First, I know I've talked about the Ag-Gag bill before and why it's so important that we stop it in its tracks. Thanks to Robin P. from our Facebook group, we have some folks everyone can contact.
The bill has passed the agricultural committee and is currently being reviewed by the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee. They decide according to how it effects the current laws. If we get these folks to stop it, then the House can't vote on it unless it's reintroduced to the agricultural committee. So these are the emails we need to send our letters to:
Sen. Mike Bell: sen.mike.bell@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Stacey Campfield: sen.stacey.campfield@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Lowe Finney: sen.lowe.finney@capitol.tn.gov
Sen. Ophelia For: sen.ophelia.for@capitol.tn.gov
Sen Todd Gardenhire: sen.todd.gardenhire@capitol.tn.gov
Let them know that passing this law criminalizes and punishes veterinarians, the media, animal welfare advocates, and the general public, who can unwittingly takes pictures at horse shows for personal purposes.
Let them also know that the law violates the Tennessee Reports Shield Law, as follows. (Click here for more information.) Overall, this law protects the guilty and puts the general public at risk for disease that can correlate with abused food animals.
SHIELD LAW
T.C.A. § 24-1-208
24-1-208. Persons gathering information for publication or broadcast - Disclosure.— (a) A person engaged in gathering information for publication or broadcast connected with or employed by the news media or press, or who is independently engaged in gathering information for publication or broadcast, shall not be required by a court, a grand jury, the general assembly, or any administrative body, to disclose before the general assembly or any Tennessee court, grand jury, agency, department, or commission any information or the source of any information procured for publication or broadcast.
(b) Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to the source of any allegedly defamatory information in any case where the defendant in a civil action for defamation asserts a defense based on the source of such information.
(c)(1) Any person seeking information or the source thereof protected under this section may apply for an order divesting such protection. Such application shall be made to the judge of the court having jurisdiction over the hearing, action or other proceeding in which the information sought is pending.
(2) The application shall be granted only if the court after hearing the parties determines that the person seeking the information has shown by clear and convincing evidence that:
(A) There is probable cause to believe that the person from whom the information is sought has information which is clearly relevant to a specific probable violation of law;
(B) The person has demonstrated that the information sought cannot reasonably be obtained by alternative means; and
(C) The person has demonstrated a compelling and overriding public interest of the people of the state of Tennessee in the information.
(3(A) Any order of the trial court may be appealed to the court of appeals in the same manner as other civil cases. The court of appeals shall make an independent determination of the applicability of the standards in this subsection to the facts in the record and shall not accord a presumption of correctness to the trial court’s findings.
(B) The execution of or any proceeding to enforce a judgment divesting the protection of this section shall be stayed pending appeal upon the timely filing of a notice of appeal in accordance with Rule 3 of the Tennessee Rules of Appellate Procedure, and the appeal shall be expedited upon the docket of the court of appeals upon the application of either party.
(C) Any order of the court of appeals may be appealed to the supreme court of Tennessee as provided by law. [Acts 1973, ch. 27, §§ 1-3; T.C.A, § 24-113 - 24-115; Acts 1988, ch. 803, §§ 1, 2.]
Next, here's the excellent article by the Chattanoogan about McConnell's case. Feel free to use a link to this case in your emails to the Senators listed above--this is proof of why the Ag-Gag bill needs to die. The Chattanoogan's article is posted below - click here for the article.
Here's the link to the indictment. You can read the 22 counts, which I've also posted on this blog before. WARNING: the description of what was done to these horses can be disturbing. And note also that the two of the owners of the horses were right there, watching this the whole time.
I don't think I can thank the HSUS enough for seizing the eight horses that were abused and for continuing to care for them. I wish there were some way to bring charges against the owners of those horses...perhaps that's something we'll learn more about in the future. For now, I'm glad those horses are safe.
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Tennessee Grand Jury Indicts Former Tennessee Walking Horse Trainer Jackie McConnell
Monday, April 01, 2013
A Fayette County, Tn., Grand Jury has indicted horse trainer Jackie McConnell and two co-defendants on 38 counts of animal cruelty for illegally soring and torturing horses.
The indictments followed a Humane Society of the United States undercover investigation in 2011.
McConnell was indicted on 22 counts of animal cruelty in Fayette County, for charges stemming from alleged soring of Tennessee Walking Horses.
McConnell is already serving three years of probation and has been fined $75,000 for his federal felony conviction in Chattanooga.
“We commend District Attorney General Mike Dunavant and Assistant District Attorney General Mark Davidson for filing criminal charges against McConnell and his co-defendants —the first case of its kind in Tennessee,” Keith Dane, director of equine protection for The HSUS. “Unfortunately, the owners who placed their horses in McConnell’s training stables have not expressed the slightest regret or remorse for the torture these animals endured, and still need to be held accountable.”
McConnell’s co-defendants in the federal case, John Mays and Jeff Dockery were also indicted. Mays was charged with 13-counts and Dockery with three-counts. Both men pleaded guilty to lesser charges in Federal Court for their role in the conspiracy to violate the Horse Protection Act.
Since 2011, the HSUS has assisted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Tennessee 25th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office in prosecuting the offenders and assisting in the rescue of horses from McConnell’s training operation.
In March 2012, eight horses were seized from McConnell’s stable following the execution of a search and seizure warrant. At the state’s request, the HSUS has been providing the horses with intensive rehabilitative care for the past year and will continue to do so.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
NEWS and ARTICLES - Jackie McConnell: Today's Court Results
GOOD NEWS for the Walking Horse! Jackie McConnell may actually see jail time! On March 28th, McConnell was arraigned in court concerning 22 counts of animal abuse the Fayetteville County House Grand Jury returned a true bill on Monday, March 25.
(For those who don't know, a true bill means "the written decision of a Grand Jury that it has heard sufficient evidence from the prosecution to believe that an accused person probably committed a crime and should be indicted. Thus, the indictment is sent to the court." An arraignment is a formal reading of the charges and when a plea can be made. It is also when all other business is taken care of, like future dates to appear in court.)
What's most wonderful about this is that the hard work of the HSUS has paid off. Per Roy Exum's piece from today:
Federal prosecutors in Chattanooga are keen on better legislation – now proposed in Washington – and have said they will actively pursue horse abuse as horse-show season begins. “When you deal with murder, rape, strong-armed robbery, conspiracy and everything else we see, it is hard to admit horse abuse is pretty far down on the priority list,” said one assistant DA.
“But we are also well aware the public outcry against horse abuse is raging after the Jackie McConnell tape was shown on ABC News ‘Nightline’ and we haven’t had a case of any kind that caused such outrage. We will actively monitor and pursue and viable lead we can find.”
As long a we keep exposing soring, as long as we keep the pressure on the industry, we will continue to get closer and closer to an end to this atrocity.
Click here for Roy's full piece, copied and pasted below.
(And don't forget to thank Roy for his amazing work and congratulate him on his Genesis Award win!)
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Roy Exum: Jackie McConnell Back In Court
Thursday, March 28, 2013 - by Roy Exum
(For those who don't know, a true bill means "the written decision of a Grand Jury that it has heard sufficient evidence from the prosecution to believe that an accused person probably committed a crime and should be indicted. Thus, the indictment is sent to the court." An arraignment is a formal reading of the charges and when a plea can be made. It is also when all other business is taken care of, like future dates to appear in court.)
What's most wonderful about this is that the hard work of the HSUS has paid off. Per Roy Exum's piece from today:
Federal prosecutors in Chattanooga are keen on better legislation – now proposed in Washington – and have said they will actively pursue horse abuse as horse-show season begins. “When you deal with murder, rape, strong-armed robbery, conspiracy and everything else we see, it is hard to admit horse abuse is pretty far down on the priority list,” said one assistant DA.
“But we are also well aware the public outcry against horse abuse is raging after the Jackie McConnell tape was shown on ABC News ‘Nightline’ and we haven’t had a case of any kind that caused such outrage. We will actively monitor and pursue and viable lead we can find.”
As long a we keep exposing soring, as long as we keep the pressure on the industry, we will continue to get closer and closer to an end to this atrocity.
Click here for Roy's full piece, copied and pasted below.
(And don't forget to thank Roy for his amazing work and congratulate him on his Genesis Award win!)
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Roy Exum: Jackie McConnell Back In Court
Thursday, March 28, 2013 - by Roy Exum
Jackie McConnell, the most notorious abuser of Tennessee Walking Horses that the world has ever known, will be arraigned on 22 counts of animal abuse in a Somerville, Tn., court today after a Grand Jury in the Fayette County Courthouse returned a true bill on Monday. The state charges were the result of an undercover video taken in 2011 and finally the man known as “Jackie The Jerk” will be brought before the court sometime in late spring.
