Photo ? HSUS
ABC News and the Humane Society of the United States released an undercover video last week showing the egregious abuse of horses at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.?In response to the horrific footage, the beverage company Pepsi?pulled its sponsorship from the prestigious horse show.
?We have ended our sponsorship of the event,? Vincent Bozek, a Pepsi spokesman, revealed on Thursday.
The video provided by HSUS to ABC news, shows trainers beating horses in the head with wooden clubs and applying caustic chemicals to horses? feet to produce ?Big Lick? an artificially produced high-stepping gait that wins prizes in the show ring.
Tennessee Walkers are a breed of riding horse. The breed originated in the Southern United States to carry plantation owners around their land. They are popular trail horses in both Western and harness disciplines. Tennessee Walking Horses are known for their easy temper and unique gaits: the running walk, the flat walk, and the gentle, ?rocking horse? canter.
Walking Horses became popular in the 1940s and 50s because of their exaggerated front leg action, which drew spectators to horse shows. Some trainers borrowed practices used by other breeds to artificially produce the desired gait. These methods included the use of devices such as weighted shoes, ?stacks? (stacked pads), and the use of weighted chains around the pasterns.
As higher and more dramatic action was rewarded by the judges, some trainers hurried the method by including excessively heavy weighted chains, use of tacks deliberately placed under the shoe into the ?white line,? or quick, of the hoof, and ?soring,? which make it painful for the horse to put its feet down.
The undercover video released by the HSUS shows trainers ?soring? horses in preparation for the TWHN Celebration. Soring is the abusive practice of applying caustic chemicals to horses? feet. After applying the chemicals, the trainers wrap the ankles in plastic and the chemicals are left to burn the horse overnight, to produce an exaggerated gait for the show. The horses are in terrible pain, many times lying down in their stables unwilling to stand. Soring has been illegal for more than 40 years under the federal Horse Protection Act.
The undercover investigation at a training barn for Tennessee Walking shows nationally known trainer, Jackie McConnell, and others whipping and kicking horses, shocking them in the face, and violently cracking them in across their skulls and legs with heavy wooden sticks during and after soring of their front legs.
The video led to state and federal felony criminal indictments against McConnell and some of his associates for multiple violations of the federal Horse Protection Act.
To help stop this cruelty,?click here to send a letter to your representatives.
About the author: Ariel Wulff is an author, artist and animal advocate. She has worked in animal rescue for more than 24 years, authoring the book Born Without a Tail, a memoir of her experiences with rescued animals. She writes a column as the Cleveland Pets Examiner, and is the National Animal Books Examiner. She also maintains a personal blog about dogs: Up on the Woof, and uses her yelodoggie art to spread the joy of living with dogs. Find out more about Wulff on her website yelodoggie.com.
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