Tennessee Walking Horse Soring Issue *Update post 1*

[hurleycane]

Lucky YOU! Though I do not own a TWH :no: one of mine is most likely a grade TWH. And when he was rideable - he was something else I tell ya. Something else. You see the only experience I had when I got him was with saddle breds. And so to gait him, I would raise my hands and kiss him forward. And yes he would rack and it was fun.

Then I had the good simple fortune to take him to a place where the trainer had walking horses. On my first ride there she deconstructed that down and out stiff saddle seat leg and lowered my hands having me “just sit quiet with a relaxed leg and hip.”

And then it happened.

He started nodding and the cupping feet rose up to my chest in a lovely vibration. And when we asked a little more… he powered up the back end.

All I can say is - incredible.

[aarpaso]

That sweeping relaxed gait is what most trail riders like,alot of Field Trial Folks LOVE the ground covering ride when working their bird dogs.

folks with back and hip problems have to stop riding if they have a trotting breed,but not so with a walker or other gaited breed.

[hurleycane]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6490652]
This will be some nice exposure !

The National Walking Horse Association (NWHA) is excited to partner with Tom Seay and Best of America by Horseback to promote the natural Walking Horse. Since its inception in 1998, NWHA has worked diligently to increase public awareness of the NATURAL abilities of the flat shod Walking Horse in such areas as trail riding programs, rail horse competitions, Dressage, Reining and timed events.

Headquartered at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, the National Walking Horse Association is the foremost sound walking horse organization in the United States today. For over 14 years, NWHA has been promoting the general welfare of and serving as an advocate for the Walking Horse against abusive and inhumane treatment. As a USDA-certified HIO, NWHA has adopted and enforced the highest level of penalties for Horse Protection Act violators, adopted “no tolerance” for soring practices, and has a mandatory requirement that all DQP’s and Board of Directors members have no violations of the HPA. Soon after it’s founding, NWHA prohibited pads, chains, and other action devices from all of the Association’s competitions.

Some of our most notable achievements are that NWHA was the Walking Horse Breed Representative for 2010 World Equestrian Games, NWHA is the Walking Horse Breed Affiliate Organization for USEF, NWHA is a certified HIO approved by the Kentucky Racing Commission to inspect horses that receive Kentucky Breeders Incentive funds; and, NWHA’s National Championship show is the largest flat shod Walking Horse show in the nation and the second largest Walking Horse show overall.

NWHA highlights our trail horses and their dedicated riders through our Trail Rider Incentive Program (T.R.I.P) and our Competitive Horse Incentive Program (C.H.I.P). The T.R.I.P. is open to all NWHA members riding any gaited horse or any gaited horse owned by a NWHA member. Awards for T.R.I.P are based on time spent in the saddle. Trail hours are counted in 15-minute increments with a minimum of 30 minutes per ride. Any NWHA-affiliated ride or ACTHA Competitive Trail Challenge counts for double hours. The annual high hour rider is presented with the Iron Buns Award, a customized silver belt buckle designed for the T.R.I.P. program. Also, the high hour horse and high hour youth rider receive an annual award. These awards are presented at our NWHA Annual Membership Meeting. The C.H.I.P is designated for NWHA members that compete in any kind of competitive trail event such as competitive trail rides or endurance rides. Riders accrue mileage at sanctioned Competitive Trail and Endurance rides. Awards for C.H.I.P. are based on miles and awarded at designated hourly levels. These year-end awards are also presented at our Annual Membership Meeting. Visit www.nwha.com for more information on these and other programs that we offer.

Jason Crawhorn ~ NWHA President[/QUOTE]

I went back to read this and just want to being it forward for comments.

As I read through this - what strikes me as important and maybe something we can consider the coming future for the breed is the term Walking Horse. Losing the Tennessee in the breed designation and being headquartered in Kentucky was a very good move to distance themselves from the stigma of the “clown” shoeing and abuse that has become the public perception of the ‘Tennessee’ Walking Horse. The choice of ‘National’ was very smart! ANd the omission of Tennessee was very intentional - this horse needs to shed the stigma of the TWHBEA and the like in order to have a respected future. This breed really deserves the return to its fantastic roots.