McConnell, already a convicted felon after federal charges were proven in Chattanooga last year, will be arraigned with Jeff Dockery, who has three counts, and John Mayes, who has two. State authorities raided McConnell’s barn shortly after the scathing video showed him repeatedly clubbing, shocking and sadistically torturing the horses in his care to achieve the “Big Lick” unnatural gait that is today the scourge of the entire horse industry.
McConnell has a known record that includes over 30 unbroken years of persistent violations of the federal Horse Protection Act but, because laws have been so lax, he has done little more than wink and continue on his way. Last year Federal Judge Sandy Mattice forced the millionaire to pay a $75,000 fine and called him a felon, but McConnell, once a Hall of Fame trainer of the National Celebration headquarters in Shelbyville, could now see jail time on the state charges.
Efforts to reach Asst. DA Mark Davison in Fayette County were futile yesterday, but in July the state put into law an animal protection bill that made such abuse a felony, each count good for one-to-five years. Because the men were indicted before the law went into effect could be a sticking point; before the act of soring horses with caustic oils and pastes was merely a misdemeanor.
McConnell provided a trophy for this year’s Celebration and, while he is forbidden to own or train horses, it is suspected he still has a presence in the seedy “Big Lick” portion of showing horses, which has now made the state of Tennessee the world leader in horse abuse. (No other country purposely maims its horses for sport.)
McConnell’s lawyers, of course, are quick and eager to strike a plea with state prosecutors and knowledgeable persons suspect a judge in the West Tennessee court would approve such an arrangement if the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor might not be worthy of a full-face trial.
Federal prosecutors in Chattanooga are keen on better legislation – now proposed in Washington – and have said they will actively pursue horse abuse as horse-show season begins. “When you deal with murder, rape, strong-armed robbery, conspiracy and everything else we see, it is hard to admit horse abuse is pretty far down on the priority list,” said one assistant DA.
“But we are also well aware the public outcry against horse abuse is raging after the Jackie McConnell tape was shown on ABC News ‘Nightline’ and we haven’t had a case of any kind that caused such outrage. We will actively monitor and pursue and viable lead we can find.”
Officials of the Humane Society of the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other animal protection agencies are targeting Tennessee, as well as hotbeds of abuse in North Carolina and Kentucky. With last year’s success and strengthened Tennessee laws, many true horsemen feel violators must go to jail before the rampant soring will stop.
The top two equine veterinary groups in the United States have openly called on the nation’s lawmakers to ban the built-up pads, or stacks, that shady Walking Horse owners use, as well as performance devices and tight bands around the hooves. Legislation is pending but the “Big Lick” crowd is fighting back. Not long ago they held a reception for a disreputable Senator from Kentucky, Mitch McConnell (not believed to be kin to Jackie).
The Kentucky senator has bullied the USDA to “lay off” the Shelbyville “Big Lick” crowd and was the subject of a scathing series in the Lexington newspaper this summer. But, just like the defiant and now-battered Big Lick hierarchy, the Republican Senator doesn’t seem to realize or even care he is a “bought” puppet of treacherous people.
Curiously, people haven’t forgotten the undercover tape or Jackie. The tape just won a Genesis Award in Los Angeles and copies of it have been viewed with disgust all over the world. Jackie is famous and, if state charges can somehow shoehorn the villain into jail, it will be a colossal achievement for the men and women worldwide who honor the horse.
royexum@aol.com
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
NEWS and ARTICLES - The Walking Horse Wins at the Genesis Awards
The Walking Horse won big at this year's Genesis Awards! Not only did ABC Nightline win for their expose on soring, but our friend to the horse Roy Exum also received an award!
To explain what the Genesis Awards are, here's the description straight from the HSUS's website.
What are the Genesis Awards?
Every year, The HSUS's Hollywood Outreach program pays tribute to the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works that raise public awareness of animal issues. As much as film, television, print and the web reflect societal attitudes, they also help shape and change those attitudes. The mass media, in all its new and diverse forms, has the power to deliver animal protection issues to vast audiences at the click of a mouse.
For example, national media coverage of the HSUS's Chino Slaughterhouse investigation not only led to the largest meat recall ever, but it exposed the abusive treatment of cattle and thrust it into the public spotlight.
But it isn't just big news stories that we recognize and celebrate, it's movies, documentaries and all categories of TV programming which, by incorporating animal protection themes or messages into their storylines, help increase public consciousness, reminding us that compassion for animals is one of our core human values.
From the nominees and winners pages on the HSUS site, Nightline garnered their win in the Screen - TV News Magazine category with "The Ugly Truth Behind High Stepping Horses." (They tied with Rock Center With Brian Williams.) Click here to see the original expose by Nightline. ABC's article about their win.
Roy Exum won in the Print - Columnist category for his multiple part series on soring Tennessee Walking Horses. Click here for Roy's column.
I hope everyone will take the time to congratulate our winners and thank them for helping the TWH. I cannot express how happy I am that they won these awards with all the help they have done. I am sure the horses thank them as much as we do.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
NEWS and ARTICLES - Update to Contacts for HR6388; Stop the Ag-Gag Bill NOW
First, good news about HR 6388 (or whatever number it's going to be): it will be introduced this session. As far as I understand, some changes will be made. The rumors I've heard is that the changes are GOOD and will help the horse.
So for now, please contact your Congress persons and make them aware of HR 6388, as follows.
House: www.house.gov - use the Find Your Representative search in the upper right corner.
Senate: www.senate.gov - see above instructions.
To be able to contact Congress persons in the states where it matters most (TN, KY, etc.) you will need a local zip code. Use this link and enter the city and state the Congress person is in: http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/zipcityphone.asp
Contact Congressman Whitfield and Congressman Cohen voice your support: http://whitfield.house.gov/; http://cohen.house.gov/
POPVOX page: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr6388
REMEMBER: WRITE YOUR OWN LETTERS! You may use information from www.forthetwh.com to back up the facts.
Now, normally I keep this blog solely to reporting and talking about issues concerning soring of the TWH. Now we have a new concern that has a secondary effect on the TWH: the newly proposed Senate Bill SB1248 and House Bill HB1191.
Also known as the "ag-gag" or "anti-whistleblower" bill, this bill is being introduced in Tennessee on March 26th and would disallow people to do undercover photographing and videotaping animal cruelty for investigative purposes to turn in their product within 24 hours of taking the photos or footage to law enforcement authorities. Folks, this is absolutely NOT enough time to get evidence prepared for law enforcement to be able to act on it. It will also make work like the HSUS did to prove soring still exists and to convict Jackie the Jerk near impossible.
Quite frankly, this bill protects the guilty, period. Follow the money trail--those who run large operations where abuse is known to take place are funding this bill. I'm sure the lickers, burners and cheaters are happy to hand over some money as well. And this is one that's going to be hard to beat--Dolores Gresham, a well known cattle rancher, is leading the charge on this and she's not backing down.
So what do we do about it?
Humane Tennessee PAC has this wonderful page to explain what to do and who to contact. Follow their links and sign away! You can also make phone calls and send faxes.
We also need to contact the Tennessee Agriculture Committee via this link. Let them know plain and simple that this is clearly going to be used to protect the guilty and allow more abuse to continue. Remind them of the fact that they EAT some of these animals that they would be allowing to be abused if this passed. Again, phone calls and faxes also get the point across.
Click here for a great editorial from the Tennessean about these bills. Be sure to go to the comments and provide your own. The more "likes" from Facebook the comments and the article get, the more it'll be taken seriously.
Even if you don't live in Tennessee, it's important to note that California and Nebraska are also going to be considering this bill for their states. This could become widespread, especially in states that aren't known to help solve animal cruelty cases or take them seriously. It can also lead to more restrictions put on those who want to stop this madness--give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Please take the time to call or email. Be the voices for those who don't have any.
So for now, please contact your Congress persons and make them aware of HR 6388, as follows.
House: www.house.gov - use the Find Your Representative search in the upper right corner.
Senate: www.senate.gov - see above instructions.
To be able to contact Congress persons in the states where it matters most (TN, KY, etc.) you will need a local zip code. Use this link and enter the city and state the Congress person is in: http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/zipcityphone.asp
Contact Congressman Whitfield and Congressman Cohen voice your support: http://whitfield.house.gov/; http://cohen.house.gov/
POPVOX page: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr6388
REMEMBER: WRITE YOUR OWN LETTERS! You may use information from www.forthetwh.com to back up the facts.
