have gone well. He is hopeful the World Grand Championship class will be strong. Nine preliminary classes qualify for the big stake so more entries could make it to Saturday's championship.

**********

In some good news, the violation count is up to 120 as of this morning! The USDA is getting those sore horses out of the ring! I have also heard that many people are scratching horses, quite possibly because they know they can't get them through the inspections. Be sure to send your emails to the USDA to tell them what a stellar job they're doing in saving the horse!

NEWS and ARTICLES - USDA Defends Their VMOs

2011-08-31T12:08:00.005-07:00

I'm glad that the Shelbyville Times-Gazette took the time to talk with the USDA and ask them about this. Overall, I doubt very seriously the USDA is going to bring a VMO who isn't experienced to a horse show like this. It sounds like his/her credentials are excellent, even if he's not overly experienced at HPA inspection work.

Click here for the article from the Shelbyville Times-Gazette titled "Inspector is capable, USDA says." I have copied and pasted the text below.

There was also a good comment on the FTTWH Facebook page by one of the members that pointed out that the VMOs don't do HPA work 100 percent of the time. They have other duties, such as inspecting slaughterhouses, studying herd health, and various other issues that the USDA works on to improve the health and welfare of livestock and food animals. VMOs that usually have familiarity with horses are assigned to take the courses to work on the HPA portion of the USDA. Overall, I think it's better to have experienced vets inspecting my horses rather than a DQP who doesn't have much more experience than learning how to sore from his uncle.

But also, as this member pointed out, the VMO could have 30 years of experience inspecting horses and he'd still get flack from the industry if he turned a horse down. Let's face it: these are people who are criminals, and they will always claim they are innocent. It's the same in all levels of crime. They will blame everyone else for being caught, their abusive father, their drugged-out mother, whomever they can blame. But they fail to see that THEY are the person who actually committed the crime and therefore are responsible. And unfortunately, in the TWH industry, the penalties aren't stiff enough to discourage them from doing it again. Jimmy McConnell is a prime example. He's fresh off a two-week suspension in May 2011, and here he is, being allowed to show again. Is that fair to the horse who is being abused at his hands? Is it fair to other exhibitors who have not sored their horses and are trying to compete fair and square? Whether or not he's found guilty or innocent, the horse has still suffered, and that's what's most disturbing here.

**********

Inspector is capable, USDA says

Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Shelbyville Times-Gazette

The U.S. Department of Agriculture responded to the Times-Gazette's inquiry about the experience level of veterinarians inspecting horses during last Saturday evening's Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.

Industry leaders expressed their frustration with USDA inspectors after the agency turned down six horses before the aged stallion class.

"Our personnel have extensive experience in the care and handling of animals," said Andre Bell in an e-mail to the Times-Gazette. "The veterinary medical officer we believe you're inquiring about is an equine veterinarian and a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

"Along with all of our inspectors he went through an orientation when he joined the agency, also a weeklong training in March, and has inspected animals at a number of horse shows this season.

"USDA takes its work under the Horse Protection Act very seriously and we are confident in the training and requirements of the VMOs that we employ for the program."

The USDA's comments were not received in time for inclusion in a front page story Tuesday.

One inspector came under heavy criticism by trainers and officials for what they said was a lack of experience inspecting at horse shows.

NEWS and ARTICLES - Horses Being Turned Down During Black Week

2011-08-28T20:10:00.004-07:00

I have great news! The USDA is coming down hard at the Celebration, just as we have needed them to all long. Click here for the article from The Tennessean.

Of course, instead of accepting the problem for what it is, accepting that the horses are turning up sore, and actually trying to stop the madness, the industry is up in arms about how unfairly they're being treated. Jimmy McConnell, seven time HPA violator and fresh off suspension for unilateral sore in May 2011, was quite angry.

“They were unreasonable,” McConnell said. “The one that checked mine didn’t know what he was doing. His first show was Jackson, Miss., and here he is checking the world championship show. That doesn’t make any sense.”

Dark and Shady will not be able to compete in next weekend’s championship.

“This is as bad as it gets,” McConnell said when asked about his frustration level. “(Dark and Shady) has never been turned down in his life.”

McConnell said most of the horses that didn’t compete were turned down by the USDA.

“It’s hard to fight city hall,” McConnell said. “They’ve got an agenda.”

McConnell has no right to complain which VMOs show up for inspections, if it was even a VMO that checked his horse--he doesn't even say. He has no right to say whether or not the person knew what they were doing because he's not a professional DQP or VMO himself. And overall, I imagine the VMO could have been a veteran and he probably would have complained. Quite frankly, the USDA does have an agenda: to stop soring and catch violators. It's a pretty simple agenda.

Sadly, I think this is something we can always expect from the industry: continued denial and outrage against those who want to see the law followed. It doesn't matter how many horses are turned down: anyone who's horse has been turned down is going to say the USDA does not know what they're doing, that they have been targeted, that there's an agenda, etc., etc. It doesn't matter what it is, they will find an excuse for why their horse was turned down. This is instead of realizing where the real problem lies: within the industry itself. As one member from the FTTWH Facebook page commented: shouldn't this be a wake up call to the industry? Shouldn't they realize that enough is enough, and that soring needs to end? I would hope that people who think their horse shouldn't have been turned down will stop pointing the finger at everyone else but themselves and start looking at what needs to change within the industry. TWH industry: if you want the government off your back, then stop soring horses and stop pretending you're trying to do so.

Please, take the time to send your emails to Dr. Gipson and Dr. Cezar to let them know we support their decisions and are happy to know they are coming down hard. We have to keep our hopes up that this work will continue through next week and that the horses will be spared this continued spectacle of abuse.

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SHELBYVILLE — A surprisingly small field competed in the aged stallions preliminary class at the 73rd Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration on Saturday night.

Only nine of the 22 horses listed in the program competed in the A and B divisions.

Just four of the 11 horses listed in the program competed in B Division.

Dark and Shady and Moody Star, two of the top contenders in B Division, did not compete.

Rowdy Rev, another highly touted contender, did not compete in the A Division. Only five of the 11 horses listed in the program competed in A Division.

Folsom Prison Blues, ridden by Rodney Dick of Unionville, won the A Division.

Puttin’ Cash on the Line, with Justin Harris in the saddle, took reserve honors in A Division. Joe Cotten rode Johnny Ritz to a third-place finish.

Gary Edwards rode Game World to victory in B Division. The Golden Sovereign, with Tim Smith in the saddle took reserve honors. Bill Cantrell rode My Kinda Luck to a third-place showing.

Dark and Shady, one of the top contenders, was turned down by a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector for an alleged violation of the Horse Protection Act that prohibits abusive and inhumane training practices. Horses that are turned down for HPA violations are disqualified for the remainder of the show.

“The government went nuts,” said Jimmy McConnell, Dark and Shady’s trainer who has won three of the last six big stakes. “They don’t know what they’re doing. Absolutely don’t know what they’re doing.”

McConnell said the government was checking every horse in the aged stallions class strictly.

Dark and Shady will not be able to compete in next weekend’s championship.

“This is as bad as it gets,” McConnell said when asked about his frustration level. “(Dark and Shady) has never been turned down in his life.”

McConnell said most of the horses that didn’t compete were turned down by the USDA.

“It’s hard to fight city hall,” McConnell said. “They’ve got an agenda.”

Moody Star was the 2010 reserve champion.

McConnell, 64, was seeking his fourth big stake title.

That would have tied him with Shelbyville’s Billy Gray for second on the list of trainers with the most big stake championships. Winston Wiser holds the record with five titles.

RESEARCH - Black Week Begins

2011-08-21T23:14:00.007-07:00

Well, it's back to that time of year again, where the celebration of abused horses occurs here in America. I'm sure the USDA will be out in force, and let's hope they find hundreds of violations.

I decided to look up information on the judges for this year's Black Week. There a five judges for the Celebration. Four of them are HPA violators. From the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration new page on their website:

"The 2011 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration will feature 12 years of Celebration judging experience within the five members of the judging panel. Jennifer Bingham, Shelbyville, Tenn., Jamie Hankins, Paris, Ky., Ronnie Spears, Tullahoma, Tenn., Jamie Bradshaw, Union Grove, Ala., and Jeff Willis, Shelbyville, Tenn. will adjudicate the 73rd Annual Celebration."

Jamie Hankins - 3 violations: 7 months in 1990-1991, 2 weeks in 2002, and ticketed in 2010.

Ronnie Spears - 6 violations: 6 month suspension from USDA in 2001, 1 month in 2008, and fresh off a 6 month suspension that started and ended (quite conveniently) during the off season, from 10-2010 to 4-2011. He also received 3 tickets in 2010 in June, July and September, so that recent suspension could be for one of those tickets.

Jamie Bradshaw - 2 volations: 8 months suspension in 1998-1999 (again, during the off season) and 2 weeks in 2003

Jeff Willis - 3 violations: 9 months in 2002-2003 (also during the off season), 2 weeks in 2004 and 2 weeks in 2005.

Let's also remember that Hankins was the judge at the show last month where the bad image horse was not only allowed to show but he didn't even excuse the horse from the ring.

Note also that three of the four of the really long suspensions were during the off season of showing, and they were allowed to resume their duties right when show season was underway. This seems particularly suspicious to me.

It saddens me to know that these poor creatures will be judged by those who have committed a crimes against them in the past. I see it like having a burglar watch your house while you're out of town. I don't understand why, when the industry says they want to end soring, still hires those who are documented violators to be BOD members, officers, judges, DQPs, and the like. I believe this is a continued example of why soring will not be stopped within the industry and why we absolutely need to law to be upheld by the USDA.

RESEARCH - The Most Important Comments to the Proposed Penalty Structure

2011-08-13T21:13:00.002-07:00

So I've read a lot of the comments on the proposal penalty structure as written by the USDA. I think it is extremely important to share the comments submitted by Mark Matson on behalf of the International Walking Horse Association (IWHA). To explain, the IWHA is the only HIO that allows Big Lick horses in their venue that actually does not allow sore horses through. They have a strong penalty structure and make sure no "bad image" horses enter the ring. I have heard a lot of really good things about their shows, and their dedication to ending soring is by far very strong and a real asset to the TWH industry.

I decided to post the comments from the IWHA because I believe they are the best out there. They truly point out the real reasons why soring continues and why the industry continues to fight against the new penalties. The essay is organized as follows.

Introduction

Industry decline; is the USDA responsible?

Penalties vs. Inspections

Test Variability vs. Test Subjectivity

The Borderline Horse - One time in, one time out

Can the USDA Mandate Penalties?

The Matter of HIOs as "State Actors"

Due Process and Double Jeopardy

Is there really a problem?

Conclusion

Submitted for consideration

This fact was extremely telling:

A couple or three years ago, a well-known trainer was interviewed for a morning television program the morning of the first evening of the National Celebration. He stated during the interview that soring was something that happened 40 years ago, but it was relatively rare today except for a few bad apples. That very night he received a ticket for a bilateral sore horse.

And the conclusion is spot on:

In conclusion, those in the walking horse industry, who oppose this rulemaking and these penalties are attempting to defend the indefensible. In particular, in this case, they are attempting to defend and protect the interests of violators. They want to defeat any changes to the Regulations, maintain the status quo, keep their corrupt HIOs in play, and maintain the ability of trainers to sore these horses during training. In short, outside of their ever glib lip service, virtually everything they stand for stands in direct contradiction to the purpose and intent of the Horse Protection Act.

I was going to further highlight the most poignant parts of the comments, but really, this entire essay absolutely covers everything that is wrong with the industry, why they continue to support soring, why the penalties need to be put in place, and why the USDA needs to step up to the plate and force the end of soring.

Please take the time to read the entire comments. They can help everyone get a better understanding of not only why this is happening, but why it absolutely needs to stop now.

**********

BEFORE THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE

APHIS DOCKET NO. 2011-0030

RESPONSE OF THE INTERNATIONAL WALKING HORSE ASSOCIATION, A USDA-APHIS CERTIFIED HORSE INDUSTRY ORGANIZATION INSPECTION PROGRAM,
TO USDA-APHIS HORSE PROTECTION ACT AND REGULATIONS PROPOSED RULEMAKING

FILED BY:

INTERNATIONAL WALKING HORSE ASSOCIATION (IWHA)
MARK MATSON, VICE PRESIDENT AND DQP COORDINATOR
720 CHARTER WOODS DRIVE
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46224

DATE: JULY 26, 2011

Introduction:

A recent communication from the president of the Walking Horse Trainers Association to its members read as follows:

“July 11, 2011

Dear WHTA Members,

July 26, 2011 at midnight could change the future of our walking horse industry. This is the deadline to respond to the USDA Rulemaking. (You have received the appropriate filing addresses in a previous news brief to you.)

This is a heartfelt plea to all WHTA members to take a stand and send in your PERSONAL response. This is the most significant matter that has impacted the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry in almost 40 years. OUR LIVELIHOOD IS AT STAKE. OUR PROFESSION IS AT STAKE. We CAN NOT live with the mandatory penalties.

Our Trainers Association has 650 members. It is absolutely imperative that each member sends in a response. Logically thinking, I know this is an impossible goal. However, if we can get at least a 70% response rate…this would be a huge accomplishment.

Remember, the time to ACT is NOW. We can’t answer today’s and especially tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. That shoe no longer fits.

I challenge each of you to take the time and respond. This could be the only opportunity to save our future.

Thank You,

Bill Cantrell, WHTA President”

There cannot exist a more damning self-indictment of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry than what is contained in the foregoing communication and others similar to it. Penalties are only assessed to those who have already been deemed to be in violation of the HPA. Put plainly, penalties only apply to violators. One might logically then ask, “So, why is this industry so over-wrought regarding penalties? Why are these penalties described as so onerous as to threaten trainers’ livelihoods and the profession of training show horses in this breed when penalties only apply to ………. violators?” The reason for this all-consuming concern with penalties is as elementary as it is obvious, and the trainers understand it better than anyone. It is because they can’t conceive of a world in which they have to train horses without engaging in - as an integral part of that training - the prohibited acts described in the Horse Protection Act. Engaging in those prohibited acts as part of a horse’s training, regardless of whether it is a little or a lot, becomes a far riskier business in the face of significantly increased penalties. And, of course, that is the whole idea of the proposed mandated penalties becoming law.