I am really glad NWHA has stuck it out, grown, matured refined and fought hard legally to establish themselves. Invitation to WEG, USEF affiliation, fourteen years.

Yes, it is time to support them more. And we need to get behind that thought on a perpetual Roy Exum trophy class. ANd perhaps we need to learn more about how this organization came to be. My bet is there are some real horsemen at its inception that need/deserve recognition.

[walknsound]

Best friend’s hubby decided to wanted to learn to ride. I tole him I could show him what I know, then turn him over to a pro. I let him ride my TWH, then my Mustang mare. (Both safe mounts.) He got off the Mustang and announced, “I want to ride the Walker, the Mustang is like being in a blender.” LOL! That didn’t take long!

[hurleycane]

http://www.nwha.com/membershipform.html

Here is a link for membership (NWHA).

[hurleycane]

[QUOTE=walknsound;6492518]
Best friend’s hubby decided to wanted to learn to ride. I tole him I could show him what I know, then turn him over to a pro. I let him ride my TWH, then my Mustang mare. (Both safe mounts.) He got off the Mustang and announced, “I want to ride the Walker, the Mustang is like being in a blender.” LOL! That didn’t take long![/QUOTE]

Pretty incredible and fun for him I am sure. Makes me smile when I see folks discover the gaited horse. Such a joy.

[hurleycane]

A good read from this site: http://triplekbarc.com/blog/history-of-horses/

[INDENT]It all started in the 1800’s with a makeup of breeds from the Saddlebred, Morgan, American Saddle Horse and Thoroughbred.

The Tennessee Walking Horse began with Allan, (sometimes spelled Allen or Alan), a colt, foaled in 1886 (later referred to as Allan F-1) in Lexington, KY. Allan, who was by Alandorf, (a Standardbred pacing stallion) son of Onward and out of Maggie Marshall, a trotting Morgan horse was small, black and was not a good candidate for a racing pacer; therefore, he was sold and traded many times.

As he was traded and sold around he was called Joe Alan, Old Black Alan and was used as a teasing stud for jacks. In 1903, J. A. McCullouch traded him to James Brantely for a mule.

Mr. Brantely, being an excellent judge of horseflesh saw something special in this small black stallion – history was in the making. Mr. Brantley would become one of three of the best breeders of Walking Horses ever. The other two men were Albert Dement and Bright Hunter.

Mr. Dement purchased Allen from Mr. Brantely in 1909 and paid a mere $140.00 for him and bred him to his best mare Nell Dement. Nell was a registered Saddle Horse and would later be known as Nell Dement F-3. Nell and Alan produced the filly, Merry Legs F-4.

Allen died at age 24 in 1910. The last 7 years of his life he would become known as the Grand Sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse and was bred to 111 mares documented of the best blood of the Morgan, Saddlebred and Standardbreds to be found. Mr. Albert Dement was known in his time as a “genetic engineer” – he had the inherent ability to judge what genetic contributions a horse could offer to future generations. One of his main goals in life was to establish a breed of horses that would consistently produce easy-disposition, naturally gaited offspring.

He bred Merry Legs several times to top studs, but still had not found all the ingredients necessary to replicate the genes for which he had been searching for all his adult life.

Mr. Dement bred Merry Legs twice to Hunter’s Allen (Hunter’s Allen F-10), a golden chestnut with an off hind sock and a star who was by Allen F-1 and out of Alli (owned by Bright Hunter), but lost both foals in the first 2 breedings. Mr. Dement tried again in 1930.

Our Dement “Last Chance” Mares Longview’s Surprise Chance, Chance’s Little Princess, & Longview’s Chance Memory
A lifetime of studying bloodlines, visualizing conformations and using selected inbreeding techniques was all “on the line” a cool morning in the spring of 1931. There on the ground, next to his Mama, lay a sorrel colt with a strip, two socks and flaxen mane. This was the 13th and last foal from Merry Legs and the horse that would carry Albert Dement’s dream and breeding instincts into the future – a stud colt he called Last Chance.

From that day in 1931 until his death in 1956, Last Chance was one of the Premier Breeding Stallions in Tennessee horse world.