Now, normally I keep this blog solely to reporting and talking about issues concerning soring of the TWH. Now we have a new concern that has a secondary effect on the TWH: the newly proposed Senate Bill SB1248 and House Bill HB1191.
Also known as the "ag-gag" or "anti-whistleblower" bill, this bill is being introduced in Tennessee on March 26th and would disallow people to do undercover photographing and videotaping animal cruelty for investigative purposes to turn in their product within 24 hours of taking the photos or footage to law enforcement authorities. Folks, this is absolutely NOT enough time to get evidence prepared for law enforcement to be able to act on it. It will also make work like the HSUS did to prove soring still exists and to convict Jackie the Jerk near impossible.
Quite frankly, this bill protects the guilty, period. Follow the money trail--those who run large operations where abuse is known to take place are funding this bill. I'm sure the lickers, burners and cheaters are happy to hand over some money as well. And this is one that's going to be hard to beat--Dolores Gresham, a well known cattle rancher, is leading the charge on this and she's not backing down.
So what do we do about it?
Humane Tennessee PAC has this wonderful page to explain what to do and who to contact. Follow their links and sign away! You can also make phone calls and send faxes.
We also need to contact the Tennessee Agriculture Committee via this link. Let them know plain and simple that this is clearly going to be used to protect the guilty and allow more abuse to continue. Remind them of the fact that they EAT some of these animals that they would be allowing to be abused if this passed. Again, phone calls and faxes also get the point across.
Click here for a great editorial from the Tennessean about these bills. Be sure to go to the comments and provide your own. The more "likes" from Facebook the comments and the article get, the more it'll be taken seriously.
Even if you don't live in Tennessee, it's important to note that California and Nebraska are also going to be considering this bill for their states. This could become widespread, especially in states that aren't known to help solve animal cruelty cases or take them seriously. It can also lead to more restrictions put on those who want to stop this madness--give them an inch and they will take a mile.
Please take the time to call or email. Be the voices for those who don't have any.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
ARTICLES - Further Proof That Putting Horses on Stacks Is NOT Healthy
While we wait for HR 6388 to be reintroduced (it should be out this month), here's another excellent article with scientific proof that tells us that having a horse standing with his toes pointed downward is bad for the hoof. This can be translated to putting a horse on stacks with a wedge and forcing him to stand on these "high heels" all the time. From Thehorse.com: Hoof Angles' Impact on Lameness Examined. I put the important text in bold below the article.
If you'd like to read other articles we've found that show scientific proof that stacks do cause damage, visit our Research page on our website, www.forthetwh.com.
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Hoof Angles' Impact on Lameness Examined
By Christa Lesté-Lasserre
From Thehorse.com
Mar 06, 2013
Article #31468
Get out your protractors: New research shows that the various angles of the outer and inner hoof are directly linked to various kinds of lameness, and knowing the angles could help determine which kind of lameness a horse has or is likely to get.
"In our study, we found that there was a significant association between some conformation parameters (of the hoof) and certain lesions or injuries," said Renate Weller, DVM, PhD, MSc, Vet Ed, MRCVS, a senior lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, U.K.
Weller's emphasized the importance of the hoof conformation you can't see: Internal angles are equally as important, if not more, as external angles in evaluating lameness or the potential for lameness, Weller said.
"I recommend assessing foot conformation radiographically (using X ray), since I have seen a fair number of horses that appear to have excellent foot conformation when looking at them from the outside and then have (conformational issues) when radiographed," she said. "We think this has become more common in the last few years." The reasons for that, however, are still unclear, she said.
Good hoof conformation--inside and out--is mostly about good angles, according to Weller. Outside angles include the toe angle (the degree between the front hoof wall going up and flat ground) and the heel angle (degree between the up-going heel wall and flat ground). Inside angles include the sole angle (the degree between the distal phalanx, or "coffin bone," and a straight horizontal line) and the deep digital flexor tendon angle (the degree of the deep digital flexor tendon around the navicular bone). Weller considered other measurements, including straight distances among hoof structures, in her study, but they were less useful in determining different kinds of lameness, she said.
Weller and her research associates, led by Kate Holroyd, MSc, also of the Royal Veterinary College, studied conformation parameters in 179 lame horses with different sources of lameness.
Overall, when sole angles were relatively small (more "pointed"), the horse was more likely to have lameness caused by deep digital flexor tendon and navicular bone issues. "This agrees with the theory reported by others that a one-degree change in sole angle can lead to a 4% increase in the pressure exerted by the deep digital flexor tendon on the navicular bone," Weller said. A smaller sole angle also affects the biomechanical function of the horse's hoof as it moves over and across the ground, putting abnormal pressure on various structures within the foot and causing, she added.
Other key findings included:
Good farriery care can help correct external and even internal angles, said Weller. And it's important to keep in mind that the both the internal and external angles from her study might actually be the result of the lameness rather than the cause of it, she said.
Further studies comparing lame horses to healthy horses are under way.
If you'd like to read other articles we've found that show scientific proof that stacks do cause damage, visit our Research page on our website, www.forthetwh.com.
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Hoof Angles' Impact on Lameness Examined
By Christa Lesté-Lasserre
From Thehorse.com
Mar 06, 2013
Article #31468
 |
| Taking a radiograph of the hoof. Weller recommends asssessing foot conformation radiographically since apparently good external hoof conformation doesn't always translate to good internal conformation. Photo: Erica Larson, News Editor |
Get out your protractors: New research shows that the various angles of the outer and inner hoof are directly linked to various kinds of lameness, and knowing the angles could help determine which kind of lameness a horse has or is likely to get.
"In our study, we found that there was a significant association between some conformation parameters (of the hoof) and certain lesions or injuries," said Renate Weller, DVM, PhD, MSc, Vet Ed, MRCVS, a senior lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College in Hertfordshire, U.K.
Weller's emphasized the importance of the hoof conformation you can't see: Internal angles are equally as important, if not more, as external angles in evaluating lameness or the potential for lameness, Weller said.
"I recommend assessing foot conformation radiographically (using X ray), since I have seen a fair number of horses that appear to have excellent foot conformation when looking at them from the outside and then have (conformational issues) when radiographed," she said. "We think this has become more common in the last few years." The reasons for that, however, are still unclear, she said.
Good hoof conformation--inside and out--is mostly about good angles, according to Weller. Outside angles include the toe angle (the degree between the front hoof wall going up and flat ground) and the heel angle (degree between the up-going heel wall and flat ground). Inside angles include the sole angle (the degree between the distal phalanx, or "coffin bone," and a straight horizontal line) and the deep digital flexor tendon angle (the degree of the deep digital flexor tendon around the navicular bone). Weller considered other measurements, including straight distances among hoof structures, in her study, but they were less useful in determining different kinds of lameness, she said.
Weller and her research associates, led by Kate Holroyd, MSc, also of the Royal Veterinary College, studied conformation parameters in 179 lame horses with different sources of lameness.
Overall, when sole angles were relatively small (more "pointed"), the horse was more likely to have lameness caused by deep digital flexor tendon and navicular bone issues. "This agrees with the theory reported by others that a one-degree change in sole angle can lead to a 4% increase in the pressure exerted by the deep digital flexor tendon on the navicular bone," Weller said. A smaller sole angle also affects the biomechanical function of the horse's hoof as it moves over and across the ground, putting abnormal pressure on various structures within the foot and causing, she added.
Other key findings included:
- The larger the sole angle, the lower the likelihood that the horse would have a deep digital flexor tendon or navicular bone lesion;
- Interestingly, lameness originating at the navicular bone alone--without an associated lesion of the deep digital flexor tendon--was not associated with a small sole angle; and
- A small heel angle was also related to lesions in the deep digital flexor tendon, she said.
Good farriery care can help correct external and even internal angles, said Weller. And it's important to keep in mind that the both the internal and external angles from her study might actually be the result of the lameness rather than the cause of it, she said.
Further studies comparing lame horses to healthy horses are under way.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
NEWS and HOW YOU CAN HELP - HPA Amendment To Be Reintroduced - ACT NOW
From what I'm learning through the grapevine, it looks like HR 6388 is going to be reintroduced around March 1. It might receive a new number as well.
But here's the clincher: THE BAD GUYS KNOW THIS AND WILL BE FLOODING THEIR LETTERS IN. WE MUST ACT, and we must start NOW.
I cannot stress how important it is that we start acting. The sorers, burners, cheaters, and liars are already rallying their troops to fight this. They are ready with their checkbooks handy and their dirty words and nasty lies. WE ARE BETTER THAN THEM. We have the facts, we have the truth. We need to make others aware of this.