Kenny Smith (KWHA) points out in his comment that if these penalties are enacted, then there will be more shows that will not affiliate with an HIO. Why would that be? The obvious reason is that those shows want trainers to come, and the trainers won’t show their sore-trained horses where there is increased risk of suspension. Therefore, the trainers will put pressure on the show managers to not affiliate with an HIO, in spite of the fact that doing so presents serious risks and liability directly to show management. The potential for this effect was mentioned as far back as in the listening sessions held in the mid-1990s. The trainers always point to this effect as a possibility, and they should know because it is they, who are largely responsible for it. This threat is made every time there is discussion about more effective inspections and/or stiffer penalties, which are clearly not wanted by the trainers. Again, penalties don’t enter the equation unless first there are violations. That the trainers view these proposed penalties as a life-altering concern points straight to the fact that they fully anticipate violating.

One of the most telling aspects involves the issue of “probation”, which does not exist under the proposed penalty structure. Probation wipes a trainer’s slate clean at the beginning of each year. Trainers have always wanted probation. Probation only matters to violators, and especially to those who are, or expect to be, repeat offenders, and it is otherwise of little consequence. Is it not another glaring self-indictment that trainers consider probation to be important to the point that they believe their very livelihood is threatened without it? But, how could that be possible unless trainers fully expect to be repeat violators in numbers sufficient to profoundly impact the industry? The plain fact is that they do violate in sufficient numbers currently to have such an impact, and they know it, and under these penalties that impact will be borne by the industry unless they simply STOP VIOLATING; STOP ENGAGING IN, AS PART OF TRAINING, THE PROHIBITED ACTS, DEVICES, SUBSTANCES AND PRACTICES OUTLINED IN THE HPA.

While penalties are to serve as a deterrent, it has been well established that the penalties set by HIOs have been virtually non-functional in that regard, as evidenced by the large number of repeat offenders – many of which are multiple repeat offenders. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Task Force (2008), the Independent Review Committee of the greater equine industry (1994), the USDA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) (2008 – 2010) and APHIS all concluded that industry penalties were woefully inadequate to effectuate the purpose and intent of the HPA (which, incidentally, is not merely to keep the sore horse out of the ring, but to abolish the practice of soring). In stark contrast to the approach of the walking horse industry, and provided as an example of the approach of other breeds, Denny Hales, then president of the Ohio Quarter Horse Association, stated with regard to AQHA’s approach to penalties for violations, “The first time we slap your hand, but the second time we cut off your arm.” (2008) The mandated penalties proposed in this rulemaking were drafted in order to address the industry’s weak, worthless penalties as well as to provide uniformity across the HIOs. While still significantly less than the maximum penalties set forth in the HPA, these penalties are designed to skew the risk/reward ratio in the direction of making engaging in the practice of soring a much higher risk venture than it has been with the intent to discourage the practice. The soring problem in this industry requires a systemic, across-the-board solution, and these penalties are part of that.

Industry decline; Is the USDA responsible?

This industry has had a party of corrupt, going-through-the-motions inspections coupled with meaningless penalties for decades with predictable results. Even in the absence of meaningful penalties, this industry is bearing the impact of the soring, cheating and corruption as over the past five years people have left the breed, its shows, and industry in record numbers. Today, the membership of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association is roughly half of what it was five short years ago, and mare breeding and foals registered have declined by roughly 80% to numbers that are decades old. Attendance at shows has declined substantially as well, and many shows that have not folded are barely hanging on.

The decline in this industry since the 2006 National Celebration is due to a combination of key factors. The overall economy has certainly been a factor over the past three years, affecting all breeds and breed industries. However, the decline in this industry actually started during the USDA “listening sessions” in 2004 – 2006, and then rapidly accelerated after the 2006 Celebration in spite of the economy soaring to unprecedented heights in 2007. By contrast with most other breeds, the walking horse industry has seen a far worse decline, due primarily to the following factors specific to it:

1) Knowing the industry wants to keep the sore horse in the ring, and will not change of its own volition, many have also now given up on the USDA’s ability to solve the problem;

2) The age of the internet, cell phone cameras, etc., has made it impossible for the industry to control the flow of information, and can no longer keep a lid on its dirt.

3) Many on the sore side have left because they fear the USDA will ultimately win, and they will no longer be able show a sore horse like they want to;

4) Many die-hard sore horse people have made it clear that they will destroy this industry before they will give up their “right” to show a sore horse.

5) Certain grossly non-compliant HIOs continue to put sore horses in the ring while hiding under the cloak of USDA certification.

For many people, the far greater availability and immediacy of information has moved these matters past the point of mere suspicion, and into realm of knowledge. It is one thing to suspect soring and corruption, but quite another to know it for a fact, and most people in competition are not interested in being a victim of something they know to be corrupt. The exception to that is the person who becomes involved in the corruption, believing they can outdo someone else at unjustly advantaging themselves in some way. Corruption attracts corrupt people, and this industry has been like a magnet for them. Control of information was critical to the ability to question and attack the credibility of those who made claims regarding the ongoing soring and corruption. However, such control of the flow of information has simply become impossible in recent years, and the industry is paying for its sins as the shroud has been removed.

The USDA’s enforcement actions have not caused the decline in the walking horse breed and industry. It is the industry’s continued militant and defiant attitude toward true, effective HPA enforcement that has caused this decline. It is the ongoing war they have waged to keep the sore horse in the ring that has caused it. If this breed would embrace the true purpose and intent of the HPA, which is to end the practice of soring, then even with rigorous inspections this breed would be a rising star. This industry’s self-destructive love for the sore-trained horse is like an out of control ship bashing itself against the rocks of the law. It wants to blame the rocks while by its own choice it has put itself in harm’s way.

If the USDA bears some responsibility for the industry decline, it is precisely due to inadequate enforcement, a matter which they are now attempting to address. However, it should be noted that past enforcement attempts by the USDA have always been met with strong opposition by the industry, including the industry’s use of certain senators and representatives to back off the USDA. While there is a long history of political influence peddling by the industry, the most recent example of that has been the gross misinformation fed by certain industry parties, including certain rogue HIOs, to certain members of the current House Appropriations Committee. That misinformation resulted directly in the loss of the additional $392,000 in appropriations for USDA attendance at shows. It also resulted in the inappropriate potshot taken at the USDA by the Committee, including a threat to further cut appropriations. Interestingly, the Committee also reprimanded the USDA for not going through the rulemaking process to address these matters in spite of the fact that the very HIOs and aforementioned industry parties are 100% unified in their opposition to opening the HP Regulations for rulemaking.

Despite all indicators suggesting this industry should change its ways and finally accept that soring must end, it continues to fight, to its own detriment.

Penalties vs. Inspections

The walking horse industry is attempting to base a large part of its opposition to increased penalties on the claim of subjectivity of inspections. Dr. Steve Mullins, president of the SHOW HIO, makes a great deal of this in his personal response, as do others. First, the industry is attempting to tie penalties and inspections together as a bundle. They are not so tied, but are separate, albeit related, issues.

However, before addressing this issue it should be noted that Dr. Mullins is one of several veterinarians who have long-running, close ties with the industry, and most or all of whom have or have had clientele who sore horses. Those veterinarians are automatically suspect due to their obvious conflicts of interest. In fact, it is well known that some of these veterinarians have even helped their clients get horses in the ring by giving injections to block feet to get a horse through inspection prior to a class. Simply put, they are sympathetic to trainers who sore horses. Unfortunately, holding a DVM degree does not automatically confer ethics and morals on someone. However, even if we ignore that aspect, Dr. Mullins and most of the rest of the industry do not understand the difference between test variability and subjectivity.

Test Variability vs. Test Subjectivity

Test variability and subjectivity are two separate issues. All tests of every kind, shape and size, whether heavily operator dependent or independent and done by instruments – all of them have an inherent amount of variability. Run any test that is sufficiently sensitive multiple times, and you will get varying results. Does that mean that tests have no value? Clearly, the answer to that is an emphatic, “No!” Whether a test has value largely depends on whether it provides sufficient information to make whatever determination is necessary, and to do it with an acceptable amount of repeatability (within the same operator and lab) and reproducibility (between labs and operators), often referred to as “R & R”. Whether a test will serve its purpose most often involves whether the test can properly and sufficiently discriminate between two things. Once it is determined that a test can provide adequate discrimination, then confidence intervals are determined, commonly set at 95%. In other words, if a test is run 20 times, run properly according to the test protocol, then 19 out of the 20 times it will provide a result between X and Y. That interval is called the 95% confidence interval. The interval for reproducibility is always wider than for repeatability. These intervals are established empirically; then once the entire procedure is approved and the R & R approved, it is published as a standard. Test variability is an inherent, normal part of every kind of test and testing. The point is that product, whether it is a widget or a trained horse, should not be produced that is right at the limit of being out of specification. Good, sound training that is designed to develop the natural abilities of the horse, and which is designed to avoid the horse encountering and reacting to any kind of pain, will not produce a horse that is borderline with respect to HPA compliance. If a horse is borderline, which means its condition is at the limit and within the variability of the test (results of the test may be in one time and out the next), then that is the direct result of a conscious decision by a trainer to push the training in that direction.

Subjectivity is different than test variability. Subjectivity has to do with how much an operator can or does influence a test result, whether intentionally or unintentionally. All tests involving a human operator have an inherent amount of subjectivity, even assuming an operator is trying to do the test procedure exactly to protocol. The question becomes one of whether the amount of subjectivity is sufficient to render the test a bad test. Tests that are bad due to subjectivity are those in which the results are variable or skewed, due either to mal-intention on the part of the operator or which are beyond the operator’s ability to mitigate the operator-dependent variability. There are tests which, although highly dependent on operator skill, are still perfectly valid tests due to the operator properly controlling to the best of his/her ability those aspects of the test dependent on operator skill. Tests that allow a high amount of subjectivity can yield results that may vary from meaningless to outright misleading and harmful, depending on 1) the skill of the operator and/or 2) the honesty of the operator. The two areas of claimed subjectivity by this industry are with regard to the scar rule and palpation for reaction to pain. In both cases, it is the honesty of the operator that is the greatest issue, by far. IF a DQP (or VMO) wants to do the job correctly, then true subjectivity will be of little or no consequence. While normal test variability will remain as a factor, it will come into play almost exclusively with borderline horses. As a matter of fact, it is entirely possible to inspect horses with a high confidence level for properly determining compliance. Further, the confidence level is far above 95%.

Palpation presents a one-sided potential error when subjectivity comes into play. Contrary to what is popular, when the protocol for palpation is properly followed, it is not possible to apply enough pressure to make a horse react to pain that isn’t there. Peer reviewed work that has been done with the pressure algometer has demonstrated conclusively that to elicit a pain response in a truly sound horse requires many multiples of the amount of point pressure that it is humanly possible to apply with the ball of the thumb. That finding supports reams of anecdotal evidence to the same effect. In fact, truly sound horses don’t even react to the end of the thumb, or even to the thumbnail, no matter how hard they might be applied. That is not to say that it is not possible for a dishonest DQP to cite someone, claiming a pain response that did not occur, a situation that is relatively uncommon. Citing honest exhibitors with sound horses is relatively uncommon, as HIOs and shows do not generally want to discourage honest, sound people from showing, since the entry fees from them provide the funds to pay winnings to those with dishonest, sore horses. It is, however, not only possible, but is common practice to intentionally apply inadequate pressure to truly determine whether a horse is sore. Untold numbers of sore horses have gone in the ring using this dishonest technique. This common practice with certain HIOs is the other key reason (aside from meaningless penalties) why soring persists to the extent it does today.

The same scenario exists with enforcing the scar rule, a rule which involves tissue pathology other than true scars. The USDA has provided clear guidance regarding what is and is not acceptable, and it is, in fact, not difficult to determine whether a horse is in or out of compliance. Under IWHA’s approach, a horse that is not clearly out of compliance is not cited; in other words, the tie goes to the horse. However, the intent of the Act is that “evidence of abuse indicative of soring” will be cited, and if such evidence exists, then IWHA will cite the violator. Effective enforcement of the scar rule is necessary to achieve the purpose and intent of the HPA, which is to put a stop to soring altogether, including during training – not just to keep sore horses out of the ring.

The Borderline Horse – One time in; One time out

However, even assuming the desire to do the job properly, there exists the matter of DQPs and VMOs making varying calls on a horse. One might ask, “How can that be?” The obvious answer is that, driven by competition, some trainers chose to ride right on the line of being in or out. In other words, they are running right at the end or limit of the specification, and within the variability of the test. This approach is not unique to trainers in this industry. Driven by exactly the same kind of competitive factors, manufacturing companies choose every day to do exactly the same thing with their products, and face exactly the same “one time in – one time out” consequences. What is key to note is that THEY ALONE MAKE THAT CHOICE TO RIDE THE LINE. Nobody forces them to do it. It is their choice, and has nothing to do with a bad test. Just as it is not necessary to manufacture any other product right at the specification limit, it is also not necessary to ride that line in order to train a horse for competition.

While this industry cries, “Subjectivity! Subjectivity!”, one may rest assured that the last thing they want is for subjectivity to be driven out of this process. Why? Because 99.99% of the true subjectivity in inspections takes place on the part of dishonest DQPs and HIOs who continue to feather horses instead of properly inspecting them. Is that due to inadequate training or knowledge? No. It is due to simple dishonesty. It is due to the fact that this industry has intentionally and blatantly abused the inspection area to keep the sore horse in play. While oxymoronic to be sure, certain rogue HIOs have abused their certified status to literally claim a “USDA-Certified” stamp of approval on the butt of the sore horse going in the ring. Does that mean that the entire HIO/DQP approach cannot work? No. Clearly certain HIO programs are grossly fraudulent, whose primary goal is to protect their HPA violator customer base. However, just as there are honest people involved in the enforcement of any other law or rule, we can have honest people, who will do this job right. The only viable solution is to get rid of all those programs and individuals who are dishonest, and whose purpose and intent is quite the opposite of the HPA.

Can the USDA Mandate Penalties?

The more appropriate question is, “Should it be necessary?” The entire HPA, its purpose and intent, and the authority of the USDA as set forth in Section 9 of it, is mandated. That is what a law is; a mandate. Regardless of the fact that many in this industry hate it, and think that if they want to show a sore horse it should be nobody’s business but their own, the HPA is federal law. In fact, it actually should not even be necessary to mandate these penalties to HIOs, assuming that the HIOs’ goal is effective enforcement in line with the purpose and intent of the HPA. That it is even necessary for the USDA to mandate penalties exposes the real problem, which is that aforementioned assumption is false. In fact, the primary purpose and intent of certain of the HIOs is to function as a roadblock to effective HPA enforcement. Ultimately the only real solution is to get rid of the HIOs for which that assumption does not hold. They are not hard to spot.

