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Known as "action devices," chains worn around the pasterns can range from the mildly annoying to the extremely painful. Alone, the six-ounce chains accepted in the show ring may not harm the horse, but horses sored with heavy chains or chemicals prior to the show date can suffer intense pain in the ring as the lighter chains repeatedly bang against the sore area. Thankfully, one old standby is falling out of favor with sorers. Though driving nails or inserting screws into the hoof wall (up against the sensitive white line) then covering them with pads was once considered an undetectable means of soring, inspectors can now use a fluoroscope to detect the metal through living tissue. Unfortunately, cheaters know that fluoroscopes are not yet in common use and that there are still plenty of ways to get through the DQP exams undetected. At one show, it was discovered that screws were inserted into the hoof wall under the band used to keep the heavy shoe on, backed off to get through the DQP inspection, then quickly screwed back into the hoof just before going in to the ring! Other tricks include placing ball bearings or golf balls cut in half between the pad and the hoof, and placing "V" springs, wrapped with a wad of black electrical tape, over the tip of the frogs to bruise the soles, and removing them just prior to the show. Unfortunately, pressure shoeing is a harder to identify, yet effective, method of torture. The hoof wall is filed down near the quick, which causes the sole to come into direct contact with the metal shoe, causing excruciating pain each time the horse puts weight on the foot. Another technique is to add a welded bead of metal to the under side of the shoe so that it digs into the hoof at each step. Pressure shoeing was actually abetted by at least one shoe manufacturer that made plantation shoes higher on the inside than on the outside, causing uneven pressure and resulting soreness. Similar to the above is road foundering. The hoof wall may be rasped away nearly to the quick and the shoe nailed on. The horse is then ridden up and down a hard surface, like the roadways on or near showgrounds, until its feet are sore. The next time you see an exhibitor "warming up" on the roadway, take note. Stewarding UNFORTUNATELY, SORERS think up deeds even more heinous than the original sins to avoid getting caught. When a horse goes through the DQP inspection he is subject to visual and physical examination. Horses that flinch at palpation (firm handling of the feet and legs) raise red flags and may be disqualified from competition. So after enduring the pain of soring, horses are taught to deny it. Techniques defy even the most sick and brutal imaginations. While one "trainer" palpates the painful area, another stands in the ready to steward the animal. The slightest flinch may result in anything from a severe blow to the head, jerking of a cord attached to a metal "alligator clip" clamped to the genitals or anus, a cigarette burn to the tongue or other ingenious method of inflicting even more pain than that of the palpation. The result is that the horse learns to stand still for the lesser of the two punishments. By contrast, it is almost a blessing that topical anesthetics containing Lidocaine and Benzocaine (known as Hurricane Spray) and temporary freezing agents that numb the pain of inspection have become popular with sorers. Developed for the human dental industry, some of these sprays were "improved" with cherry flavoring and coloring, which shows up strikingly on white legs. Non-flavored varieties are the obvious choices for stewarding. Sour Grapes ONE OF THE SADDEST things to hear in response the question of soring is the pat answer that "all breeds have their issues". Another common dodge is that those who oppose soring are just losers who can't cut it in competition. Don't be distracted. Soring is still cruel, wrong, cheating and illegal - no matter what the Quarter Horse people do (or don't do), no matter what the Thoroughbred people do (or don't do) and no matter who wins or loses. A former sore horse exhibitor confesses, "I used to show in the sore horse world and have recently "changed over". I just couldn't tolerate another day of seeing what goes on. I actually left a large Championship show last year after seeing a horse I had shown amateur (and loved) so sore he could barely walk on his own. This horse was turned down and not allowed to show, but the trainer and owner put on an "exhibition" in the warm-up ring to many cheers from the crowd that gathered. They actually enjoyed seeing this poor horse, obviously in pain, perform a "wildly exaggerated walk." It is very sad that people will put a blue ribbon over the well-being of an animal...but to some winning is everything. I prefer to remain anonymous; as my goal is not to hurt any of the people I've been acquainted with in the past. I have told them why I quit showing and that I disagree with their methods of training and hope they someday will see the reality of what they are doing. I, however, am not out to "ruin them personally" just out to stop the abuse. I just let them know I'd be on the other side working just as hard at making things right as I did at doing things the wrong way. This is an industry where I grew up, lot of friends and family involved. I supported the industry for many years... advertising, showing, buying. I plan to work just as hard to promote the sound horse and end the abuse! It may be prudent to remember that overwhelmingly, those who abuse children or partners often start out abusing animals.