First, please contact your Congress persons and make them aware of HR 6388. Here are steps to do so.
House: www.house.gov - use the Find Your Representative search in the upper right corner.
Senate: www.senate.gov - see above instructions.
To be able to contact Congress persons in the states where it matters most (TN, KY, etc.) you will need a local zip code. Use this link and enter the city and state the Congress person is in: http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/zipcityphone.asp
Contact Congressman Whitfield and voice your support: http://whitfield.house.gov/
POPVOX page: http://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr6388
REMEMBER: WRITE YOUR OWN LETTERS! You may use information from www.forthetwh.com to back up the facts. Link to the McConnell video from YouTube: http://youtu.be/gxVlxT_x-f0 And you can even follow up your letter or email with a phone call.
And tell your friends, especially those who are into animal advocacy. Send them a link to this page so they can also help.
We are going to have some new initiatives through this blog and our Facebook group to get more attention toward the new amendment, so please stay tuned to learn how you can help. WE CAN WIN THIS! We can tell the government we need to see this change, and they will listen! THANK YOU for supporting the horse!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
NEWS, ARTICLES, and RESEARCH - KY After Christmas Sale Proves Myths Are True
Hello all. I want to talk about the Kentucky After Christmas Sale at the Kentucky Horse Park.
After lots of work and meetings, John Nicholson, the Executive Director of the park, made it clear that the horse comes first and foremost at the park. Therefore, he made sure to bring in the International Walking Horse Association (IWHA) as the HIO for the sale. He also made sure the USDA was present. While he and his staff said it was okay to have Big Lick horses, they were adamant about safety and the welfare of the horse.
As a result, the sale itself had ZERO Big Lick and heavy shod horses! This was WONDERFUL news for the Tennessee Walking Horse!
Janet Patton wrote a great article about the sale and the participation. Click here to read the article.
The Industry made it sound like the entire sale was huge with a big turnout and lots of horses sold at high prices. However, the visual evidence does not seem to match that.
Clearly, there aren't many people in the crowds or on the grounds. It's quite a difference from the below video from the 2011 After Christmas Sale.
And sadly, the announcer seems quite proud that the last horse of the sale sold to Senator Robin Webb, who has HPA violations under her belt.
Let's take a look at the numbers. Click here for the PDF of the list if you have a hard time reading the below table. I don't have any official list of the results of the sale. The TWH industry usually does not post the results of their sales...unlike every other horse organization out there. The following list I got from these two videos (Friday results and Saturday results). The catalog had 220 horses listed to be sold. No sales are indicated in pink text. If there was no information indicated by the person who kept track of the sales, I indicated them as "NO INFO" in red text.
So I did some number crunching. Here's what I came up with.
Approximately 207 horses were run through the sale.
99 horses confirmed sold.
46 horses were confirmed no sales.
58 horses didn't have any information if they sold or not on the video.
Highest sale price: $6400.
Next most highest sale price: $3500.
Horses sold in $3000 to $4000 range: 5.
Horses sold in $2000 to $2999 range: 10.
Horses sold in the $1000 to $1999 range: 32.
Horses sold in the $250 to $999 range: 52.
Average horse sale price: $579.
Here's what Sen. Webb said on her Facebook page about the sale.
After all the media hype and negativity, a great sale was had in the Kentucky Horse Park facility. KY Horse Park brass was there as well as members of the Kentucky Racing Commission, the Kentucky Horse Council, and others. There was a good crowd, some new faces, had some thoroughbred people there, even a Polo player rode a TWH. The inspectors were very professional, as were those who presented. I think much was done to dispel the myth and propaganda. The media did not even surface on the second day and the article in Saturday mornings paper was pretty good. Would I like to have seen a little more cash on the barrelhead for the sellers,sure. But, I can't fault folks for looking for a bargain. Many horses that were no sale in the ring were sold outside. A little padded horse withdrawal, but, a good experience over all.
A LITTLE padded horse withdrawal? No padded horses were there. I don't get that statement at all.
I have to say that yes, she's right--myths and propaganda was dispelled. We now know that BL horses won't be brought to a sale that has the USDA and IWHA present. The myth that horses aren't being sored has been dispelled--they didn't bring any BL horses, so I think we can assume they won't do it because we know they're sored. We know that media coverage means they're going to keep things small. And we know that their claims of horses selling for big money at sales is also not true.
Sadly, with an average sale price of $579, it's clear that TWH has lost a lot of popularity. I also found out that the Smoky Mountain TWH Sale has been canceled. This sale is as big as the After Christmas sale, if not bigger. Their excuse? "The Smoky Mountain Sale was recently informed by the USDA of new livestock sale regulations. Due to the complexity of these regulations and the time constraints we will not be able to have the February 2013 sale. We apologize for any inconvenience. We would like to thank all of our customers for their business."
Quite frankly, I am on the USDA APHIS mailing list, and there's nothing about any "new" livestock sale regulations. It seems to me that maybe it means the USDA would actually plan on showing up, which means sore horses might be found. This is just an assumption, but overall their excuse seems quite fishy.
I wish the industry would see past the trees and see the forest. They are not doing well, and their pocketbooks are suffering because of it. Why not make the change for real? Why not stop soring in its tracks? Why not save face before you lose your entire industry solely because of your stubbornness and childishness? You're killing yourselves, and we're just going to watch you die unless you do something about it.
After lots of work and meetings, John Nicholson, the Executive Director of the park, made it clear that the horse comes first and foremost at the park. Therefore, he made sure to bring in the International Walking Horse Association (IWHA) as the HIO for the sale. He also made sure the USDA was present. While he and his staff said it was okay to have Big Lick horses, they were adamant about safety and the welfare of the horse.
As a result, the sale itself had ZERO Big Lick and heavy shod horses! This was WONDERFUL news for the Tennessee Walking Horse!
Janet Patton wrote a great article about the sale and the participation. Click here to read the article.
The Industry made it sound like the entire sale was huge with a big turnout and lots of horses sold at high prices. However, the visual evidence does not seem to match that.
Clearly, there aren't many people in the crowds or on the grounds. It's quite a difference from the below video from the 2011 After Christmas Sale.
And sadly, the announcer seems quite proud that the last horse of the sale sold to Senator Robin Webb, who has HPA violations under her belt.
Let's take a look at the numbers. Click here for the PDF of the list if you have a hard time reading the below table. I don't have any official list of the results of the sale. The TWH industry usually does not post the results of their sales...unlike every other horse organization out there. The following list I got from these two videos (Friday results and Saturday results). The catalog had 220 horses listed to be sold. No sales are indicated in pink text. If there was no information indicated by the person who kept track of the sales, I indicated them as "NO INFO" in red text.
Approximately 207 horses were run through the sale.
99 horses confirmed sold.
46 horses were confirmed no sales.
58 horses didn't have any information if they sold or not on the video.
Highest sale price: $6400.
Next most highest sale price: $3500.
Horses sold in $3000 to $4000 range: 5.
Horses sold in $2000 to $2999 range: 10.
Horses sold in the $1000 to $1999 range: 32.
Horses sold in the $250 to $999 range: 52.
Average horse sale price: $579.
Here's what Sen. Webb said on her Facebook page about the sale.
After all the media hype and negativity, a great sale was had in the Kentucky Horse Park facility. KY Horse Park brass was there as well as members of the Kentucky Racing Commission, the Kentucky Horse Council, and others. There was a good crowd, some new faces, had some thoroughbred people there, even a Polo player rode a TWH. The inspectors were very professional, as were those who presented. I think much was done to dispel the myth and propaganda. The media did not even surface on the second day and the article in Saturday mornings paper was pretty good. Would I like to have seen a little more cash on the barrelhead for the sellers,sure. But, I can't fault folks for looking for a bargain. Many horses that were no sale in the ring were sold outside. A little padded horse withdrawal, but, a good experience over all.
A LITTLE padded horse withdrawal? No padded horses were there. I don't get that statement at all.
I have to say that yes, she's right--myths and propaganda was dispelled. We now know that BL horses won't be brought to a sale that has the USDA and IWHA present. The myth that horses aren't being sored has been dispelled--they didn't bring any BL horses, so I think we can assume they won't do it because we know they're sored. We know that media coverage means they're going to keep things small. And we know that their claims of horses selling for big money at sales is also not true.