The matter of HIOs as “State Actors”

HIOs, which indeed exist as private organizations, but which do not WILLINGLY enforce the law in the way deemed appropriate and necessary by the USDA have no business being certified, and need to be summarily decertified. The whole notion of certified HIO inspection programs was that the industry, with USDA oversight, would police itself. However, inherent in that notion was the presumption that industry self-policing would be sufficiently effective to achieve the purpose and intent of the HPA, which was to end the practice of soring. Instead, the industry has abused its role in order to achieve exactly the opposite of what was intended. The over-arching doctrine in all of these matters is that the HPA must be effectively enforced. Anything that stands in the way of that being accomplished is thwarting the USDA’s responsibility in that regard, and therefore, must be removed, including any HIO that does not properly function in the capacity of a certified inspection program. It is the USDA who is the sole authority in these matters; not the HIOs, and it is the USDA, who is ultimately responsible. All HIO inspection programs were certified by the USDA based on the aforementioned presumption, and by the exact same token, where that presumption has proven to be false, then that certification should be summarily revoked.

There is nothing which prevents a private organization, such as a certified HIO inspection program, to put rules and policies in place which would achieve the purpose and intent of the HPA. However, certified HIO inspection programs were brought into existence via rulemaking, and therefore, are part of the law, for the sole purpose of enforcing the HPA. HIOs which refuse to voluntarily function in the manner deemed necessary to achieve the purpose and intent of the HPA have simply made the case for their non-existence via decertification.

Further, it is completely untenable that the USDA could breathe into existence, via certification, an entity to perform a function under the Act, but over which the USDA ultimately has no control. The law of contradiction precludes two different entities having authority over this matter simultaneously, but unless the USDA has the authority to control, including the authority to decertify, including cease and desist authority, over an HIO, then multiple authorities do exist, which means there is no real authority. Simply put, any HIO which refuses to take direction from the USDA has set itself up as its own authority in matters for which Congress has vested sole authority in the USDA. By itself, such action on the part of any HIO should be grounds for immediate, summary decertification.

Due Process and Double Jeopardy

All of the complaints about due process rights being abridged are disingenuous, at best. The last thing these people really want is totally fair, objective and effective inspections coupled with all alleged violators going to federal court. However, SHOW has been the primary author behind the industry’s responses in this regard. The cases they cite simply do not apply. In the Derickson case, the primary focus of the USDA federal case was transporting a sore horse. However, it was first necessary to establish that the horse was sore as the basis for proceeding the transport aspect. What is commonly ignored by the industry is that when the federal penalty was imposed regarding the soring violation, credit was given that actually exceeded the suspension time already served under the HIO penalty. The other case cited took place at a time when there was no express or implied agreement between the USDA and any HIOs, although the prospect of such an agreement had been discussed. As such, that case simply had no application to the situation whatsoever. Regardless, the USDA has always been clear that they reserve the right to bring a federal case in situations where the HIO penalty was inadequate or in areas which were not addressed by the HIOs, such as transporting.

The fact is that these matters of “state actor”, “double jeopardy”, and so forth are being used by the industry in a blatant attempt throw any wrench they can find into the works to prevent the USDA from dealing with this 40-year old, ongoing problem of the sore horse. That these horses do not today have gross scars like they did in the 1960s and 1970s does not in the least mean that this problem has been solved. The industry’s position on these penalties stands as proof enough of that by itself. In the Dericksons’ case, they did not dispute that the horse was sore. Yet, that seems to be of little concern while this case is oft cited, albeit incorrectly, as one of double jeopardy. Clearly, this industry continues to be far more concerned about the interests of violators than it is in protecting the interests of those who abide by the rules and the law, and in enforcing the law.

Is there really a problem?

If you listen to many within the industry, they claim the soring problem is blown way out of proportion, and is basically a thing of the past. A couple or three years ago, a well-known trainer was interviewed for a morning television program the morning of the first evening of the National Celebration. He stated during the interview that soring was something that happened 40 years ago, but it was relatively rare today except for a few bad apples. That very night he received a ticket for a bilateral sore horse. The industry talks about all the “great strides” that it has made, which always compares our current state to something worse rather than what it should be. As support for their claims, they commonly cite compliance rates. However, the HPA compliance figures so often cited by the industry are statistically meaningless. The only potential purpose they serve is as an extreme minimum reference point, the true compliance rate being relatively far worse. The reasons the true compliance rate is far worse are: 1) the very DQP programs in question are those reporting a large percentage of the individual shows’ violation rates, the USDA not being present at 94% of the shows; 2) the overall rate includes the shows of “sound” HIOs, which have very low violation rates due to rigorous enforcement; 3) the overall rate does not include the horses not brought to inspection when the USDA is present; 4) the overall rate includes horses which get through inspection via use of drugs, no drug testing having been implemented in spite of the fact that precisely 2/3 of the 400+ swab samples taken by the USDA in 2009 were positive for illegal foreign substances, a high percentage of those including numbing agents.

It is interesting to see all the comments from people within the walking horse industry, who all think the current system works fine, and no new rules are needed. They are the only ones who think so. By all measures from virtually anyone outside the industry, its efforts at self-regulation are an utter and total failure. As previously noted, this is the recent conclusion of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Task Force, the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and was also noted by the 1994 Independent Review Committee of the greater equine community.

The International Walking Horse Association, one of the certified HIOs, inspected 21 shows last year and will do more this year. We support showing these horses in every division from Country Pleasure to the Padded Performance horse. We have put thousands of entries in the ring, entries which include both padded and flat shod, and we have written very few violations. Many/most of these horses, both padded and flat shod, have successfully shown multiple times, so it is not a fluke. Put another way, if people properly train these horses without subjecting them to the things prohibited in the HPA, then inspections are not the subjective role of the dice that this industry wants to claim they are. On the other hand, there are many people who will not show their horses with us, and the reasons are glaringly apparent. It isn’t because of “subjectivity” or any of that nonsense. In fact, it is precisely because of the lack thereof. In other words, rigorous but fair inspections are themselves serving as a deterrent against non-compliant horses showing with IWHA, and that is exactly as it should be. For those who are foolish enough to consider bringing a non-compliant horse, the penalties are a further deterrent. Yes, there will undoubtedly be some who will still try, but they will either change their ways, or they will be out of it on suspension, and that is the whole idea.

Unfortunately, a large portion of our show industry remains intent on keeping the status quo in play, and it is killing our breed and our industry. In the world of people who break the law and have no real compunction about it unless they get caught, at the top of their “wish list” is to have no law. But, if you have to have a law, then the next best thing is to have no real penalties for breaking it. However, better yet, put yourself in charge of enforcing it so that you use it to your own advantage and to disadvantage others. Of course, at the top of the list to disadvantage would be anyone who thinks such an enforcement system presents a problem and needs to be changed. To those knowledgeable, this scenario is all too familiar. We need those who sore horses during training to go away, as well as the HIOs that cater to them. Only when this industry is no longer a safe haven for those types will we see a brighter future as a breed and show industry. The key is to get rid of all those programs and individuals who are dishonest, and whose purpose and intent is quite the opposite of the HPA. Once that is done, then it may not be perfect at that point, as humans are still involved and always will be, but it will be a lot closer to perfect than the corrupt mess we have today with certain notable HIOs. Is it any wonder that we have not solved this problem and have so much concern about how loss of probation affects violators when those charged with enforcing the HPA regularly undermine it with their non-compliant inspections?

I can testify from personal experience that this job can be done correctly, fairly, and effectively. It very simply comes down to having people who want to do it that way. When HPA enforcement is carried out correctly, including imposing meaningful penalties, it

1) will serve as an effective deterrent,

2) is fair,

3) will shortly put an end to soring,

4) will result in the loss of some people and horses in the this industry (the so-called “harm”), but,

5) will result in the bad elements being replaced with a better cut of people and position this industry for great growth.

Conclusion

IWHA supports these penalties, and asks that upon consideration of the potential modifications listed below, that the Secretary write these penalties into the Horse Protection Regulations. Further, we believe that there should not exist perceptible differences between HIOs with regard to HPA enforcement, including in the penalties imposed, and they should certainly not be allowed to exist as a competitive factor between HIOs. Further, IWHA strongly encourages the USDA to swiftly propose language to summarily decertify HIOs who are grossly non-compliant, who continue to put sore horses in the ring, whose purpose and intent is clearly not in line with that of the HPA.

Submitted for consideration

Specific recommendations regarding the proposed Regulation language under this rulemaking, submitted for Department consideration:

1) The language needs to be altered to clearly prohibit anyone who is on either federal or HIO disqualification from participating at a horse show in any way other than as a spectator. The proposed language is not sufficiently clear in that regard. This language already exists in the Points of Emphasis, but should be included in the changes to the Regulations. Further, the prohibition from participating should extend to include coaching via electronic/radio communication from the suspended party to anyone working with a horse on the grounds or riding it.

2) Language needs to be added which, for purposes of serving suspensions, requires that they be served during the show season, which should be defined to exclude the months of December, January, and February. Allowing suspension to be served in the off-season provides no deterrent effect.

3) Language should be added which requires that in the event of a post-show violation, all prizes, awards, premiums, titles, trophies, etc., must be stripped from the violator and the horse found in violation, and the class must be re-tied. Failure to impose this requirement allows significant benefit to be derived in spite of a violation, which flies directly in the face of the purpose and intent of the Act. An alternative would be to significantly strengthen (such as x3 or x4) the penalty for post-show violations.

4) Any violation results in the horse being suspended for the duration of the suspension of greatest duration of any other party related to that violation. The horse is the vehicle to obtaining benefit via inappropriate means. The vehicle should be de-commissioned so that it is not merely passed to another party, and the inappropriate benefit still derived by doing so.

5) Finally, even the best penalties are meaningless so long as HIOs continue to exist, who have no intention to enforce the HPA (except perhaps via lip service). Strong language needs to be drafted to allow the USDA to immediately summarily decertify HIOs, making it clear that upon notice of decertification their certified status is revoked unless and until it is re-instated following successful appeal, and that they must remain inactive with regard to all HPA enforcement activities, including affiliating and inspecting shows, during the appeal process.

Respectfully submitted,

Mark L. Matson
INTERNATIONAL WALKING HORSE ASSOCIATION
July 26, 2011

ARTICLES - The American Farrier Journal's New Article About Soring AND Data That Pads Can Cause Damage

2011-08-11T16:35:00.004-07:00

Thank you AFJ, for writing another excellent article about soring! This issue of AFJ came out two days ago. It's an excellent account of what's going on in the TWH industry, why changes need to be made and where changes need to come from. I was sent a scanned copy of this article, so I posted it on the FTTWH photobucket page. You can read it by going to the below link.

Soring Concern Continues, But Changes Are Coming

Click on the next button to go to the next page. If it is too small to read, hover your mouse at the top left of the actual page of the article and you'll see a toolbar come up. Choose Zoom In to zoom in on the article to make the print larger.

The changes that are coming are the RIGHT changes. They include "possible increased federal government funding for horse show inspections and increased emphasis on bringing violators to court under the Horse Protection Act (HPA)..." And additionally speakers at the Sound Horse Conference "maintained that more stringent enforcement and demands to ban soring by the equine industry are essential to eliminate this long-term problem."

Huge kudos go out to Jim Crew, for standing up for what is right. He "urges trainers to work together to save the TWH show horse. The first step, he maintains, is for everyone to quit violating the HPA." Crew goes on to say that "'You don't have to worry about going to a horse show and passing inspection if your horse is completely sound...and it's not going to be very long until all of the unsound horses will be on the truck back home and you'll be collecting ribbons.'" He also says one of the most valuable things I've ever heard a gaited horse farrier say: "'We need to get rid of that big long bulky shoe...We need to clean up the looks of that shoe, along with the size and style. Morgans and Arabians don't have these problems. I shoe some Saddlebreds, and those shoes are not nearly as long or as big as with the TWH, but they still get a lot done.'"

I really liked this particular data that Dr. Tracy Turner came up with--that stacking a horse causes abnormal hoof balance. In 2007, Dr. Turner used thermography to study 15 performance/BL TWHs. What follows is the data he discovered.

Among these horses, five had an abnormal pastern, three had abnormal hooves, five had both abnormal pasterns and hooves and one had an abnormal cannon bone.

...Turner says many of the unusual thermal patterns he's seen are related to abnormal hoof balance. Here's what he found with different types of horses:

With TWH horses wearing a pad and shoe package, 50% had a negative solar angle,* 50% had a hoof wall length disparity of more than 1/4 inches, 86% had a medial lateral angle** of more than 3 degrees and 7% had a rotation*** of over 5 degrees.

Among flat shod TWH equines, 22% had a negative solar angle, 67% had a hoof wall length disparity of over 1/4 inches, 67% had a medial lateral angle of more than 3 degrees and 15% had rotated by more than 5 degrees.

Looking at hoof imbalance in a normal TWH, Turner found none had a negative solar angle, 35% had a hoof wall length disparity of more than 1/4 inches, 7% had a medial lateral angle of more than 3 degrees and none these horses had a rotation of over 5 degrees.

With gaited Saddlebreds, 33% had a negative solar angle, 40% had a hoof wall length disparity of more than 1/4 inches, 20% had a medial lateral angle of more than 3 degrees and 3% had rotated by more than 5 degrees.

With normal horses, 3% had a negative solar angle, 38% had a hoof wall length disparity of more than 1/4 inches, 17% had a medial lateral angle of more than 3 degrees and none hadroated by more than 5 degrees.

Turner says hoof imbalance causes numerous problems with movement and other physical issues. "Horses that move better don't need to be fixed," he says.

His analysis suggests dorsal hoof wall thickness should be at least 16 mm. Sole thickness at the top of the coffin bone should be at least 10 mm.

This is excellent data that we should all learn from. Heck if you don't even understand the percentages, 14 of the 15 horses on stacks had some type of problem going on. These weren't even sored horses. That's really something to think about. Can we still claim that pads are okay? Well, the data keeps piling up to show that it's not.

Thanks again, American Farrier Journal, for pointing out the truths in the TWH industry. I know I personally can't thank you enough for keeping this atrocity in the spotlight so more and more people can learn what's really going on in the TWH industry.

*solar angle - the angle from the bottom of the coffin bone to the ground plane. (Picture here: Correct Angles of the Horse's Front Hoof)

**medial lateral angle - the angle between the inside (medial) side of the hoof to the outside (lateral) side of the hoof. (More information here: Lateral Medial Balance)

***rotation - when the coffin bone rotates forward down into the laminae, part of the sole or bottom, of the hoof. Rotation can lead to founder aka laminitis, which is the inflammation of the laminae due to pressure of the coffin bone. This is extremely painful for the horse.