The Horse Protection Act
The responsibility to enforce the law fell to the Veterinary Medical Officers (VMOs) of the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). But Congress failed to fund the USDA to carry out its duty and instead amended the law in 1976, allowing the very industry for which the law was written to train its own inspectors. People trained to detect soring, called Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs), are certified by the USDA to inspect horses at the shows and write tickets. They look for scars, swelling, tenderness, abrasions, bleeding, or oozing serum particularly around the coronet band, the area above the hoof, the front and rear pasterns, and the bulb of the heel. Some are more dedicated than others. An attempt to alter the Act in 1999 called for an Operating Plan (OP) to clarify procedures and penalties. And another in 2000, and 2001. Each time the OP was opposed by the majority of Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) that put on the shows, and the government repeatedly negotiated. One hot issue in the OP is the "scar rule" which eliminates horses from competition that show obvious signs of having been sored in the past, regardless of whether or not they are sore at the time of exhibition. The law threatens violators with criminal or civil charges, up to two years in prison, fines of up to $5,000 and disqualification from showing, exhibiting or selling horses for a year or more. Trainers could be disqualified for life. In addition, the HIOs can impose their own sanctions. In reality, many violators find loopholes and keep right on soring, the proof of which lies in the widespread practice with which we are faced today - more than 30 years after the HPA was enacted. The Damned and the Damaged THE SUFFERING caused by soring is multi-layered, beginning with horses that endure great pain from their caretakers. Beyond the physical pain, the emotional effects must be devastating. The accumulative effects of chemical exposure leave many horses damaged for life or dead. The same may some day prove to be true for those who apply these substances, day after day, to horse after horse. Horses that are "culled" from show barns are often sold to the general public. Some go on to thrive, but others never transcend their nightmarish experiences and prove to be poor examples of the breed at best, or dangerous ones at worst. And, as opponents of the scar rule often decry, a horse that has been sored is denied any future show career under a sound trainer because of the scars of the past. Among those unfairly hurt by the practice of soring are the sound trainers, exhibitors and owners. Others unfairly hurt by the practice of soring are the sound trainers, exhibitors and owners. People whose lives and livelihoods are deeply entwined with the horses they love and respect. People who love their retired show horses. Even people who go out of their way to rescue abused horses and provide them a safe haven. In the eyes of the public, the stigma of soring taints the entire gaited horse industry, with the beautiful, big-hearted Tennessee Walking Horse bearing the brunt of it. Long-term effects on the breed include the change in character of the horses over time, both in terms of structure and gait brought on by the spectator demand for the sore version of the running walk. According to both USDA figures and recent reports from the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, entries in such classes have dropped. Those who have led the fight against soring have been harassed, threatened and intimidated by those with the money and influence to do so. But their ranks are growing everyday. Many people have committed to great personal sacrifice to abolish a practice that was outlawed by Federal law long ago. At the core of the problem is money. Those that support soring have more money to fight the law than the USDA has to enforce it. What YOU Can Do YOU CAN COPY THIS ARTICLE and share it. Seek out likeminded individuals and organizations. Encourage show groups to bring civil suits against proven offenders. Encourage your community to boycott sore shows, or invite your local news media to cover them - after explaining the facts of soring. Media attention may inspire your local elected public officials. Educate children in your area, as soring has now passed through at least three generations. Support sound horse organizations. There is a tremendous grass roots effort promoting the sound horse and educating the public about soring, but they need your support. Don't turn away if you don't show. Join your breed association and vote for change in elections. But first and foremost, write your Congressman and demand that the law is enforced and that the USDA is granted, and required to use, adequate funding to eradicate the rewards of soring. For more information contact the organizations on our back cover or visit: The Gaited Horse thanks the many devoted individuals who provided the information for this article. 1st page 2nd page |
OTHER METHODS OF SORING show just how creative animal abusers can be.
FED UP BY THE INHUMANE treatment of horses, activists managed to get the Horse Protection Act (HPA) passed in 1970. This Federal law prohibits sored horses from participating in exhibitions, sales, shows, or auctions and prohibits drivers from hauling sored horses across State lines to compete. It does not prevent soring.