Sadly, with an average sale price of $579, it's clear that TWH has lost a lot of popularity. I also found out that the Smoky Mountain TWH Sale has been canceled. This sale is as big as the After Christmas sale, if not bigger. Their excuse? "The Smoky Mountain Sale was recently informed by the USDA of new livestock sale regulations. Due to the complexity of these regulations and the time constraints we will not be able to have the February 2013 sale. We apologize for any inconvenience. We would like to thank all of our customers for their business."
Quite frankly, I am on the USDA APHIS mailing list, and there's nothing about any "new" livestock sale regulations. It seems to me that maybe it means the USDA would actually plan on showing up, which means sore horses might be found. This is just an assumption, but overall their excuse seems quite fishy.
I wish the industry would see past the trees and see the forest. They are not doing well, and their pocketbooks are suffering because of it. Why not make the change for real? Why not stop soring in its tracks? Why not save face before you lose your entire industry solely because of your stubbornness and childishness? You're killing yourselves, and we're just going to watch you die unless you do something about it.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
NEWS and ARTICLES - The AVMA: "Change hard to come by"
The AVMA has posted a wonderful article about the USDA's new ways to detect soring, and they comment on why change is so hard to come by. This article speaks for itself. I love that the AVMA is keeping up on this. Click here for the link to the article.
I also will be posting the results of the Kentucky After Christmas Sale at the Kentucky Horse Park soon. Let's just say there was nary a Big Lick horse in sight; it was a great success for the SOUND horse!
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Change hard to come by
USDA looking at new ways to detect soring
Posted on January 30, 2013
By Malinda Larkin
As the AVMA, American Association of Equine Practitioners, federal government, and others put pressure on the Walking Horse industry to eradicate the practice of soring, pushback on reform remains.
On Nov. 20, 2012, the AVMA and AAEP released a statement indicating their support for amendments to the Horse Protection Act. As written, the amendments (H.R. 6388) would have strengthened penalties for violations of the act and improved Department of Agriculture enforcement (see JAVMA, Nov. 1, 2012, page 1133).
Five months earlier, the associations had jointly called for a ban on the use of action devices and performance packages on Tennessee Walking Horses. These are commonly used to accentuate the breed’s distinctive gait but can also be used to facilitate soring, i.e., deliberately inflicting pain to exaggerate the gait of horses to gain an unfair advantage in the show ring.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association and the Tennessee Walking Show Horse Organization issued letters Nov. 21 and Nov. 28, respectively, to the AVMA and AAEP. Both indicated opposition to the associations’ efforts and the amendments to the HPA.
The TWHBEA wrote that, while it is committed to ending soring: “The Association is aware of no scientific evidence supporting the idea that pads and action devices, when used properly, harm horses. In reality, it is the actions of unscrupulous individuals that harm horses.”
The TWSHO letter followed in the same vein. The group also took issue with the proposed amendment to the HPA that would eliminate the role of horse industry organizations such as the TWHBEA and TWSHO in horse show inspections.
Currently, horse show managers can voluntarily hire USDA-trained lay inspectors, known as designated qualified persons, chosen by certain horse industry organizations. The USDA also has its own veterinary medical officers who perform inspections at some venues.
Under the new provision, the USDA would be responsible for choosing inspectors for horse shows, auctions, and other Horse Protection Act–regulated venues; however, the decision to hire a designated qualified person would still be up to the horse show, sale, or auction organizers.
“Without HIOs there are no assurances of consistent inspections, tracking of individuals that have been previously ticketed, and thus no effective enforcement of the HPA,” TWSHO’s letter stated.
Currently there are 12 horse industry organizations; only six are active. Three are undergoing decertification. That’s because in 2012, the USDA changed regulations to create a more consistent penalty structure for the industry (see JAVMA, Aug. 1, 2012, page 296). It requires designated qualified persons who inspect horses to assess minimum penalties for soring. These three organizations didn’t follow the mandate, claiming the regulations were unconstitutional.
Facts and figures
Dr. Gail C. Golab, director of the AVMA Animal Welfare Division, responded to the two organizations’ letters in a Dec. 3 post on the AVMA@Work blog, explaining the AVMA’s and AAEP’s position as well as the proposed amendments.
The science that is available says that raising the heels (placing a horse on pads and wedges) 8 degrees can cause the horse to stumble and tire easily, Dr. Golab wrote. Additionally, horses placed on pads and wedges had inflammation in the flexor tendon area of the pastern.
“Chains that weigh 6 ounces will start to cause hair loss without the use of chemical irritants. Chains heavier than 6 ounces used on horses that have been previously sored will cause open lesions within two weeks,” Dr. Golab added.
Regardless, she said, the horse industry organizations were missing the point of the AVMA’s and AAEP’s decision.
“The AVMA’s and AAEP’s primary concern is that chains and pads are used to exacerbate and/or hide soring. And they can do so irrespective of their size and/or weight,” Dr. Golab wrote. “To remove opportunity and incentive to sore, and to facilitate the inspection process under the HPA, the AVMA and AAEP agree with the authors of H.R. 6388 that self-policing, and chains and pads, have to go.”
Recent statistics bear out Dr. Golab’s claim on self-policing.
As of Nov. 17, 2012, designated qualified persons had completed 62,835 inspections for the year and found 641 violations (1.02 percent). By comparison, 9,685 inspections were completed when USDA veterinary medical officers were present. During those inspections, 572 violations were found (5.91 percent).
During the 2012 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the biggest show for this community, 1,849 entries were inspected with USDA veterinary medical officers present, and 166 violations were found (8.98 percent). The preceding year, there was a 9.5 percent violation rate, with 2,143 horses inspected and 203 violations found.
Plus, from 2005-2008, the USDA was present at only 6 percent of all Walking Horse shows, yet designated qualified persons found 39 percent of all their violations at these horse shows.
Divisions remain
Further discord in the Walking Horse industry was made evident when the TWHBEA voted in late 2012 to reject a proposal submitted by the TWSHO to unify the industry under one voice.
The proposal was a draft plan developed from meetings with various independent equine experts, including multiple nationally renowned veterinarians. The mission of the organization was to have a “one-voice” horse industry organization for performance horses.
“Goals include the implementation of one set of HIO protocols, procedures and penalties to ensure consistent, fair and complete inspections throughout the industry. The group’s primary goal would be to eliminate soring through an aggressive reform agenda. Additionally, the group intends to coordinate all industry communications regarding the show horse in matters relating to the HPA, regulatory, and political issues. The proposal intends to create one rulebook, penalty structure, and judging program,” according to an email sent by the TWHBEA.
The proposed 12-member board of directors would have consisted of two members from five current organizations—the TWSHO, TWHBEA, Walking Horse Owners Association, Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, and Walking Horse Trainers’ Association—along with two “independent, non-industry” veterinarians.
The TWHBEA cited concerns over the lack of financial details and the representational structure of the board for not joining. The WHOA held a similar vote and rejected the plan but voted to keep lines of communication open with the TWSHO.
Keeping an eye on things
Going forward, while H.R. 6388 is expected to be reintroduced in the 113th Congress, the USDA continues to test new methods to detect soring and keep horses that have been sored from being entered in horse shows.
The USDA Horse Protection Program has begun a pilot project on drug testing. Veterinary medical officers obtain blood to look for agents that could be linked to soring.
“Just as numbing and masking agents are found from the foreign substance testing, we are concerned that these types of agents may be injected in the horses as well to cause soring or mask soring during inspections,” said Dr. Rachel Cezar, Horse Protection Program coordinator with the Animal Care program of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
So far, 50 samples have been collected at three horse shows, and more sampling is planned in 2013.
In addition, the USDA Horse Protection Program will be working with the equine identification system EyeD to establish a program for identifying horses in violation of the Horse Protection Act via a scan of their irises. The USDA will begin using it this year.
“We hope that introducing this technology to the industry will influence (horse owners) to start utilizing it as well for equine identification,” Dr. Cezar said.
I also will be posting the results of the Kentucky After Christmas Sale at the Kentucky Horse Park soon. Let's just say there was nary a Big Lick horse in sight; it was a great success for the SOUND horse!
**********
Change hard to come by
USDA looking at new ways to detect soring
Posted on January 30, 2013
By Malinda Larkin
As the AVMA, American Association of Equine Practitioners, federal government, and others put pressure on the Walking Horse industry to eradicate the practice of soring, pushback on reform remains.
On Nov. 20, 2012, the AVMA and AAEP released a statement indicating their support for amendments to the Horse Protection Act. As written, the amendments (H.R. 6388) would have strengthened penalties for violations of the act and improved Department of Agriculture enforcement (see JAVMA, Nov. 1, 2012, page 1133).