RESEARCH - The Auburn Study: Yes, Pads Are Bad

2011-08-10T20:48:00.005-07:00

I finally found the Auburn Study! I’m really excited about this. I know that sounds kinda funny, but the reason I’ve been wanting to find it is that the industry continues to say this study states that pads are okay. In fact, I know of one person who posted on the Facebook page that the study states that pads are actually good for the horse!*

So let's take a look at the study for real and go over what it was done for and why.*

The Auburn Study: Thermography in Diagnosis of Inflammatory Processes in Horses in Response to Various Chemical and Physical Factors

Thanks, American Horse Defense Fund, for posting this study!

The Auburn Study is well known throughout the industry. Unfortunately, it’s pretty obvious that most people have never even read it, or they would know what it was really done for. The opening sentence states: "To study the effects of acute and chronic inflammatory responses of the horse’s thoracic (front) and pelvic (hind) limbs, several studies were done over a seven year period at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Alabama." It says nothing about studying the effects of pads in this sentence at all. However, while they don't actually study the effects of pads, the conclusions they make after doing the work ends up showing us that pads are bad, and that they can cause problems for the horse.*

The study was done in a total of 18 phases. The phases can be read on the study itself, but overall, there is absolutely nothing in this study that talks about the pads themselves. The study itself is titled Thermography in Diagnosis of Inflammatory Processes in Horses in Response to Various Chemical and Physical Factors. This means that what they did was study the effects of using chemical irritants and different sized chains using thermography. Thermography itself is a pretty neat science. Here’s a great definition on how it works from Wikipedia.

Infrared thermography, thermal imaging, and thermal video are examples of infrared imaging science. Thermal imaging cameras detect radiation in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum (roughly 9000–14,000 nanometers or 9–14 µm) and produce images of that radiation, called thermograms. Since infrared radiation is emitted by all objects above absolute zero according to the black body radiation law, thermography makes it possible to see one's environment with or without visible illumination. The amount of radiation emitted by an object increases with temperature; therefore, thermography allows one to see variations in temperature. When viewed through a thermal imaging camera, warm objects stand out well against cooler backgrounds; humans and other warm-blooded animals become easily visible against the environment, day or night. As a result, thermography is particularly useful to military and other users of surveillance cameras.

Inflammation in a horse’s limbs can easily be detected using a thermal imaging camera. So what the vets at the Auburn Study did was take a base reading of the horse at rest to show the level of heat that horse’s legs produce. Then they ran separate experiments with different types of chemicals and different chain weights to the pasterns and then worked each horse for a certain amount of time. Then they did new scans with the camera and recorded the results.

The results showed that chemical soring and pressure shoeing do cause pain, that chains combined with chemical soring does cause pain, and that 10 oz chains or heavier without chemicals caused pain. This study also pointed out that 2, 4 and 6 oz chains without chemical soring did not cause any detectible pain or tissue damage, with the exception "to some loss of hair from 6 oz. chains in the pastern areas." So hair loss is possible with 6 oz chains. Since this study, there is a rule that only chains up to 6 ozs are allowed in the ring, but I certainly don't see DQPs weighing chains when horses are being inspected.

One part of the study is particularly notable. This is Phase XV, as posted below.

Phase XV. Preliminary Studies to Evaluate the Effects of Change in the Heel to Toe Ratio
The objectives of this study were to determine if deviation of hoof angle will alter the gait of Tennessee Walking Horses and to determine if tendonitis or other inflammation were caused by deviation of hoof angle. Two horses, # 22 and # 23 were placed under observation on 4/9/81 and monitored before and after 15-20 minutes of exercise with thermography, pressure device, Micron, rectal thermometer and visually by rider, technician and veterinarian. Horse # 22 was shod from ‘barefoot status to wedges, pads and shoes on 4/13. Horse # 23 had been shod similarly before 4/9/81. On 4/29 the heels of both horses were raised 8 degrees, before exercise and monitoring. On 5/11 the heels were dropped 12 degrees by removing wedges and the horses exercised and monitored. Horses were then exercised and monitored on 10 separate days during the period of 5/12 - 6/1. No action devices or chemicals were applied to the feet or legs during the study.

Thermography study suggests that shoeing of the forefeet in pads and wedges from a barefoot status (horse # 20) causes a 1—2 degree rise in temperature in the superficial and deep flexor tendon area.

Similarly, inflammation in this area was observed on thermography when the angle of the hoof was raised or lowered (both horses). When the heels were lowered on 5/11 and observed until 6/1 there was a gradual decrease of inflammation in the f1exor tendon area.

Pressure readings taken at the usual 6 points on the foot fluctuated to a minor degree, reaching their lowest levels 2 days after the heels were elevated 8 degrees in both horses. Raising the heels 8 degrees caused both horses to stumble and tire easily. They did not regain a sound gait for about 7 days. When the heels were dropped 12 degrees the horses gaited more soundly although there was swelling in the flexor tendons for about 7 days. Raising or lowering the heels of Tennessee Walking Horses and shoeing one with wedges and pads from barefoot status causes thermal patterns in the flexor tendon area that can be distinguished on thermography. These changes cause less fluctuation in pressure readings than the use of action
devices or chemicals. Inflammation subsides about one week after the heels are raised or lowered 8 and 12 degrees respectively. Raising the heel causes a more observable change in the horses’ gait than lowering the heel after it has been raised.

If anything, this part shows that pads ARE bad for the horse. When raising the heel, it caused swelling in the flexor tendons. This can lead to tendonitis, which is a bowed tendon, which is very painful and takes a long time to heal. And over time, a bowed tendon that is not treated can lead to damage and tearing of the fibers of the tendon itself. Click here for more information. If anything, this should show us that horses should be off pads when he’s not being shown, and this means off pads after each show, to prevent the horse from getting tendonitis in the long run. If the horse shows this swelling after 7 days, imagine what kind of swelling could be present after wearing stacks for months on end during show season.

Plus, raising the heel in general caused the horses to “stumble and tire easily,” and "they did not regain a sound gait for about 7 days." Perhaps it’s because the tendons were swollen?

Now since this study, the industry has adopted a heel/toe ratio. The entire package cannot be taller than half of the length of the toe. But I certainly don't see DQPs measuring for the correct heel/toe ratio. They seem to be "eyeballing" it, and that doesn't seem to be a very reliable means to make sure the horse is being shown according to the rules.

Overall, Dr. R.S. Sharman included a letter to Dr. Schwindaman of the USDA APHIS with the findings of the study. Below is the text of the letter.

**********

February 19, 1982

Dear Dr. Schwindaman:

We have yet to carry out the formal steps to determine the effects of built-up pads on Tennessee Walking Horses. Over the years, however, we have experienced what the group considers a high rate of thrush in the horses we have shod with pads and used in tests. Although it is not readily apparent on clinical observation we have observed with thermovision varying degrees of abnormal inflammation on the posterior aspect of the metacarpal area where the flexor bundle is located. This usually occurs the day after a horse has been freshly shod, whether or not he is exercised daily, and lasts from a few days to two weeks.

Attached are some questions we asked of our farrier and four clinic veterinarians who devote their professional time almost exclusively to equines. They all answered 'yes' to the first two questions and suggested sheared heels, quarter cracks, and laminitis as other abnormalities of the forefeet of Tennessee Walking Horses shod with conventional pads. They all answered 'yes' to the fourth question, giving their reason that they could not adequately examine the feet unless the sole was exposed.

Sincerely,

R.S. Sharman, DVM

Assistant Professor

1. Do you associate , from your observation, increased incidence of thrush with pads covering the sole of horses hooves? [YES]

2. Contracted Heels? [YES]

3. Other abnormalities? [YES - sheared heels, quarter cracks and laminitis]

4. Would you consider it necessary to remove pads and shoes from a horse to do an adequate foot examination? Why? [YES - The foot cannot be adequately examined without the sole exposed.]

**********

Clearly, even without doing a specific study on the effects of pads,* the Auburn Study has a lot of evidence that pads are not good for the TWH. Hopefully we'll see more evidence in the future of the damage pads do. However, I don't think the industry can hinge their hopes that pads are okay by this study.

*Added for clarification 8/11/11

NEWS and VIDEO - Abuse In a Trailer At a WHTA Show

2011-08-09T21:03:00.003-07:00

I don't think the attitude of the industry toward horses can be better explained by this video.

This was brought to my attention by a trainer from KY. This is quite possibly an example of "stewarding," a practice used to force a horse to stand to take the pain of a DQP inspection. Stewarding involves taking a horse and having it stand tied while someone holds its feet and prods it the way a DQP would. Another person is standing next to the horse with something that will hurt if it hits the horse, such as a broom handle, baseball bat, or 2 x 4. If the horse flinches, they get whacked really, really hard. This way the horse learns that if it doesn't stand still, the pain will be worse than the pain he's feeling on his legs and feet. Another form involves burning the horse up in side the nostril with a lit cigarette or a hot branding iron, which will cause pain but won't leave a visible scar. Unfortunately, I once met a horse with circular shaped scars in its nostrils, a victim of stewarding.

Click here for the link to the video. This is a public website with all videos available for view. This show was the 35th Annual Marshall County Horseman's Association Horse Show that took place on July 22nd, 2011.

Here's what you're looking for. At approximately 4:00 minutes, the announcer asks for the horses to slow to a flat walk and then reverse. The camera will pan to the right and stop on a sorrel horse with a blaze. In the background in the upper right of your screen is a trailer with a lighted, open door. You will see a horse standing tied to the trailer that then moves out of view. You will then see a horse's head in the door. A man then steps out of the trailer with a broom. He turns around, then slams the broom down through the air, and as the broom makes contact, you will see the shadow of the horse in the square window to the left react and jerk violently to the left. This all happens at about 4:45.

As the trainer said to me, I don't think this guy is swatting flies.

I hear from the industry that they love their horses and would never do anything bad to them. So is this love? They certainly love their horses enough to buy a fancy truck and trailer to pull them to the show. They love them so much they're happy to abuse them to get them to do what they want.

I don't care who the trainer is, who the person is who swung that broom--it doesn't matter. The horse is being abused on the show grounds, period, AND it's on video. Way to go, WHTA. You're continuing to prove to us that abuse abounds in the TWH industry.

NEWS and ARTICLES - Barney Davis Soring Horses While on Bond

2011-07-30T20:10:00.004-07:00

Many of you probably remember about the four SSHBEA people who were found not only soring horses, but also falsifying papers about horses. If you don't, check out below.

Federal Grand Jury Indicts Three for Violating HPA

Trial Date Set for SSHBEA HPA Violators

Increase to Davis et. al. Defendants and Indictment Charges

Now, one of the four, Barney Davis, has been locked up. Why? Because he was videotaped soring a horse while he was on bond.

From the article of The Republic of Columbia, Indiana: "[Davis], a defendant in a Tennessee horse soring case has surrendered his pre-trial bond and been locked up in response to a video that shows him building a block to affect a horse's gait and being present when a plate and bolt were inserted in a horse's foot area, his attorney said Friday." Click here for the full article. I have copied and pasted it below.

This monster has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him for soring horses and falsifying papers, and then this happens. Even his attorney says: "I really feel what he as doing was certainly inconsistent with what his obligations were on bond."

To the TWH/SSH Industry: Do you see now why we are so against what you do? You allowed this monster to go ahead and continue abusing horses. Don't think you're responsible for it? Well, you are. You are because since the industry does nothing more than give a slap on the wrist when they do wrong, Davis probably felt it was perfectly okay to continue soring horses. You're also responsible because someone allowed this monster work on their horse while he was on bond, so whomever allowed him to do this doesn't have respect for the law either. So, if you don't take it seriously, why would your members, owners, trainers and exhibitors take it seriously?

I was told recently that an HPA violation is no worse than a speeding ticket. So I guess in that respect, getting caught dog fighting is no worse than doing a little graffiti. Or perhaps canned hunts are no worse than littering. Face the facts, people: violating a federal law absolutely IS NOT similar to a speeding ticket. Here is the proof. Davis is going to pay for his stupidity. The industry should also pay, for he has certainly tarnished your reputation, and eventually you are going to run out of spit to try to shine it back up.

May many more trainers like Davis be caught, and may they be caught soon, for the sake of protecting the horse.

**********

Horse soring defendant locked up after video shows him working on horse while on bond

BILL POOVEY Associated Press

First Posted: July 29, 2011 - 12:12 pm
Last Updated: July 29, 2011 - 1:32 pm

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — A defendant in a Tennessee horse soring case has surrendered his pre-trial bond and been locked up in response to a video that shows him building a block to affect a horse's gait and being present when a plate and bolt were inserted in a horse's foot area, his attorney said Friday.

A U.S. magistrate ordered Barney Davis, 38, of Lewisburg detained and set an Aug. 11 bond revocation hearing. His trial is set for Oct. 18.

Prosecutors seeking to revoke Davis's bond contend in a statement that he violated court-ordered conditions that included staying away from horses he did not own and avoiding training horses and any soring practices.

Soring involves irritating a horse's foreleg and hoof to make the animal walk with a certain gait that is valued at competitions. The illegal practice can involve bolts driven into horses' hooves, attaching objects to their legs or using pain-producing chemicals.

Davis, who operates a stable, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include conspiring to violate the federal Horse Protection Act. A conviction carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.

Three other defendants in the case, Christen Altman, 25, and Paul Blackburn, 35, both of Shelbyville, and Jeffery Bradford, 33, of Lewisburg, remain free.

A superseding indictment in April also includes charges of falsifying entry forms and other related paperwork. Prosecutors contend Davis and Altman collected payments from out-of-state clients based on false representations the animals would be legally trained and then used mechanical and chemical soring practices.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Poole declined comment Friday about the case and Davis being placed in custody in Bradley County.

Davis' attorney, John Norton III of Shelbyville, said Friday that after seeing the video of his client he advised him to surrender his bond at the Thursday hearing. It was not clear where the video came from, but Norton described it as "persuasive."

He said Davis "appeared helping form a block to the horse's foot area" and was "present when a plate and bolt was inserted in a horse's foot area."

"I really feel what he was doing was certainly inconsistent with what his obligations were on bond," Norton said.

Norton said he had not previously discussed a possible plea deal for Davis. He said he was unsure if prosecutors have discussed a plea deal any of the other defendants.

"Unfortunately in a case like this, everybody picks a corner," Norton said.

He said there a lot of witnesses and predicted the trial could take several weeks.

An attorney for Altman, Jerry Summers of Chattanooga, previously told U.S. Magistrate Bill Carter that about 30 horse owners each pay $400 a month to have Davis keep and train their animals.