After Mr. Dement’s death in 1940, his horses were passed on to his son, Arthur. At no time from 1940 until Arthur’s death in 1989 and beyond, were any Dement-owned mares bred to outside stallions. All Dement-owned mares from Last Chance and his sons were bred back to Last Chance and his sons for more than 50 years. These precious genes were carefully protected from all outside dilution and preserved for posterity through these wonderful horses.

According to Mr. W.J. McGill of Shelbyville, TN in written article descriptions of Allan in 1945, he states "Allan is described as black, near hind sock, off hind foot, white to ankle, and blaze, smart ears, perfect head, wonderful eyes, full and well set, a long rangy neck, beautiful mane and foretop, a decided sloping shoulder, and a breast that belongs to an outstanding Tennessee Walking Horse.

His fine body lines, short back, long belly, well-coupled, smooth hips and rump, natural-set long, wavy tail, with the abundant style he shows in head and neck, smooth limbs, cordy muscles, good foot and bone, his superb gaits, his easy, graceful way of going into the fast running walk, justifies our statement that he was as fine as they make them". Allan was a gentle, dependable horse that a woman or child could ride.

Longview’s Unique Dement when in foal by Tennessee Goldust
James Brantley, Albert Dement and Bright Hunter established the HEART of the Tennessee Walking Horse. It was Albert Dement who established and secured the Charter for the Registry and served as the first and second President of the TWHBA.

I am so grateful for these men of the past, who saw a vision and produced their dream. Giving me the opportunity to live my dream. I am in AWE each and every time I read this history and how such a wonderful, magnificent breed became in existence.

Triple-K-Bar-C TWH Farm, LLC continued preserving and increasing this gene pool with our breedings.

Click here to read Albert Dement’s 1905 Vision of the Future Foundation TWH Breed published in the Tennessee Valley Farmer(date unknown)

Click on the links below for more great history of the Tennessee Walking Horse:

Walking Horse News (Canada) – Walk to Another Rhythm
From Gaited Horse magazine, Fall 2001 – Working the Walk (PDF)
An exerpt about Albert Dement from the Biography of the Tennessee Walking Horse (PDF)[/I][/I][/INDENT]

[WalkInTheWoods]

Great reading hurleycane ! Heres a link to a short article - then click on the links below it.

http://www.bbdsedson.com/keyconnect/walkinghorse/Rhythmn.htm

[WalkInTheWoods]

http://chattanoogan.com/2012/8/12/232073/Roy-Exum-Why-Horses-Are-Abused.aspx

Roy Exum: Why Horses Are Abused
Sunday, August 12, 2012 - by Roy Exum

In the past three months I have taken a crash course called “Walking Horse Abuse 101” and by my tally I grade about a C-minus, which is almost average for anyone who thought a pastern was country way of saying where horses graze grass. It turns out a pastern is a tender part of a horse’s foot where evil people drive nails, insert golf balls or apply heavy pads so the animals will lift their painful front hooves in a very unnatural gait called “The Big Lick.”

The biggest mystery to me is why anyone would sore a horse, but there is overwhelming evidence that caustic chemicals are routinely applied to the forelegs of performance horses in search of a grotesque dance that happens every August.
I was drawn into the fray in May after seeing a horrendous videotape that shocked and angered the entire nation. Since then I have had thousands of “teachers” who, through private email, have bared a very revolting part of the Walking Horse industry to me.

The public outcry has been incredible, lending credence to the notion this year’s National Celebration, which is slated to begin its 11-day run in Shelbyville on Aug. 22, will be unlike the shows of the past. The reason is the Shelbyville-based hierarchy is fighting with all its might against mounting pressure from every direction to finally clean up 50 years of abuse, corruption and the now-seedy image of the Walking Horse industry when, in fact, the defenseless horses are one of the most noble breeds in America.

According to the Bible’s New Testament, 1st Timothy 6:10 starts “For the love of money is the root of all evil” and nothing could be closer to the truth when it comes to deliberately soring a horse. Just like some people go to the Indianapolis 500 to see the cars crash, there are those who go to Shelbyville to see the freaks.