Five months earlier, the associations had jointly called for a ban on the use of action devices and performance packages on Tennessee Walking Horses. These are commonly used to accentuate the breed’s distinctive gait but can also be used to facilitate soring, i.e., deliberately inflicting pain to exaggerate the gait of horses to gain an unfair advantage in the show ring.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association and the Tennessee Walking Show Horse Organization issued letters Nov. 21 and Nov. 28, respectively, to the AVMA and AAEP. Both indicated opposition to the associations’ efforts and the amendments to the HPA.
The TWHBEA wrote that, while it is committed to ending soring: “The Association is aware of no scientific evidence supporting the idea that pads and action devices, when used properly, harm horses. In reality, it is the actions of unscrupulous individuals that harm horses.”
The TWSHO letter followed in the same vein. The group also took issue with the proposed amendment to the HPA that would eliminate the role of horse industry organizations such as the TWHBEA and TWSHO in horse show inspections.
Currently, horse show managers can voluntarily hire USDA-trained lay inspectors, known as designated qualified persons, chosen by certain horse industry organizations. The USDA also has its own veterinary medical officers who perform inspections at some venues.
Under the new provision, the USDA would be responsible for choosing inspectors for horse shows, auctions, and other Horse Protection Act–regulated venues; however, the decision to hire a designated qualified person would still be up to the horse show, sale, or auction organizers.
“Without HIOs there are no assurances of consistent inspections, tracking of individuals that have been previously ticketed, and thus no effective enforcement of the HPA,” TWSHO’s letter stated.
Currently there are 12 horse industry organizations; only six are active. Three are undergoing decertification. That’s because in 2012, the USDA changed regulations to create a more consistent penalty structure for the industry (see JAVMA, Aug. 1, 2012, page 296). It requires designated qualified persons who inspect horses to assess minimum penalties for soring. These three organizations didn’t follow the mandate, claiming the regulations were unconstitutional.
Facts and figures
Dr. Gail C. Golab, director of the AVMA Animal Welfare Division, responded to the two organizations’ letters in a Dec. 3 post on the AVMA@Work blog, explaining the AVMA’s and AAEP’s position as well as the proposed amendments.
The science that is available says that raising the heels (placing a horse on pads and wedges) 8 degrees can cause the horse to stumble and tire easily, Dr. Golab wrote. Additionally, horses placed on pads and wedges had inflammation in the flexor tendon area of the pastern.
“Chains that weigh 6 ounces will start to cause hair loss without the use of chemical irritants. Chains heavier than 6 ounces used on horses that have been previously sored will cause open lesions within two weeks,” Dr. Golab added.
Regardless, she said, the horse industry organizations were missing the point of the AVMA’s and AAEP’s decision.
“The AVMA’s and AAEP’s primary concern is that chains and pads are used to exacerbate and/or hide soring. And they can do so irrespective of their size and/or weight,” Dr. Golab wrote. “To remove opportunity and incentive to sore, and to facilitate the inspection process under the HPA, the AVMA and AAEP agree with the authors of H.R. 6388 that self-policing, and chains and pads, have to go.”
Recent statistics bear out Dr. Golab’s claim on self-policing.
As of Nov. 17, 2012, designated qualified persons had completed 62,835 inspections for the year and found 641 violations (1.02 percent). By comparison, 9,685 inspections were completed when USDA veterinary medical officers were present. During those inspections, 572 violations were found (5.91 percent).
During the 2012 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, the biggest show for this community, 1,849 entries were inspected with USDA veterinary medical officers present, and 166 violations were found (8.98 percent). The preceding year, there was a 9.5 percent violation rate, with 2,143 horses inspected and 203 violations found.
Plus, from 2005-2008, the USDA was present at only 6 percent of all Walking Horse shows, yet designated qualified persons found 39 percent of all their violations at these horse shows.
Divisions remain
Further discord in the Walking Horse industry was made evident when the TWHBEA voted in late 2012 to reject a proposal submitted by the TWSHO to unify the industry under one voice.
The proposal was a draft plan developed from meetings with various independent equine experts, including multiple nationally renowned veterinarians. The mission of the organization was to have a “one-voice” horse industry organization for performance horses.
“Goals include the implementation of one set of HIO protocols, procedures and penalties to ensure consistent, fair and complete inspections throughout the industry. The group’s primary goal would be to eliminate soring through an aggressive reform agenda. Additionally, the group intends to coordinate all industry communications regarding the show horse in matters relating to the HPA, regulatory, and political issues. The proposal intends to create one rulebook, penalty structure, and judging program,” according to an email sent by the TWHBEA.
The proposed 12-member board of directors would have consisted of two members from five current organizations—the TWSHO, TWHBEA, Walking Horse Owners Association, Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, and Walking Horse Trainers’ Association—along with two “independent, non-industry” veterinarians.
The TWHBEA cited concerns over the lack of financial details and the representational structure of the board for not joining. The WHOA held a similar vote and rejected the plan but voted to keep lines of communication open with the TWSHO.
Keeping an eye on things
Going forward, while H.R. 6388 is expected to be reintroduced in the 113th Congress, the USDA continues to test new methods to detect soring and keep horses that have been sored from being entered in horse shows.
The USDA Horse Protection Program has begun a pilot project on drug testing. Veterinary medical officers obtain blood to look for agents that could be linked to soring.
“Just as numbing and masking agents are found from the foreign substance testing, we are concerned that these types of agents may be injected in the horses as well to cause soring or mask soring during inspections,” said Dr. Rachel Cezar, Horse Protection Program coordinator with the Animal Care program of the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
So far, 50 samples have been collected at three horse shows, and more sampling is planned in 2013.
In addition, the USDA Horse Protection Program will be working with the equine identification system EyeD to establish a program for identifying horses in violation of the Horse Protection Act via a scan of their irises. The USDA will begin using it this year.
“We hope that introducing this technology to the industry will influence (horse owners) to start utilizing it as well for equine identification,” Dr. Cezar said.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
ARTICLES - Editorials Concerning Senator Robin Webb
These wonderful articles really speak for themselves. I've included the links and copied and pasted below. Nothing like letting your horses be abused and supporting animal abuse in public to get you noticed in the wrong way.
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Ky. voices: It's time to end walking horse abuse
Published: January 22, 2013
Robin Webb defends, excuses behavior
By Pam Rogers
Kentucky has a proud tradition of celebrating horses. It also harbors a dark reality of abuse toward the beautiful, gentle Tennessee walking horse. This contradiction became more clear last week with the news that state Sen. Robin Webb became embroiled in such abuse.
Webb and her horses' trainer have reportedly been cited for violating the federal Horse Protection Act by entering horses showing signs of abuse into a competition. Specifically, the animals were allegedly subjected to a cruel training method known as "soring."
Soring is the painful application of chemicals or other training methods to force the animals to perform an artificial high-stepping gait — known as the "Big Lick"— for show competitions.
Despite being made illegal by the federal Horse Protection Act in 1970, soring continues to be prevalent in the walking horse show industry, and Kentucky horse owners and trainers have the second-highest number of citations, after Tennessee.
The Humane Society of the United States is dedicated to seeing the law properly enforced and the practice of soring come to a long-awaited end. But we need legislators like Webb to join the effort to crack down on this criminal practice, not disavow or defend the cruelty that exists.
In response to the allegations of horse abuse, Webb has taken the path most traveled by many in the Big Lick industry — deny, deny, deny. She has also made an appalling attempt to defend the actions of an admitted violator of the Horse Protection Act, Tennessee walking horse Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell.
An undercover investigator for The HSUS caught McConnell on camera soring horses as well as beating and shocking horses' faces. The story made national headlines and McConnell ultimately pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony. While horse lovers around the country were horrified and irate over the video, and lawmakers in Congress are working to improve protections for Tennessee walking horses, Webb called the defenseless horses "dangerous," and blamed the hours of damning undercover footage for "demonizing" the breed.
The real demons are trainers like McConnell, and he is not alone. There is no question that the cruel practice of soring is widespread in the Big Lick horse show industry. Unscrupulous trainers apply caustic chemicals to horses' ankle area, then ride them with chains on their ankles that hurt their sensitized skin with every step. "Stacks" — like high-heeled horseshoes — are nailed to the horse's front hooves to add weight and height, and are frequently used to conceal objects and methods used to inflict pain to the soft tissue of a horse's hoof.
These practices force the horse to snatch his feet off the ground in an attempt to relieve the pain, creating the Big Lick that is rewarded by judges. Major veterinary groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, have called for a ban on these devices.