RESEARCH - The Results of the Comments to The Mandatory Penalties Proposal

2011-07-29T00:00:00.014-07:00

I decided to go through all 898 comments submitted to the USDA concerning the proposal for the mandatory penalties. I broke them down into several categories, and I've detailed what I found below. *UPDATED 7/29: I recounted as I was way off base! The correct numbers are below.*

But first, let's make something very clear: this absolutely was not a voting issue. No one "won" here. No matter which side had more comments, for or against, it was not a matter of numbers as to whether or not the USDA will mandate the penalties. The USDA will be considering all comments and will make a decision based on the facts and the comments.

So, here's the data as I found it to be. Some responses were completely unrelated, so those aren't counted here. Please note that mistakes can be made--I could be off on numbers here and there. I did not double check my work as it took me many hours to do this, so anyone who wishes to do so is welcome to it.

For Mandated Penalties

Individual Responses: 133

Responses sent to one association for submission: 27,349

Associations For: 10

American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)

American Horse Council (AHC)

American Horse Protection Association (AHPA)

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)

Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)

Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH)

Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)

International Walking Horse Association (IWHA)

Total For: 27,492

Against Mandated Penalties

Individual Responses: 716

Responses sent to one association for submission: 0

Associations Against: 7

Kentucky HIO (KY-HIO)

Professional Regulation and and Inspection for Dedicated Equestrians (PRIDE)

Sound horses Honest judging Objective inspections Winning fairly (SHOW)

South Carolina Walking Horse Ladies' Auxiliary (SCWHLA)

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association (TWHBEA)

Walking Horse Owners' Association (WHOA)

Walking Horse Trainers' Association (WHTA)

Total Against: 723

Of course, the four HIOs who did not agree to the mandated penalties are against. That was a given. And the KY-HIO is of course against the penalties. But what do you expect from a group that is well known for bullying the USDA and having a VP who put so many chemicals on a young colt that its pastern was nearly burned off and the colt had to be put down?

I think TWHBEA has overstepped its bounds. Did they have a vote within their membership to ask if people were for or against the new penalties? If I were a member of TWHBEA, I would be canceling my membership after seeing they are against the penalties. They certainly wouldn't be representing my membership. TWHBEA continues to go back and forth as well. First they say they're "only" a registry, so they won't get involved, but then when it comes to stuff like this, they always jump right in. This is why I won't support them in any way.

Now on to the comments.

The most amazing but not totally unexpected part of this was how many HPA violators commented, and of course, all of them were opposed to the new penalties. My favorite was how several HPA violators said they have never hurt a horse in their life and that they stick to the code of ethics for training TWHs, yet the HPA database shows us they have sore and scarring violations. So maybe the code of ethics includes pretending that soring isn't hurting the horse.

I also discovered that the industry has obviously not read the structure of the penalties correctly and had two major complaints: they say the USDA does not have the authority to change the law and that the penalties don't allow for due process.

First, no, the USDA does not have the authority to change the law. However, they DO have the authority to AMEND the law, and this is per the Constitution and stated in the HPA itself. If the industry would have actually read the new penalty structure, they would have seen the word "amended" in the changes. Plus, the HPA specifically says in Section 1828: "The Secretary [of the USDA] is authorized to issue such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter [Chapter 44]" (HPA, USDA APHIS website). The new additions would be added to 9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 11, and CFRs don't need an act of Congress to add to them.

Second, I don't think people realize what due process really is. The simple definition of due process is "the legal principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to law" (Wikipedia, "due process," 28 July 2011). So what does that mean? It means that when the government finds someone violating a law, the person does have rights according to whatever that law says, such as they must be tried in court or whatever the law might cover. The HPA itself does not ignore due process. It specifically says in Section 1825(b)(1): "No penalty shall be assessed unless such person is given notice and opportunity for a hearing before the Secretary [of the USDA] with respect to such violation." As stated in Section 1825(b)(2), the person who violates the law is allowed to appeal the court's decision within 30 days of the court's decision. Plus per the added 11.25(d) for 9 CFR 11, the HIOs must provide a process by which people can appeal the court's decision. All of this is due process.

Overall, does anyone really think that the USDA is going to circumvent the law and do whatever they want? They have been fighting this for nearly 40 years - they aren't going to make such a simple mistake in their new rules.

Some other comments included trying to point the finger at other breeds, such as racehorses. The HPA does not cover breeds other than TWHs or other high-stepping gaited breeds, so trying to pass the blame onto someone else is ridiculous and fruitless.

Other comments included saying the industry will shut down and people will be out of jobs. But here's the kicker: if your horses are sound, then you should still be able to show with no penalties. So if the industry is going to fall, then does that mean everyone is soring their horses? As one woman said in her comment: "If you cannot operate within the industry without a clean horse you need to find another business." If the industry is being destroyed then it is by their own doing by continuing to sore and allow sore horses in the ring. Or if the industry is going to shut down because of new penalties, does that mean that they CAN'T create a sound horse, and they can only get the look they want by soring? The USDA has not caused the economic decline of the TWH industry. If people are leaving it because they don't like that the USDA is actually enforcing the federal law, then that's their issue, not the USDA's. It is a CHOICE to leave the industry; no one is putting a gun to your head and saying leave. It's not the USDA's job to make the industry survive. The HPA is about protecting the horse, and if the industry can't do that, then there's nothing the USDA can do to help them. So overall, new penalties should make you clean up your act, not force you out of business. You want your industry to continue? Stop soring horses. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

There is also a major focus on the scar rule. I do agree that the inspection process is too subjective. But at the same time, scars from soring are completely different than a pasture accident scar, a barbed wire scar, a horse clipping itself, and any other medical type scar there is out there. Plus, no other industry other than the TWH has horses that show the scars that are indicative of chemical soring. The USDA pointed all of this out in their Listening Sessions in 2006 so I won't go into it here. If a DQP cannot recognize this, then there is obviously something wrong with the HIO's training of the DQPs. What I believe the USDA does need to do is eliminate DQPs and HIOs and have VMOs only doing the inspections. But because shutting down the HIOs is more difficult, then this is the next best choice.

Overall, not one person who opposed the penalties was outside of the industry. Many times I saw that people said that soring has been completely eliminated, and that really made me laugh. A few times I saw that people said the mandatory penalties will "harm the Tennessee Walking Horse." This makes no sense--the penalties will further protect the horse. It will only harm those who will continue to sore their horses. I saw no statistical evidence that the VMOs and DQPs can't agree on a scar, no statistical evidence that horses are X percent compliant, no proof that horses are cleaner than they were before. Just hearsay and misinformation. Plus there were lots of different percentages that horses are compliant: 95%? 97%? 98%? Which is it? It was obvious that the majority of the responses were not based in reading the proposed penalties or understanding what due process or the HPA actually mean.

For those who were for mandating the penalties, there were many people who were outside of the TWH industry who support it. This includes the AVMA, the AWI, the HSUS, the AHPA, and the AAEP. Even some lawyers--WOW! Lawyers!--were all for the penalties. These are people who neither benefit nor experience loss according to how the TWH industry functions. It also says a lot that they are professional veterinarians and animal welfare groups and they agree with the penalties.

I'm glad to report that the AVMA, AAEP, and IWHA responses bring forth, echo and enforce all at the same time so much of what those of us who want to see soring end have been saying all along. See below for their responses--click the button that says PDF or DOC to the right to open the document.

AVMA comments

AAEP comments

IWHA comments

It amazing how many people are supportive of stopping soring and saving the TWH from this continued abuse. Thank you, one and all, for making your voices the horses' and helping them speak when they cannot speak for themselves.

NEWS - American Horse Council SUPPORTS the USDA's New Penalties

2011-07-27T10:41:00.003-07:00

We have some amazing news here! Remember how Hal Rogers worked to get the American Horse Council to go against the USDA's new proposal, saying the industry is okee-dokee and there's no need for more penalties? (Click here for my blog post about it.) Well the AHC has changed their minds! They have posted their response to the proposal, and it is in support of the USDA! In fact, in my opinion, it is overwhelmingly supporting the USDA!

I have copied and pasted the AHC's response below since it is hard to find on the Registrar.gov website. The Walking Horse Report also posted the AHC's response, and of course they said that they are disappointed in the AHC's decision and will be following up with them. Well, I think we can all see where the WHR wanted their allegiance to go!

Highlights from the AHC's response include:

"The AHC believes that enforcing consistent and minimum penalties for HPA violators will heighten effective enforcement of the Act."

"The AHC believes that the current level of funding for the HPA does not enable the Agency to oversee and enforce the HPA adequately....The AHC supports the OIG audit finding which recommended USDA seek an appropriate level of funding that will help provide for additional inspectors, training, security, and advanced detection equipment."

"The AHC has worked with appropriators in Congress and requested an increase to $900,000 for the HPA to address these issues....The AHC will continue to work with Congress and USDA to obtain the appropriate level of funding needed to strengthen enforcement of the HPA."

I'll be talking more about the comments soon. Until now, let us rejoice that we have the AHC on our side! Be sure to send them your thank you letters and let them know how much we appreciate their support to help end soring!

**********

June 26, 2011

Docket No. APHIS-2011-0030
Regulatory Analysis and Development
PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8
4700 River Road, Unit 118
Rockville, MD 20737-1238

Re: Docket No. APHIS-2011-0030. Horse Protection Act: Requiring Horse Industry Organizations To Assess and Enforce Minimum Penalties for Violations

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), on the proposed rule changes to amend the horse protection regulations to require horse industry organizations or associations that license Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs) to assess and enforce minimum penalties for violations of the Horse Protection Act (HPA). The AHC supports APHIS’ efforts to strengthen enforcement of the HPA.

The 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.

HPA Proposed Rule Changes

USDA has proposed to institute minimum penalty protocols to be included by an HIO in its rulebook. USDA is also proposing to require HIOs to adopt, assess and enforce penalties as strong as, or stronger, than the penalties set forth in the new USDA rule. The AHC believes that enforcing consistent and minimum penalties for HPA violators will heighten effective enforcement of the Act. The AHC supports the proposed minimum penalties, particularly:

• Suspending all individuals involved with the showing, exhibiting, or sale of a sore horse, including the owner, manager, trainer, rider, custodian and seller.

• Requiring that any person suspended not be permitted to show, exhibit, judge or manage a show or sale during the suspension period.

• Requiring a person with multiple suspensions to serve them concurrently.

• Adding an additional six months for violations during any suspension period.

• Setting specific minimum penalties for bilateral sore violations, unilateral sore violations, scar rule violations, foreign substance violations, equipment violations, and shoeing violations.

• Requiring that a sore horse be dismissed from the remainder of the show, exhibition or sale.

• Dismissing any unruly or fractious horse from the class.

The AHC believes that the current level of funding for the HPA does not enable the Agency to oversee and enforce the HPA adequately. In fiscal year 2007, HPA’s program budget was sufficient to send APHIS veterinarians to approximately 30 of the 463 accredited shows, or 6 percent. Given the weaknesses in the inspection process, APHIS employees need to attend more shows to ensure that horses are inspected adequately. The AHC supports the OIG audit finding which recommended USDA seek an appropriate level of funding that will help provide for additional inspectors, training, security, and advanced detection equipment.

The AHC has worked with appropriators in Congress and requested an increase to $900,000 for the HPA to address these issues. Unfortunately, even though the increase to $900,000 was included in the President’s FY 2012 Budget, the HPA was maintained at the previous year’s funding level. The AHC will continue to work with Congress and USDA to obtain the appropriate level of funding needed to strengthen enforcement of the HPA.

The AHC encourages USDA to continue to incorporate transparency and collaboration in all future HPA initiatives and to work cooperatively with the HIOs, show managers, and industry participants to ensure the 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

NEWS and ARTICLES - Sore Horses Found At Tollesboro Fair July 15-16, 2011

2011-07-24T21:39:00.004-07:00

The USDA rides the rescue! Thank you to Mr. Sacks for attending this show and exposing this group for who they really are.

As usual, the majority of the people left the show when the USDA came, so only 135 horses were shown this year when normally there are over 300. Seems quite suspicious to me--the USDA shows up and everyone scatters.

Four horses were found sore at the Tollesboro Lions Club Fair on July 15 and 16, 2011. "Friday, one violation was discovered. The horse had two sore feet. The Friday night violation will be a federal case. Three more violations were discovered Sunday. Two horses had one sore foot each. Another violation was for a foreign substance." I wonder how many more would have been found sore if people had stayed around? How many more horses are suffering silently while being driven back home?

And the reason why I believe pads, chains and bands need to be outlawed: "All of the violations were for 'padded' horses." As the USDA statistics show us, 90% of all the horses inspected and found in violation for the past three years (2008, 2009 and 2010) were padded horses. The industry has abused it privilege to have padded horses. This privilege needs to end.

" 'It is a legitimate concern,' Stanfield said of soring. 'I just wish it didn't harm us nonprofits.' "

I agree, Mr. Stanfield. I feel sorry for the charities that are supposed to benefit from this show as they might not have gotten as much money as they normally would have. I hope that this will help you make different decisions as to where you get your donations from in the future. The TWH industry continues to hide their abuse behind the guise of charity, and since sore horses were found, I think this show is proof of that. But still, horses are abused in order to help those in need...it makes no sense to me at all.

Click here for the link to the article from the The Ledger Independent. I have copied and pasted the article in its entirety below.

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USDA inspectors concerned about possible "horse soring" at Tollesboro fair

MISTY MAYNARD misty.maynard@lee.net | Posted: Friday, July 22, 2011 10:00 pm

Concerns about a practice called "horse soring" prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to send an inspector to the Tollesboro Lions Club Fair July 15 and 16, said Dave Sacks, a USDA spokesperson.

Four citations were written as a result of the USDA's presence, Sacks said. The inspector's presence also likely contributed to a smaller amount of participants in the horse show, said Paul Hampton, horse show manager and Lions Club member.

"Any show they've been to, it affects them big time," Hampton said.

The total amount of horses for both nights this year was just 135, compared to the more than 300 horses that were shown during the Friday and Saturday nights of the horse show last year, Hampton said.

According to the USDA, soring is the practice of applying a chemical, such as mustard oil, overweight chains or trimming a hoof to expose the sensitive tissue inflicted on any limb or a horse that can cause the horse to suffer physical pain or distress when moving.

"The practice of soring horses is aimed at producing an exaggerated show gait for competition," according to the USDA. "This practice is primarily used in the training of Tennessee Walking Horses, racking horses and related breeds."

According to the USDA, a similar gait can be achieved through selective breeding and humane training methods, but soring achieves the exaggerated gait with less effort and in less time.

Soring was outlawed under the federal Horse Protection Act, passed in 1970.

"We don't go to all shows, but certainly when we do go to a horse show we want to make sure no horses are being sored," Sacks said.