Instead of defending horse abusers like McConnell, Webb should be working to protect horses by supporting stronger laws to crack down on such criminals. Soring has no place in Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World and the heart of Tennessee walking horse country. A December 2012 Mason-Dixon poll indicates that the majority of voters support federal legislation to strengthen the Horse Protection Act and state legislation making soring a felony offense.
Soring also has no place at the Kentucky Horse Park, which Webb is lobbying to host a sale later this month that would showcase Big Lick Tennessee walking horses. Horse advocates are disturbed that this state-run park would provide a venue for a horse show discipline frequently associated with such extreme cruelty.
Tennessee walking horses have a beautiful natural gait that has been grotesquely exploited. They are forced to endure this pain throughout their entire show careers. Due to weaknesses in the federal law and a failed system of industry self-policing, the trainers who are caught inflecting the torture pay little penance. It's time for a change.
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Roy Exum: Senator "Just Like Lance"
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Robin Webb, a Democratic state senator from Kentucky, just became “the Lance Armstrong of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry” after it was revealed two of her horses were ticketed with violations of the federal Horse Protection Act at a North Carolina horse show in October. There was evidence of scar-rule violations on both horses, which means the horses had been sored and, in the Walking Horse world, to sore is to cheat.
As unbelievable as it may appear, Senator Webb (D-Grayson) was even lauded as the 2012 Performance Horse Ambassador by the industry’s Breeders and Exhibitors group in December ,but now she has been shown to be “just like Lance” after two of her horses, Showstopper and Air Force One, were found in violation of the scarring rule and banned from competition last fall in Creedmoor, N.C.
In a scathing story that appeared 10 days ago in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Webb was portrayed as a typical “Big Lick queen” who still favors the scurilous padded hooves and action devices that the American Veterinarian Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and many other animal rights organizations want to ban.
Of course, Senator Webb denied everything at first, telling writer Janet Patton, “I don’t sore my horses. I love my horses, and they love me.” But as she was interviewed, Webb called pending Congressional legislation to end soring as “extreme” and even defended the horrifying tape that showed Jackie McConnell, who is now a felon, beating and torturing horses.
Webb had the audacity to tell the newspaper the tape that has now been viewed by millions of horse advocates around the world “was taken out of context” and that Tennessee Walking Horses are “dangerous” animals. “You don’t know what happened five minutes before or five minutes after the tape was made. These are animals that are very dangerous. Every breed has training techniques that animal rights groups find offensive.”
And this woman was just chosen as the Performance Horse Ambassador of the Year? Sweet mother of pearl! Lance wouldn’t have said something that stupid to Oprah! Asked about the violations, Webb said “the scar rule is very subjective,” but her trainer, Donald Stamper of Richmond, hung up on the reporter rather than demonstrate his ignorance. But he was also ticketed for violating the Horse Protection Act.
Asked why she didn’t challenge the tickets, Senator Webb said she was unaware she had been ticketed and, as far as she knows, she has not been suspended. But the Lexington newspaper article left no doubt she is a proponent of the padded, or “performance,” horse and that her Ambassador award was for her work in the discussions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Webb, now a lawyer at age 52, worked as a coal miner until the age of 25 before obtaining her degrees. She claimed that the many groups calling for bans on the action devices were “agenda-driven entities” and heavily criticized the veterinary groups in particular that are trying to stop the sale of performance horses in Kentucky.
Needless to say, the Kentucky state senator has quite suddenly made a name for herself. Walking Horse blogs are now whirling across the country and proponents of a “sound” Tennessee Walker are livid. In an Op-ed piece that appeared in Tuesday’s editions of the Lexington newspaper. Pam Rogers of the Humane Society of Kentucky blasted the senator.
“Webb has taken the path most traveled by many in the Big Lick industry — deny, deny, deny. She has also made an appalling attempt to defend the actions of an admitted violator of the Horse Protection Act, Tennessee walking horse Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell.
“The real demons are trainers like McConnell, and he is not alone. There is no question that the cruel practice of soring is widespread in the Big Lick horse show industry. Unscrupulous trainers apply caustic chemicals to horses' ankle area, then ride them with chains on their ankles that hurt their sensitized skin with every step.
“’Stacks’ — like high-heeled horseshoes — are nailed to the horse's front hooves to add weight and height, and are frequently used to conceal objects and methods used to inflict pain to the soft tissue of a horse's hoof," she explained.
She added, “These practices force the horse to snatch his feet off the ground in an attempt to relieve the pain, creating the Big Lick that is rewarded by judges. Major veterinary groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, have called for a ban on these devices.
“Instead of defending horse abusers like McConnell, Webb should be working to protect horses by supporting stronger laws to crack down on such criminals. Soring has no place in Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World and the heart of Tennessee walking horse country.
“A December 2012 Mason-Dixon poll indicates that the majority of voters support federal legislation to strengthen the Horse Protection Act and state legislation making soring a felony offense.
“Soring also has no place at the Kentucky Horse Park, which Webb is lobbying to host a sale later this month that would showcase Big Lick Tennessee walking horses. Horse advocates are disturbed that this state-run park would provide a venue for a horse show discipline frequently associated with such extreme cruelty,” she also wrote.
Meanwhile, the movement to end cruelty to the Tennessee Walking Horse moved on unabated. Pending legislation will make it tougher and tougher and – in Tennessee – soring is now a felony punishable with up to five years in prison.
Somebody better tell Senator Robin Webb not to bring those horses she “loves” to Tennessee.
royexum@aol.com
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Ky. voices: It's time to end walking horse abuse
Published: January 22, 2013
Robin Webb defends, excuses behavior
By Pam Rogers
Kentucky has a proud tradition of celebrating horses. It also harbors a dark reality of abuse toward the beautiful, gentle Tennessee walking horse. This contradiction became more clear last week with the news that state Sen. Robin Webb became embroiled in such abuse.
Webb and her horses' trainer have reportedly been cited for violating the federal Horse Protection Act by entering horses showing signs of abuse into a competition. Specifically, the animals were allegedly subjected to a cruel training method known as "soring."
Soring is the painful application of chemicals or other training methods to force the animals to perform an artificial high-stepping gait — known as the "Big Lick"— for show competitions.
Despite being made illegal by the federal Horse Protection Act in 1970, soring continues to be prevalent in the walking horse show industry, and Kentucky horse owners and trainers have the second-highest number of citations, after Tennessee.
The Humane Society of the United States is dedicated to seeing the law properly enforced and the practice of soring come to a long-awaited end. But we need legislators like Webb to join the effort to crack down on this criminal practice, not disavow or defend the cruelty that exists.
In response to the allegations of horse abuse, Webb has taken the path most traveled by many in the Big Lick industry — deny, deny, deny. She has also made an appalling attempt to defend the actions of an admitted violator of the Horse Protection Act, Tennessee walking horse Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell.
An undercover investigator for The HSUS caught McConnell on camera soring horses as well as beating and shocking horses' faces. The story made national headlines and McConnell ultimately pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony. While horse lovers around the country were horrified and irate over the video, and lawmakers in Congress are working to improve protections for Tennessee walking horses, Webb called the defenseless horses "dangerous," and blamed the hours of damning undercover footage for "demonizing" the breed.
The real demons are trainers like McConnell, and he is not alone. There is no question that the cruel practice of soring is widespread in the Big Lick horse show industry. Unscrupulous trainers apply caustic chemicals to horses' ankle area, then ride them with chains on their ankles that hurt their sensitized skin with every step. "Stacks" — like high-heeled horseshoes — are nailed to the horse's front hooves to add weight and height, and are frequently used to conceal objects and methods used to inflict pain to the soft tissue of a horse's hoof.
These practices force the horse to snatch his feet off the ground in an attempt to relieve the pain, creating the Big Lick that is rewarded by judges. Major veterinary groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, have called for a ban on these devices.
Instead of defending horse abusers like McConnell, Webb should be working to protect horses by supporting stronger laws to crack down on such criminals. Soring has no place in Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World and the heart of Tennessee walking horse country. A December 2012 Mason-Dixon poll indicates that the majority of voters support federal legislation to strengthen the Horse Protection Act and state legislation making soring a felony offense.
Soring also has no place at the Kentucky Horse Park, which Webb is lobbying to host a sale later this month that would showcase Big Lick Tennessee walking horses. Horse advocates are disturbed that this state-run park would provide a venue for a horse show discipline frequently associated with such extreme cruelty.
Tennessee walking horses have a beautiful natural gait that has been grotesquely exploited. They are forced to endure this pain throughout their entire show careers. Due to weaknesses in the federal law and a failed system of industry self-policing, the trainers who are caught inflecting the torture pay little penance. It's time for a change.