Animals are inspected by a designated qualified person before every show. When a USDA inspector come to a show, Sacks said they oversee the DQP process to make sure all protocols and standards are being followed.

Craig Stanfield, second vice president of the Lions Clubs, said horse soring has never been an issue at the Tollesboro fair and animal health is the number one priority. However, some exhibitors did not want to "take the chance" and left the show.

"It is a legitimate concern," Stanfield said of soring. "I just wish it didn't harm us nonprofits."

Friday, one violation was discovered. The horse had two sore feet. The Friday night violation will be a federal case, Sacks said.

Three more violations were discovered Saturday. Two horses had one sore foot each. Another violation was for a foreign substance.

All of the violations were for "padded" horses.

"The one violation listed as a federal case will be addressed by USDA, while the other three violations will more than likely be handled by the horse industry organization for that particular show," Sacks said. "For the federal case, our investigators must first conduct their investigation, then the case information will be turned over to USDA's Office of General Counsel. So, any potential fine will come about after this legal process."

The fair is the Tollesboro Lions Club biggest annual fund-raiser. The Lions Club contributes to several community projects and provides glasses for those who cannot afford them. They have also spent $275,000 in the past four years on improvements to the fair grounds, which are open to the public for recreation year-round. The grounds include a walking track, baseball field and basketball court, Stanfield said.

NEWS and ARTICLES - The Holistic Horse Picks Up The Campaign to Help Stop Soring

2011-07-20T10:38:00.003-07:00

*****CLICK HERE AND CLICK SUBMIT A COMMENT TO ADD YOUR VOICE TO SAVE THE TWH*****

The Holistic Horse has picked up on the news that FOSH is requesting to see pads and chains banned from the show ring. They have a detailed article that explains what's going and how to comment on the current docket. Please take some time and read this--they have some excellent information on the facts of this situation and how important it is that we get out comments in. Their sample letter for the comment is great and is something we can all either use or springboard from!

Click here for the article from the Holistic Horse. Below is the text.

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FOSH Supports Ban on Action Devices and Pads

Written by Friends of Sound Horses

Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) announces that it will request that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ban the use of action devices and pads in the exhibition of Tennessee Walking Horses and related breeds. FOSH also encourages submission of comments to USDA by July 25 regarding penalty enforcement.

Statistics were analyzed from the past three years' data from shows that USDA Veterinary Medical Officers (VMOs) attended. Over those three years (2008, 2009 and 2010) the entries inspected averaged about 50% padded and 50% flat-shod horses. Thirty six percent of the padded horses inspected by the USDA had Horse Protection Act (HPA) violations, which was five times higher than that of flat-shod horses. Of the flat-shod horses the USDA inspected, 7% were in violation. Of the total violations reported, 90% of the violations were for padded horses while 10% of the violations were from flat-shod horses.

Soring is illegal under the Horse Protection Act (HPA) which was enacted in 1970 to eliminate soring in the horse show ring. Soring is the abusive practice of creating pain as a means of achieving a flashy gait in the Tennessee Walking Horse and other gaited horse breeds. Soring continues to be a common practice in some barns and showing venues and as the statistics bear out, especially in the padded horse show ring.

Submit Your Comments to USDA before July 25

On May 25, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) posted a proposed amendment to the Horse Protection Act (HPA) regulations which would require Horse Inspection Organizations (HIOs) to impose minimum mandatory penalties for HPA violations.

In its supporting document, the USDA states: “The proposed uniform penalty protocol may benefit the walking horse industry by:

- Helping to ensure more humane treatment of the horses;

- Reducing uncertainty about penalties for infractions of the Horse Protection Act;

- Enhancing the reputation and integrity of the walking horse industry;

- Providing for more fair competition at shows, which may positively impact attendance and regional economies; and

- Improving the value of the walking horse breeds”

If you want sound horses in the ring, these new rules are extremely important. At this time, four HIOs have refused to implement the mandatory penalties. The minimal penalties they are using are unconscionable. As an example, a trainer presenting a unilaterally sore horse for the third time under the proposed USDA rules would receive a six month year suspension. Under the previously mentioned four HIOs, the trainer only receives a two week suspension for the third unilaterally sored horse he brings up for DQP inspection. Further, those first two violations are not publicly reported, thus, TWH owners are in the dark as to the trainer’s actual reputation and violation record.

Please tell the USDA you are in favor of their proposed, mandated minimum penalties. Your comments may also include opinions on how these penalties may impact the industry; i.e., level the playing field for exhibitors with sound horses; sored horses in the ring negatively impact the Tennessee Walking Horse breed reputation, or economic advantages to mandatory penalties. Please feel free to mention the number of Walking Horses owned and showed and for how long, etc. Examples of comments: "As a Tennessee Walking Horse owner/breeder/exhibitor for XX years, I am in favor of the USDA mandated penalties." If you are in favor of a ban on action devices and pads, please note that in your comments also.

(For additional examples, please see below)

Please be aware the sore horse industry has gone all out to submit comments. They are opposed to the penalties because they feel the penalties will negatively impact the Tennessee Walking Horse industry/economy and that the USDA has been ruining their industry for years with over enforcement. They also feel the violations are too subjective. They are organizing a workshop to assist people in writing their responses and are providing computers and lunches to pull people in to ensure that they get the word out on how opposed they are to the penalties.

Please note the deadline is July 25. The website may get overloaded close to the deadline so please do not wait until July 25 to post a response.

To see the comments made to date. Click on each individual commentator’s name to see the comment.

Post your comments here.

Your real name need not be used when submitting a comment and no email address is requested. There is a time and character limit on comments so if you wish to file a lengthier response than 2000 characters or it takes you awhile to compose, it can be saved to a Word document and then attached to your comment or pasted into the Comment box.

Sample Language:

I commend the USDA for setting forth minimum penalties for owners, trainers, managers, riders, custodians and sellers for HPA infractions. The USDA is following through on the mandate of Congress to take whatever action is necessary to enforce the HPA The current, self-regulating system with mild penalties has never worked. Enforcement of the HPA has been lacking among several HIOs. All HIOs should be on a level playing field when assigning penalties against those who sore horses.

It is imperative that the USDA step in and provide standards for HIOs that are unable to carry out their mission to protect the horse.

The USDA Penalty Protocol is necessary for HPA violators to realize the USDA will take serious action against those who sore horses and those who allow their horses to be sored.

The industry needs consistency and standards in the operations and inspections of all HIOs. For four HIOs (PRIDE, SHOW, KWHA and Heart of America) to not adhere to the USDA’s mandated penalties creates an economic disadvantage to those HIOs that are following USDA’s guidelines.

Trainers, owners and exhibitors flock to HIOs with weak penalties leaving the compliant HIOs hung out to dry with few exhibitors because they adhered to the stiffer USDA penalty structure. As a result, mandated penalties and a published record of penalties are a necessity in this industry if horse burners (also known as cheaters) are to be permanently put out of business.

Stronger penalties for scars must be imposed. Scars occur because of the use of caustic agents and action devices. Period. Soring a horse on Monday so he is compliant for Friday must stop. The horse may be compliant for the show ring on Friday, but he will eventually accumulate scars on his pasterns. After decades of use of caustic agents on horses, it is mind-blowing that the members of WHTA cannot figure out how to train a horse soundly, isn’t it?

The only time there is subjectivity in determining a scar rule violation is when the decision is in the hands of a rogue HIO that refuses to follow the processes and standards of the USDA.

The padded show horse industry has made it clear they cannot show soundly. The USDA has no choice but to disallow the use of action devices and pads. As stated above, a chain has no effect unless a caustic agent is used on the horse’s pastern, so why in the world should action devices be allowed?

Despite the padded industry’s claim that horses have never looked better, the inspections are still weak and there are still sored horses in show rings every weekend day and night.

Thank you APHIS for proposing minimum penalties and expanding the realm of individuals responsible for a sored horse being presented. This is a great first step towards stronger enforcement of the Horse Protection Act, saving the Tennessee Walking horse industry and leveling the playing field so that sound exhibitors can finally win a ribbon.

I fully support the USDA’s proposed minimum penalties for owners, exhibitors, custodians, trainers, managers and sellers that exhibit, train or transport sore horses. After forty years of the HPA, sored horses are exhibited in the show ring every weekend because noncompliant HIOs cannot self-regulate. If an HIO refuses to implement minimum penalties or any other USDA requirement, it should be decertified. The USDA must do what Congress mandated 40 years ago: enforce the HPA and permanently remove sore horses from the show ring.

I also fully support the ban on action devices and chains. The chained, padded horse cannot do a big lick unless it is sored by caustic agents to create a pain reaction with the chain. I commend the USDA for recognizing that fact and being willing to ban those devices and pads.

Many commentators claim the Walking Horse industry has declined because of the USDA. Nothing could be further from the truth. The industry has not been weakened by the USDA except for the USDA’s inability to enforce the law for 40 years. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that the USDA is NOT responsible for the decline of this breed. That sin belongs on the backs of horse sorers and those who look the other way.

In summary, if the penalties are fully enforced by the HIOs and USDA, the Walking Horse industry will grow and sound horse owners and exhibitors will return.

FOSH is a national leader in the promotion of natural, sound gaited horses and in the fight against abuse and soring of Tennessee Walking Horses. For more information about FOSH or to become a member, please visit www.fosh.info

Holistic Horse magazine is your guide to natural horse health. www.holistichorse.com

*****CLICK HERE AND CLICK SUBMIT A COMMENT TO ADD YOUR VOICE TO SAVE THE TWH*****

NEWS - Requests To Ban Pads and Chains Begins

2011-07-19T16:18:00.003-07:00

*****CLICK HERE AND CLICK SUBMIT A COMMENT TO ADD YOUR VOICE TO SAVE THE TWH*****

Since the industry has not been doing it's job, since the HIOs cannot seem to control their exhibitors and trainers, and since soring has been going on for far to long, then the time to start pushing the USDA to ban the tools used to sore horses has come.

From the below press release by FOSH:

Of the total violations reported [during the years 2008, 2009 and 2010], 90% of the violations were for padded horses and 10% were for flat shod horses.

Clearly, soring is still being achieved through using pads and chains to hide or enhance the pain. The industry has lost its privilege to show the padded and chained show horse. Nearly 40 years of abuse that still continues to this day, and the industry has not stopped it. Plus, we all know that when the USDA is not around the horses are more sore than ever. "Wildcat" shows are cropping up everywhere, over 400 last year. Reports of illegal shoe weights, illegal items such as plastic and wraps, and illegal lubricants are running rampant on the show grounds of these shows.

A follower of our blog was kind enough to go through the entire HPA database and found that 112 violations have been committed in 2011 alone. The majority of these violations were for unilateral sore, bilateral sore and the scar rule. Some people say this is a low number...I say anything above zero violations is too high. One or two, or perhaps 10, I know would be somewhat expected--cheaters will always cheat. But anything over that is unacceptable.

Soring has not ended, and it will continue as long as we allow it. Write your letters to the USDA supporting FOSH's decision, make your calls to your Congressmen. There is absolutely no reason that soring should still exist, and since the industry can't and won't stop it, then we need to see the tools used for soring be taken away.

**********

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Person: Teresa Bippen

Tbippen1957@yahoo.com

FOSH Supports Ban on Action Devices and Pads

July 15, 2011

THOUGHTS - The Other Facebook Page

2011-07-18T13:04:00.006-07:00

There is a new Facebook page on Facebook by Elizabeth Bailey that is not related to my page. Whether you like the page or not is your decision. However, I am letting everyone know that that page is not associated with this blog or my Facebook page. This means that my Facebook page won't be oh hold anytime soon.

I have reported the page as harassment and as a duplicate. Hopefully Facebook will act on these responses.

Thank you again for the continued support for the horse. Let us pray that the USDA will change things for us soon.

THOUGHTS - For the TWH Facebook Page and a New FTTWH Forum

2011-07-17T22:30:00.005-07:00

Hello friends. As many of you may already know, the abuse from the side of the industry that supports padded horses has gotten out of hand on the Facebook page. The goal of the Facebook page was always to supplement the blog so folks could find out when new blog posts were made. Even I lost sight of this and fell into the trap of fighting with others. Overall, comments have gotten out of hand, and I believe that many people on the page have abused their privileges. I also have a hard time with others dominating the page with their comments, so the important action items are being shoved aside. Therefore, as of midnight on Monday, 7/18/11, the Facebook page will be put on hold. It will be back up without the ability to post comments within a few days.

Since I will most likely be accused of censoring others, being unfair, etc., I've decided that an open forum is a better place to allow these discussions. So feel free to come visit the new For the Tennessee Walking Horse Forum. The forum is absolutely free! Only registered members are allowed to comment to ward off spam.

The blog will continue, but I still have to moderate comments because of the continued spam for Asian p0rn that comes up.

Thank you for your continued support to help end soring. Please don't forget to comment on the current docket--we need your voices to be heard since the horses can't speak for themselves!

NEWS - Bad Image Horse at Cornersville Show - THE Reason to Get Your Comments In!

2011-07-13T22:38:00.011-07:00

***THIS POST IS THE REASON WE NEED THE NEW USDA AMENDMENTS ADDED TO THE HPA.***

*****CLICK HERE AND CLICK SUBMIT A COMMENT TO ADD YOUR VOICE TO SAVE THE TWH*****

I found out about a horse that was ridden at The Cornersville Lions Club Show over the weekend. The class is the 2 Year Old Stallions class, which took place on Friday, July 8th, 2011. It was a SHOW affiliated show.

This horse is quite possibly one of the worst examples of a Big Lick Tennessee Walking Horse I have ever seen. Folks, while this is disturbing, WE ALL NEED TO WATCH THIS. You need to see the measures that some people go to just to win a blue ribbon at a small horse show.

VIDEO REMOVED BY REQUEST.

The horses start coming in at about 1 minute, 48 seconds. The offending rider enters at 2 minutes, 34 seconds. You can't miss him--he's the hunched over, spurring, bit pulling, whipping, Justin Harris, riding the sorrel with the flaxen mane and tail and two hind socks. This poor animal is ONLY 2 YEARS OLD. The number is 22. The worst part? This horse's name is Compliant.

Harris, who also "trained" this horse, is fresh off a one year suspension for bilateral soring of a horse, which ended 5/9/2011. He has seven HPA violations under his belt for unilateral and bilateral sore, the scar rule, and for violating his own suspension.

Many people in the industry are upset that this horse was shown. However, it doesn't seem that anyone is doing anything about it. Plus, if anyone who is complaining would take the law seriously, then perhaps Harris would never have put this horse in the ring in the first place. Harris could have been stopped long ago, but no one would take the stand and do it.

The Judge was Jamie Hankins. People are saying there were other horses that should have been excused from the Cornersville show as well, and he didn't excuse any of them. And to wit, Hankins has two of his own HPA violations, and he is also slated to be a judge at the Celebration. Will wonders never cease?

Hankins: YOU SHOULD HAVE EXCUSED THIS HORSE. This is one of the worst things I've ever seen. I've seen some sore horses in my time, but this takes the cake as far as pain and manipulation are concerned. I don't know if Compliant was intentionally sored or not, but even if he wasn't, you cannot tell me he's not in pain.

And guess what? I found out that the DQP at this show also has a horse in training at this trainer's barn. What a nice conflict of interest, which is common in this industry. So of course he let the horse in the ring.

But this is what we really need to focus on: EVERYONE is at fault for this at this show. First, the rider/trainer for obvious reasons. Second, the DQP for allowing this horse in. Third, the judge for not excusing the horse and not allowing him to show at the rest of the show. Fourth, the audience, for sitting on their asses and not doing anything but commenting on it.

The comments in the video are absolutely right: HOW did this horse get into this class? This is absolutely ridiculous. And yes, this IS the reason the industry are in trouble--they continue to allow this garbage to go on.

This is why we need to get your comments in on the USDA dockets. WE NEED TO STOP SEEING THIS, PERIOD. Some people think this isn't a big deal--that this only happens at every few shows. But since there are nearly 1000 TWH shows every year, then this happening at every few shows is a really big deal. We need to see this end, and we need to see it end now. One bad image horse is one bad image too many!

*****CLICK HERE AND CLICK SUBMIT A COMMENT TO ADD YOUR VOICE TO SAVE THE TWH*****

HOW YOU CAN HELP - WHTA Asks for EVERYONE to Respond to the Proposed HPA Amendments

2011-07-09T00:46:00.005-07:00

Alright sound horse warriors, we have received a call to duty! Below is the letter as published by the Walking Horse Report from Bill Cantrell, president of WHTA. My comments are after the letter.

**********

Cantrell Makes Request to File Response

Friday, July 08, 2011

WHTA Member Notice:

Subject: Mandatory Penalties Rulemaking Request

Action: File a response opposing this rulemaking request

Background:

On May 27, 2011 the USDA published in the Federal Register a proposal to amend the horse protection regulations to require Horse Industry Organizations (HIO) or associations that license Designated Qualified Persons (DQP) to assess and enforce minimum penalties for violations of the Horse Protection Act and the regulations. To date, approximately 32 responses have been filed and the overwhelming majority is in favor of the proposed amendment and thus mandatory penalties.

It is urgent that the show horse industry act now on this public comment period and let their feelings be known by the USDA. This is an opportunity for the industry to be heard and everyone that owns, trains, exhibits or enjoys the Tennessee Walking Horse should feel responsible to file a response. The deadline for responses is July 26, 2011.

There are two ways to file your comment:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2011-0030 to submit or view comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.

Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send one copy of your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2011-0030, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2011-0030.

I urge each of you to file a personal response to this rulemaking request. The WHTA will file a response but the number of responses filed opposing this action is very important.

Thank you,

Bill Cantrell, WHTA President

**********

Mr. Cantrell is absolutely right:

...Everyone that owns, trains, exhibits or enjoys the Tennessee Walking Horse should feel responsible to file a response.

So this is our call to duty too! We need to file our responses to let the USDA know we support their decision.

There is a lot of talk going on in the circles that want to keep the rules as is that these actions are "unconstitutional." Well, the U.S. Constitution only sets up how the U.S. Government is supposed to run...THAT'S IT. There is nothing unconstitutional about making amendments to laws that are currently not being followed. If we didn't allow amendments or changes, then such major trials as Roe vs. Wade or Kramer vs. Kramer would not have made a difference to the national laws. If they are talking about the part that says life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we all know that that does not mean you can run around doing whatever you want without consequence. For example, pedophiles are happy when they are abusing children. So should we not have laws against it, just because the Constitution implies that it's okay since the pedophile's happy?

The USDA is absolutely are not taking away anyone's right to show horses or enjoy their horses by making amendments to these rules. First, amendments are allowed per the Constitution and the HPA itself. Second, the HPA gives the USDA APHIS permission to enforce the HPA by any means necessary, and that may mean by amendments. Third, the USDA is also going with what their bosses are telling them, specifically the OIG, which has deemed the current way of enforcing the HPA as not working at all and that changes must be made. The industry seems to have completely forgotten this fact.

The industry is also crying that the industry itself is being impeded by these rules, which is against the HPA. Well, this is true. But the problem is that the industry refuses to end soring, so their actions MUST be impeded in order for the law to be effective. And if the industry doesn't want the government to impose on them, then stop soring horses. As I've said time and time again, it's a very simple answer to a very serious problem. We know the industry is capable of ending soring--they just refuse to do it.

I would think that if the industry would actually end soring, that showing would actually be more fun and profitable for everyone involved. They won't be waiting to see if the USDA will show up at a show, and they don't have to risk not showing their horses and losing money when they pack up and leave when the USDA does come. The industry itself is becoming smaller and smaller as more people are staying away. They wouldn't have to so rudely defend the abuse and the idiotic look of the heavy shod horses all the time. And the industry would actually gain the respect of the rest of the horse world if they were to publicly end soring. It only benefits the industry to start cooperating and stop soring.

CLICK HERE for the document's page, and CLICK THE ORANGE BUTTON to submit your comment. If you have more to say than the allotted space, you can write your response in Word or any other computer program and save it as a PDF file. Or send a letter to the above address.

Pass this information on to your horse friends or any animal supporter you have in your family. Post information about it at your local barn, post it on rescue pages on Facebook, email everyone you can think of. The need for support is overwhelming!

DUE DATE IS JULY 26!!! Be sure to get your comments in ASAP! And THANK YOU in advance for supporting the sound horse and the HPA!

RESEARCH - The Current TWH vs. the Original TWH: A Great Blog About the History of the TWH

2011-07-01T02:00:00.004-07:00

I was directed to a fun blog by a friend that details the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse. It's great because it has old photos, articles, and stories about the old days, which includes long before soring became the way to "train" the TWH. Click here for Walking Horse Trivia. "Smitty" is the person making the posts, kudos to his research and well put together blog! The photos are great--you can really see how well the horses moved and learn why exactly the gait was cultivated. And check out that gorgeous horse Honey Gold as the April Photo of the Month! WOW! Who wouldn't want a mane and tail like that. These were amazing animals that didn't need pads, chains, bands, or heavy shoes to be brilliant, gorgeous, and crowd-pleasing. I haven't read everything yet, but I started from the beginning and have really been enjoying the posts.

I particularly enjoyed the first article posted on the blog. It's titled The Unmistakable Walking Horse. Smitty posted this note about the article:

NOTE: the following excerpts are taken from AMERICA'S TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE, published in 1973 by Jack Knox, a nationally know editorial cartoonist, who had a long and lasting interest in horses of all breeds. For many years, he was a familiar figure at the Celebration, where many of his sketches of Tennessee Walking Horses were done. He spent much of his early life in the cowboy country of Texas and New Mexico and in later years, he took leave of his drawing board to spend vacations as a working cowboy. His studies of the Tennessee Walking Horse included both plantation pleasure and show horses.

I have seen a lot of Jack Knox's illustrations and they are dynamite. They really capture what the TWH was all about, the fluidity of gait and the ease of movement that the horse is known for.

Since I don't have permission from Smitty to save any of the photos in the article, I want to draw your attention to the second and third sets of drawings. Take a look at what the Big Lick used to be. A free flowing animal, without tall and heavy pads, and he sometimes wore bell boots to protect his heel bulbs from accidentally being kicked by his hind feet. The height of the knee is not higher than the shoulder, and the horse reaching and pulls with his front end while driving with his hind end, all while keeping his back level.

Now take a look at the conformation section. They talk about pads, but note how they aren't abnormally tall, nor is the heel sheered off with abnormally long toes. Now note the notes concerning the hocks.

Some "old timers" will argue that a "goose rump" and crooked hind legs are essential to the way a horse scoots his hind legs up under himself. But the Arab, longest striding horse ever bred, had an almost level croup, and "straight" hind legs. The Arab has but two natural gaits, a long-striding flat walk, a gallop - though easily trained to execute other gaits. Light horse breeds get their stride and refinement from "the royal drop" of blood from the ancient Arab. A few Arabs are listed "foundation" stock in the Walking Horse stud book.

Knox also points out: "Crooked hind legs are subject to bog spavins and other hock ailments."

Knox is actually saying that those conformation faults that are sought after in today's show horses ARE WRONG. He shows it even more so in the next paragraph and the following illustrations of faults.

Next is form. Form is a horse's "way of going" and is extremely important. A beautiful horse with perfection conformation will appear to show poor conformation if his "way of going" is not in honest form in his flat-walk, running-walk and canter, or with an "artificial" touch in his gaits.

So what is artificial? In the faults section, Knox has drawings that look very familiar. In fact they look just like the TWH Big Lick horse of today. The faults include:

1. Show horses should go straight, front and back. Faults are winging, where the front feet swing outward, or crossing in front and moving wide behind.

2. Over reaching and hitting the ground with the heel. This is not to be confused with the heel first step that all horses should have--this is an actual banging of the heels on the ground because the horse is moving too fast and is off balance.

3. "On the toes" or digging behind. This is obvious when horses fling dirt behind.

4. Lifting the horse to canter or "pumping" the horse to force the canter. "More of a 'crow hop' than a collected gallop!"

5. Wobbling and twisting hind legs when riding a sore horse.

Most importantly, Knox writes: "Behind the scenes or in the ring, whether front feet are sore from founder, laminitis, sand cracks, thrush or sored intentionally, unsound horses are easily detected."

I'm sure Knox would probably be pretty upset with how the show horse looks today. We can find nearly all of those faults in any Big Lick video you can find on YouTube. So why has the horse come to be like this? Why are the faults that are so clearly stated in such brilliant illustrations now the norm? The desire for more lift and reach, more crouch behind, and wanting the horse to be "doing something" without care for the horse's welfare has created this. We must understand that all of this is clearly to satisfy the vanity and pride of the horse owners, trainers, exhibitors, and even the judges. It is time for the industry to realize this has gotten out of hand. These illustrations alone should make all of us stop and think about what's going on.

I hope everyone takes time to read Smitty's blog. We can learn so much from it and how to get back the breed we seem to have lost. I think Smitty's got a great thing going so we can all learn about the roots of this horse and realize why we need to go back to what this horse used to be about. Let's all have pride in the natural gait and versatility of this wonderful breed!

RESEARCH - Q&A From USDA Stakeholder's Meeting May 27, 2011: Part 3

2011-06-20T23:27:00.002-07:00

Continued from the previous post...

Here's part 3 of the Q&A from the stakeholder's meeting on May 27, 2011. To reiterate, this meeting was to discuss the proposed rules only, NOT FOR ANYTHING ELSE. Furthermore, we cannot expect the USDA to have every little tidbit of fact in front of them to refer to when dealing with the HPA and the industry in general. And if they had answered all of the questions that were not related to the proposal, then questions that were related to the proposal may not have been asked in the time alloted for the meeting.

And of course those who are against these rules didn't like the answers. They were the truth and to the point, and the truth hurts. I think the industry should read the answers for what they are and take them seriously rather than just poo-pooing anything the USDA says. I will say this again and again: the industry has caused the USDA to be on their backs by not eliminating soring. It is their fault it is happening, and it's high time they start working with the USDA rather than fighting against it at every turn. Ask yourselves this: do you want the TWH industry to continue? If you do, then stop soring your horses. Period. It's not a hard choice to make.

Here is the final set of questions and answers from the meeting.

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Q21: ...My state within a three week period, I know of two that were here in the last two weeks. None of them have seen any USDA agents or representatives at these shows. This has been going on now for years and no one ever attends these shows. I also would like to know how many shows you have attended.
A21: Ma'am we are always interested in that information. You can always email to my [Dr. Cezar's] email address any information about non-affiliated horse show that is a concern or you can call my line as well. But any further information that you would like about our oversight you can do a Freedom of Information Act request which is available on our website as well.

I am assuming this is asking about the outlaw shows since the woman started talking before she the call operator was able to introduce her. At this point the question has been answered and they need to move on.

Q22: Back on the outlaw shows. Do you have any general idea of how many you all have checked in the last 10 years and I would just like to know officially online about how many you all went and why you double dip behind the HIOs. I don't like double paying you all. I would like for you to do your job and there's 400 that's been given to you all officially. I know the name and the shows. So I wanna know how many approximately have you all been to in the last at least since 2002.
A22: Ma'am I don't have that information with us at this time and as we stated you can make that request through our Freedom of Information Act office. But please recognize as well in the regulations it does state that USDA does have oversight duties to uh make sure that the DQPs are conducting their inspections accordingly so that's why we are in an oversight role when we go to those horse shows and that's why you may see us at times at the HIO horse shows that DQPs are at.

As far as the double dipping is concerned, I assume she is talking about the USDA being at shows to monitor the DQPs as they're working. It doesn't work like that. The USDA does both: it can bring VMOs to specifically check horses at shows that aren't affiliated with an HIO, or they can come and observe and monitor the DQPs and step in if necessary. This is important for them to do because they do need to make sure the DQPs are also doing their jobs. They have had to suspend DQP licenses for poor conduct and for not checking a horse correctly within the past few years--This information is available on the USDA website. Click here for the Judicial Proceedings page and type "horse protection act" into the search box to find results concerning rulings on things such as trainers, owners, or DQPs who have been finded and/or suspended and various other rulings that pertain to the HPA.

Q23: You guys have been in oversight mode. Do you feel like the HIOs are doing their jobs at this time?
A:23: Our position is that we still have horses sored. As long as we have horses sored it's not only the HIOs it's the industries that are not doing their job.

That's a damn good answer. HORSES ARE STILL SHOWING UP SORE, PERIOD. We know it can be eliminated--it has been eliminated at FOSH, NWHA, and International shows. So there is no reason for there to be sore horses in the ring anymore other than greed and pride. And I agree that it's both the HIOs and the industry's fault. The industry came up with the idea for the HIOs, and therefore they are just as responsible for them as the USDA is.