**********
Roy Exum: Senator "Just Like Lance"
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Robin Webb, a Democratic state senator from Kentucky, just became “the Lance Armstrong of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry” after it was revealed two of her horses were ticketed with violations of the federal Horse Protection Act at a North Carolina horse show in October. There was evidence of scar-rule violations on both horses, which means the horses had been sored and, in the Walking Horse world, to sore is to cheat.
As unbelievable as it may appear, Senator Webb (D-Grayson) was even lauded as the 2012 Performance Horse Ambassador by the industry’s Breeders and Exhibitors group in December ,but now she has been shown to be “just like Lance” after two of her horses, Showstopper and Air Force One, were found in violation of the scarring rule and banned from competition last fall in Creedmoor, N.C.
In a scathing story that appeared 10 days ago in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader, Webb was portrayed as a typical “Big Lick queen” who still favors the scurilous padded hooves and action devices that the American Veterinarian Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and many other animal rights organizations want to ban.
Of course, Senator Webb denied everything at first, telling writer Janet Patton, “I don’t sore my horses. I love my horses, and they love me.” But as she was interviewed, Webb called pending Congressional legislation to end soring as “extreme” and even defended the horrifying tape that showed Jackie McConnell, who is now a felon, beating and torturing horses.
Webb had the audacity to tell the newspaper the tape that has now been viewed by millions of horse advocates around the world “was taken out of context” and that Tennessee Walking Horses are “dangerous” animals. “You don’t know what happened five minutes before or five minutes after the tape was made. These are animals that are very dangerous. Every breed has training techniques that animal rights groups find offensive.”
And this woman was just chosen as the Performance Horse Ambassador of the Year? Sweet mother of pearl! Lance wouldn’t have said something that stupid to Oprah! Asked about the violations, Webb said “the scar rule is very subjective,” but her trainer, Donald Stamper of Richmond, hung up on the reporter rather than demonstrate his ignorance. But he was also ticketed for violating the Horse Protection Act.
Asked why she didn’t challenge the tickets, Senator Webb said she was unaware she had been ticketed and, as far as she knows, she has not been suspended. But the Lexington newspaper article left no doubt she is a proponent of the padded, or “performance,” horse and that her Ambassador award was for her work in the discussions with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Webb, now a lawyer at age 52, worked as a coal miner until the age of 25 before obtaining her degrees. She claimed that the many groups calling for bans on the action devices were “agenda-driven entities” and heavily criticized the veterinary groups in particular that are trying to stop the sale of performance horses in Kentucky.
Needless to say, the Kentucky state senator has quite suddenly made a name for herself. Walking Horse blogs are now whirling across the country and proponents of a “sound” Tennessee Walker are livid. In an Op-ed piece that appeared in Tuesday’s editions of the Lexington newspaper. Pam Rogers of the Humane Society of Kentucky blasted the senator.
“Webb has taken the path most traveled by many in the Big Lick industry — deny, deny, deny. She has also made an appalling attempt to defend the actions of an admitted violator of the Horse Protection Act, Tennessee walking horse Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell.
“The real demons are trainers like McConnell, and he is not alone. There is no question that the cruel practice of soring is widespread in the Big Lick horse show industry. Unscrupulous trainers apply caustic chemicals to horses' ankle area, then ride them with chains on their ankles that hurt their sensitized skin with every step.
“’Stacks’ — like high-heeled horseshoes — are nailed to the horse's front hooves to add weight and height, and are frequently used to conceal objects and methods used to inflict pain to the soft tissue of a horse's hoof," she explained.
She added, “These practices force the horse to snatch his feet off the ground in an attempt to relieve the pain, creating the Big Lick that is rewarded by judges. Major veterinary groups, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, have called for a ban on these devices.
“Instead of defending horse abusers like McConnell, Webb should be working to protect horses by supporting stronger laws to crack down on such criminals. Soring has no place in Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World and the heart of Tennessee walking horse country.
“A December 2012 Mason-Dixon poll indicates that the majority of voters support federal legislation to strengthen the Horse Protection Act and state legislation making soring a felony offense.
“Soring also has no place at the Kentucky Horse Park, which Webb is lobbying to host a sale later this month that would showcase Big Lick Tennessee walking horses. Horse advocates are disturbed that this state-run park would provide a venue for a horse show discipline frequently associated with such extreme cruelty,” she also wrote.
Meanwhile, the movement to end cruelty to the Tennessee Walking Horse moved on unabated. Pending legislation will make it tougher and tougher and – in Tennessee – soring is now a felony punishable with up to five years in prison.
Somebody better tell Senator Robin Webb not to bring those horses she “loves” to Tennessee.
royexum@aol.com
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
NEWS - The USEF Bans Pads and Chains From Their Rulebook
This is incredibly exciting! This past December, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Executive Committee made a rule change to their rulebook excluding soring, action devices, and the use of weighted shoes, pads and wedges in conjunction with a hoof band! The change was made December 17, 2012 and is effective immediately.
Copied from their rulebook. The official rule number is GR839n. Click here for the link to the rulebook section GR; Section 839n is on page 25.
SUBCHAPTER 8-F WELFARE OF THE HORSE.
GR839 Cruelty to and Abuse of a Horse.
n. Soreing and/or the use of an action device on any limb of a Tennessee Walking
Horse, Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by
the Federation) in any class at a Federation Licensed Competition is prohibited.
An action device is defined by the USDA as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other
device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse
in such a manner that it can rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg so
as to cause friction or strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint or pastern of the
horse. (Protective bell boots or heel boots are specifically excluded from this definition).
The use of a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, in conjunction with a hoof band
or other device or material (commonly referred to as a performance package)
placed on, inserted in, or attached to any limb of a Tennessee Walking Horse,
a Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by the
Federation) constructed to artificially alter the gait of such a horse, and which
are not protective or therapeutic in nature, in classes at a Federation Licensed
Competition is prohibited. EC 12/17/12 Effective Immediately.
It's also important to note that this is breed specific, meaning that they have pointed out this is specific to TWHs, SSHs and Racking Horses. It does not affect other breeds that use pads, wedges or bands.
So this means that at any show that uses the USEF rulebook, they have to abide by this rule, and stacks, bands, and action devices ARE NOT allowed at the show! This means that if there a show in your area that has TWH stacked and banded classes in it and the show is USEF affiliated, let the show management know to remove those classes or they can be fined by the USEF. If they don't, then give the USEF a call!
This is massively huge, folks. The USEF has not recognized the TWH breed and the SSH and Racking Horse subsets because of the soring and does not include a rulebook for these horses in their association. But to actually put this down in writing in their rulebook...well, this means a lot and should be a gigantic message to the TWH industry. It's time to wake up and stop playing games and start getting rid of the current BL look!
Copied from their rulebook. The official rule number is GR839n. Click here for the link to the rulebook section GR; Section 839n is on page 25.
SUBCHAPTER 8-F WELFARE OF THE HORSE.
GR839 Cruelty to and Abuse of a Horse.
n. Soreing and/or the use of an action device on any limb of a Tennessee Walking
Horse, Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by
the Federation) in any class at a Federation Licensed Competition is prohibited.
An action device is defined by the USDA as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other
device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse
in such a manner that it can rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg so
as to cause friction or strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint or pastern of the
horse. (Protective bell boots or heel boots are specifically excluded from this definition).
The use of a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, in conjunction with a hoof band
or other device or material (commonly referred to as a performance package)
placed on, inserted in, or attached to any limb of a Tennessee Walking Horse,
a Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by the
Federation) constructed to artificially alter the gait of such a horse, and which
are not protective or therapeutic in nature, in classes at a Federation Licensed
Competition is prohibited. EC 12/17/12 Effective Immediately.
It's also important to note that this is breed specific, meaning that they have pointed out this is specific to TWHs, SSHs and Racking Horses. It does not affect other breeds that use pads, wedges or bands.
So this means that at any show that uses the USEF rulebook, they have to abide by this rule, and stacks, bands, and action devices ARE NOT allowed at the show! This means that if there a show in your area that has TWH stacked and banded classes in it and the show is USEF affiliated, let the show management know to remove those classes or they can be fined by the USEF. If they don't, then give the USEF a call!
This is massively huge, folks. The USEF has not recognized the TWH breed and the SSH and Racking Horse subsets because of the soring and does not include a rulebook for these horses in their association. But to actually put this down in writing in their rulebook...well, this means a lot and should be a gigantic message to the TWH industry. It's time to wake up and stop playing games and start getting rid of the current BL look!
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