Q24: Has the Department of Agriculture in any agency has a compliant rate as good as horse protection does in the Walking Horse industry? The last time I checked we was about 97 point something in compliance. In the recent years in the last two or three years have you all really looked at this horse as a whole? Not the ones that you brought to a DQP clinic to teach DQPs how clean and how sound these horses are? I think if you all would really have a seminar and invite the multitude of horses to come and don't put no two or three hour limit on it. Let's have a two or three day where everybody can see this horse. This horse is as clean as any other athlete horse there is showing today. The compliance rate's great and I think everybody needs to promote that instead of wanting to change all the regulations come up with tougher regulations this horse is not as sore as you all say he is. I also have racehorses and I know lots of problems in that area. But give credit where credit's due and this horse is a great athlete and he's cleaner than what you all are saying he is.
A24: I appreciate your comments and I think you should take credit and pat yourselves on the back for the good job that you've done in those areas that you have identified.

The statement about the USDA having a seminar had me laughing out loud. Are you serious? Do you really think that people are going to bring their sore horses to some seminar put together by the USDA? OF COURSE they'll all be on their best behavior and won't bring any horses that have been sored! That's like asking a bunch of burglars to show up with any merchandise they've stolen and turn it in. What a joke!

BLAH BLAH BLAH. The same old B.S., different day. The industry has been crying 90+ percent compliance for the past 20 years. It doesn't matter. That number is only based on those numbers that are actually sent to the USDA. And they are also only based on compiling the results of only one or two major shows per year, not the hundreds that actually go on.

Plus, the HPA ONLY covers a specific type of abuse to horses, which is causing pain to a horse's limbs to force them to lift highter in the show ring. Racehorses aren't shown in this manner--there are not Big Lick or Saddleseat racehorses. Therefore they are not covered under the HPA, and this matter needs to be understood and dropped.

Overall, the law is in place to stop soring, not to to promote the sound horses. The USDA's job is to enforce the law, not to give credit to the industry. And let's point this out:

"...this horse is not as sore as you all say he is."

So you are saying that he is sore. Thank you for confirming that. Folks, the numbers don't matter. One sore horse is one too many, and even one sore horse is against the law.

Overall, Dr. Gipson's response is very appropriate. He doesn't have to answer to this guy. Again, we are here to talk about the new regs, not discuss what the industry wants to do or how they want to be praised for all of the supposed good they've done. But as long as there are sore horses, there will be a need for the law to be enforced, and if that includes changing the regs, then it needs to be done.

Q25: Two parts here. One can we have more of these conversations? I think probably this is the best way instead of everybody talking behind a keyboard the best way to exchange information is this way. My second question is since violations are so readily available on the Internet of one of our exhibitors or trainers receiving a ticket at a horse show why is it so hard to get information just on the horse shows that you all inspect? I know there have been several questions about the basic information what shows do you attend in the past 65 days. It seems like a violation can get on the Internet immediately but why would we have to go through a [inaudible] to get information. I applied one time and it took me two years to get some information. It seems that information would be easier to get than somebody's ticket that they got last Friday night.
A25: For the first part of your question, we are willing and have been willing and have made ourselves available to hold conference calls, conferences, we'll work with the industry in terms of putting on seminars and things like that. So that absolutely is not an issue for less informed. We will work with HIOs on a regular basis on a monthly basis with conference calls and things like that. If the industry in general the public in general wants to do that that's not an issue for us. We have actually held way out in the country public meetings to discuss concerns and get concerns about the industry. So that really is not an issue with us. It's something that we would love to do and if it's something that you want we're willing to work with you to do that. [For the second part of your question,] we actually are working towards more transparency from the USDA. To view our website it's www.aphis.usda.gov. If you go to that website and on the right side it will say Horse Protection Act, that gives a multitude of information about our horse protection activities as well as the HIO inspection reports. So we have that all available online now because we are working towards more transparency with the general public.

Q26: Concerning the scar rule, it is not in the HPA and should not be in the regulations as written. In the regulations a scarred horse is defined as a legally sore horse and I would like to see that particular verbage changed. Also I don't think the regulations should be limited to Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses. It didn't used to have that particular distinction and the HPA clearly says all horses so I would like to see that verbage also changed in the regulation. Back to a previous issue that I don't really think was addressed as well as we might like to see it addressed was the Commerce Law. The HPA is a Commerce Law and not a humane law and in the HPA it speaks when someone has been tried and has gone to court and is proven guilty of a federal HPA violation the penalties even state not to put a hardship on that individual meaning at least in my translation whether it's financial or otherwise but would also apply to the entire industry usually our government tries to protect industry and let it grow rather than trying to destroy it. I was wondering if you all have comments on those particular issues.
A26: A lot of the comments you made are legal based on [inaudible] and the purpose of putting this rule out for a 60 day comment period are to give you time to fill in all of those types of concerns and get them addressed by the appropriate authority.

I've already talked about the protection of the industry horse issue in Part 2 of this Q&A; see Question 14. The USDA isn't answering questions about the scar rule in this meeting, and the legal parts of the questions would need to be answered by a lawyer.

Q27: Are these proposed regulations based upon any new scientific study of any sort within the knowledge of the department since the Auburn studies? And are you as the department willing to collaborate with TWHBEA or any other entity in any future studies that might study these issues?
Q27: We have looked into the different penalty protocols that have been put in place in previous years with the HIOs such as the Operating Plan. Those have been in place since 2003 and therefore that's where we're talking most of our information from as well as our administrative law actions. Also the previous year our HIOs were not able to come to an agreement for an Operating Plan and that's why we ended up recommending the penalty protocol and actually putting this as a mandate for each HIO to enforce. To clarify a couple of comments, this proposal clarifies the existing authorities that the Secretary has. There's nothing new about the authorities here. This is for the clarification and we chose to go the way that we're clarifying because there was some confusion in the industry in regards to the Secretary's authority. So we said we would go ahead and clarify this so everyone including the industry as well as the general public will understand the authority the Secretary has and the approach we're going to take to enforcing the regulations within our authority. So these are not new regulations; just a clarification of the Secretary's authority and clarifying things in the existing regulations.

Q28: On the statement that you just made you say you all have reissued this proposal which is pretty much a carbon copy of the last one because there's confusing on the Secretary's authority. Now we've had this law for 30 years. The industry's not confused. The the department may be confused. Can you elaborate on that? Is it because we have new employees in the department that don't understand the law? The industry understands the law. I just would like your comments on that.
A28: I would say that what the industry understands is how they apply the law. What the department understands is how the Secretary is supposed to execute the law, and what we do is to clarify how the department is going to execute the law. So the industry made their decision in terms of over the years of how they were going to operate which has not been in accordance with the law. Even the Operating Plan was an example of that. The industry signed the Operating Plan but they never followed it. If we're gonna be sure they're gonna understand what rules, laws and things to follow and that they will be enforced and so the public understands what we're doing so the public can see to hold us accountable for doing or not doing what we're supposed to do to enforce the HPA.

I think the question is good--the industry DOES know what the law is. The problem is that the industry is refusing to obey the law. And I really like the answer to this question, that the industry has decided to operate but not in accordance with the law. Again, what the industry has CHOSEN to do is not the government's fault. They complain about the government being on their backs. Well, maybe if they had chosen to follow the law and actually end soring then they wouldn't have the government on their back. I imagine that if soring were truly eradicated, then there would be no need for inspections anymore, which would save the industry a lot of money. It is a choice the industry has made, that's obvious.

Q29: My question is a clarification of the penalty protocol involving the first, second and third offenses. I'm wondering first of all when is that slate wiped clean? Um if someone sells a horse or buys a horse that has a first, second or third penalty would those tickets follow the horse? Would the owner of the horse who's selling him does he still have a first and second offense? I was wondering how those offenses would follow.
A29: The offenses do not follow the horse. The individuals that are responsible for the horse are the ones that get the suspension. That can be the trainer, the owner, the custodian, the rider, and/or the transporter.

Q30: I don't really have a new question but I would ask you to please carefully and listen to and answer my question this time. My question is are these regulations based on any new scientific evidence in your understanding arising since the original Auburn studies? And the second part is would the department be ready and willing to collaborate with any industry entity in participating in any further studies? Please answer the questions.
A30: To answer your first question it goes back to the same answer I just gave you for the previous question which references the fact these regulations there's nothing new about them. These are the clarifications of what has already existed there. As to the research that's going on independently of the industry we have worked with a large number of the individuals within the industry taking a look at those things that we can use and to any of the work with the industry to help address some of these areas of uncertainty as far as the sound horse is concerned. As far as the USDA working with the industry and doing studies, last time we tried to work with the industry to do a study the industry itself came to the department and had the USDA withdraw from the study. So I would say if you feel like the industry's willing and ready to cooperate with the USDA to do a study if in fact a study is necessary to stop soring, include that in your comment as a consideration.

First question: the answer is basically NO. Second question: Note what Dr. Gipson said here folks: that the USDA has tried to work with the industry BUT "the industry itself came to the department and had the USDA withdraw from the study." So I don't see the industry as truly wanting to work with the USDA to solve this issue if they asked them to withdraw. So why shouldn't the USDA continue to try to make changes to the regulations when the industry itself doesn't want to work with them?

It's also important to know that soring can only be done legally by the USDA. Logically, in order to conduct any studies concerning soring, pressure shoeing, etc., soring has to be performed to monitor it's effects. So if the industry decides to do a study, they can be found liable for deliberately soring horses. It is in the industry's best interest to work with the USDA on this. See how you're shooting yourselves in the foot here, industry? Are you paying attention?

Q31: I'd like to get a clarification on the penalty protocol. As has been stated there are four HIOs that have not included the penalty protocol in their rulebook this year. If I show under a HIO that has included the penalty protocol on one week and I get a scar rule and two or three weeks later I show with a HIO that has not included the penalty protocols how is that gonna affect my standing? Does the second scar rule go away? Does the first one stay there because the HIO has accepted the penalty protocol? How's that going to affect the exhibitors?
A31: That will depend on the HIOs that are inspecting those horse shows. Most of the HIOs are working collaboratively with honoring each of the HIO suspensions so you would need to ask the HIO directly how that would work out with them at this time.

Q31A: Okay so what you're telling me is if I were to show under the uh where do I stand with the government? That's the people that basically hold the key there. If one HIO gives me a ticket that has the penalties in place and the other one doesn't, does that second one just go away? I mean you guys hold the key to the whole thing.
A31A: I would say you would still need to speak to the HIO directly on that. For instance if you say you had a scar rule violation at one horse show that could be a two week suspension and if you go to another horse show that's a different HIO, you would have to talk with them and see if the HIOs are honoring each others' suspensions and if they would realize that you should be on a two week suspension.

Q31B: Okay and does that count with the government as the second scar rule and if I get a third with another HIO that has not signed I'm on a one year suspension is that correct?
A31B: No not at this time. When the proposed rule comes into place all HIOs will have to implement the penalty protocol. That will be published in the final rules. But at this time you would have to work directly with the HIOs on that.
A31C: I think the answer to your question is you were talking about an industry ticket not a federal ticket. If it was a federal ticket we would have something to do with it. If it was an industry ticket then the industry ticket is between you and the HIO.

Another thing to point out here is that ANY show, and this includes none affiliated shows that have AAEP vets inspecting the horses, will have to follow the protocol once it is added as an amendment to the HPA. This means that no matter who you show with, the penalties will be the same.

And my other thought here is this: Why in the world are you showing the same horse that has scars that got a ticket two or three weeks before? It takes more than just a couple of weeks for a scar to heal. How about you give time for the scar to heal and not risk getting another ticket? And if you tend to get scar rule tickets and keep racking them up, then why are you still showing?

Q32: How did the department come up with this specific penalty structure that you're proposing? Where did it come from and why are these specific rules being proposed? Did the OIG specifically say this is what needs to happen to keep non-compliant horses out of the ring or are you really listening to the petition of the Humane Society?
A32: This penalty protocol predates the petition that was provided by the Humane Society. This penalty protocol was recommended to the HIOs mid-2010 last year. So this has been in place for a while. The OIG audit did recommend that we have more consistent penalties that would be applied to the violators. And where we came to this type of penalty protocol is that as we stated earlier from reviewing the history of the Operating Plan and how they were implemented and that we also had approved those specific Operating Plans at that time. So that's where we had looked into proposing this penalty protocol.

Basically, the penalties needed to be more consistent both across the board in general and within the HIOs in particular. So that's where this specific list came from. It is important to reiterate that this WAS NOT the HSUS's idea--this problem has been around since before the HSUS got involved. I guess that's another part that this industry is not understanding--the USDA is not being forced to do this by special-interest groups. Those groups have only recently started really fighting this fight--many of them didn't even know about soring until now. I myself have contacted PETA and the ASPCA before the ASPCA became involved and was told that it wasn't a big enough problem for them to tackle. But now it is, at least to the ASPCA. But overall, it's been because the OIG stepped in and told the USDA you have got to start doing your job or else that things are starting to change.

Q33: Earlier you had stated that the Thoroughbreds were not under the HPA. How does a separate breed get added to that?
A33: That's a legislative issue. And by that I mean you have to take that to Congress.

This is an EXCELLENT question, for I would like to see the Saddlebreds, Hackney Ponies, Missouri Fox Trotters, Rocky Mountain Horses, Kentucky Mountain Horses, Arabians, National Show Horses, and pretty much any breed that is show in Saddle Seat be included in the HPA. Soring exists in the Saddle Seat world and in any breed where the correctness of gait is what's being judged. I have heard (heard only, mind you--not witnessed) that MFTs and RMHs are also being sored, and it is known that the TWH industry learned about soring through the Saddlebred industry. But we would have to actually petition Congress to make this change, and I think it's more important right now to get the HPA in order and get soring under control before adding more breeds and potentially more drama into the mix.

Q34: I don't think some questions were answered. I need to know whether or not you have any data that a horse that is scarred remains scarred for a certain period of time and that a horse that is bilateral sensitive or sore remains that way for a certain length of time. Do you have any scientific data and if so what and what can we as for from you all to know what your data is regarding such?
A34: I just want to clarify that the comments that you have just raised those are the types of comments that need to be addressed directly and to the Federal Registrar and like I said it should be online or through the mail. And I will be informing all stakeholders through email what site link to find the proposed rule as well as our press release. I also do want to reiterate that stakeholder's can call program officials for clarification on the proposed rules but if there's any expression of opinions on the proposed provisions any type of comments at all we cannot take those whatsoever. We will have to end the call at that time because we are not taking comments directly. They have to go into the regulations.gov or directly mailed for the proposed rules.

Again, this is the discussion about the penalty protocol, not scientific data. And I think the USDA made it pretty clear that they have not done any studies and that they have not determined if scientific studies are needed.

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This is the end of the session. Dr. Gipson ended with advising everyone to submit any comments they have to the comments on the regulations page for this proposed rules so they can take all of those things into consideration to finalize the process.

Again, to listen to the meeting, click here. And as always, don't forget to comment! Click here for the page for making comments and click on the orange Submit a Comment button.