A growing number of trainers say “The Big Lick” can’t be achieved without the hideous and sadistic methods used to produce the unnatural stomping gait, but if the government – both on the state and Congressional level – succeeds in outlawing such depravity, some say Shelbyville’s house of cards could collapse and, according to enforcement official, that is where “the root of all evil” is located.

The horse show has historically brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to Shelbyville’s distressed economy, but it also lines the pockets of those who are now so viciously fighting the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Humane Society of the United States, and a clamoring public to stop the vile abuse and eradicate once and for all the stacks, or pads, and action devices that cause horse lovers of other American breeds to angrily weep.

David Howard, who has craftily wormed his way into the Walking Horse elite of Shelbyville, is today believed to be the ringleader of “The Big Lick” faction. He controls the Celebration board, which picks the judges for the show. He also owns the Walking Horse Report, that is chock full of expensive ads from hopeful owners and trainers, and he owns several other horse-related enterprises.

If “The Big Lick” is eliminated, the crowds may not return to Shelbyville because there would be no more freaks, then the pages of ad revenue might dry up, then the hefty payrolls for the trainers may disappear, and – much like Humpty Dumpty – David Howard’s empire would take a great fall. This is why the Shelbyville bunch is suing the USDA. This is why they are now furiously visiting senators and Congressmen and reminding them that “walking horse money” was donated to various election campaigns. And this is why horses are still being abused.

When the villainous Jackie McConnell pleaded guilty to violating the federal Horse Protection Act on May 22, Howard somewhat innocently told Chattanooga TV station WRCB, “I’ll be honest with you, we’ll never get there. There’s going to be somebody always cheating.”

When Howard revealed his ace card, it caused the anti-soring segment to tighten its resolve. This summer it became a felony to abuse a horse in the state of Tennessee and last week federal judge Sandy Mattice ordered abuser John Mays to write a newspaper article about soring under the terms of his release. The USDA passed new rules for stricter judging, which could cause the Celebration to be decertified, and all summer long there has been one embarrassment after another.

A couple of weeks ago Howard used his bully pulpit to boot Marty Irby – who heads the breed registry – from the Celebration board and there are signs the intertwined leadership may soon be in disarray. Mike Inman, who insiders say is a shameless pawn for Howard, is the Celebration’s new CEO-elect and, in a newspaper interview last week, he said, “We need to focus on the positive and actively promote the performance horse. When you understand the (performance) package, the action device, when you put it in people’s hands, they understand it, they get it, and accept it.”

Oh? Two of the largest equine veterinarian groups have already called for performance devices to be totally banned this summer, saying the unnatural stacks obviously inflame a horse’s legs and are easily altered to hide far worse abuse. “Have you ever seen a performance horse in a field? They don’t do the ‘Big Lick’ unless they are forced to do it,” offered one reader.

But the scurrilous owners and trainers are adapting. With increased attention to violators, trainers are suddenly entering horses in the names of underlings, horse’s names are being easily changed, and clever methods are being used to escape detection of chronic abuse. The new swab tests are laughable, as is the fact the Celebration will use its own judges this year, three of which have known past violations of the Horse Protection Act.

The Tennessee State Fair, which will be held in Nashville during September, will not even allow performance horses due to the public’s increasing disdain, and some states are introducing laws to curb the cheating and abuse that has spread elsewhere. Worse, the overwhelming majority of Walking Horse owners detest the ill-gotten reputation that has plagued the breed for a half-century and seem eager to disassociate from the Shelbyville groups and their agendas.

Rumors continue to swirl. It has been confirmed the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has obtained records and federal investigators, as well as USDA inspectors, will attend the Celebration in a continued effort to eradicate those who will cheat for money. It’s that simple. And they will sadistically “steward” any horse until they are forcibly stopped.

royexum@aol.com

[walknsound]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6493808]
http://chattanoogan.com/2012/8/12/232073/Roy-Exum-Why-Horses-Are-Abused.aspx

Roy Exum: Why Horses Are Abused
Sunday, August 12, 2012 - by Roy Exum

In the past three months I have taken a crash course called “Walking Horse Abuse 101” and by my tally I grade about a C-minus, which is almost average for anyone who thought a pastern was country way of saying where horses graze grass. It turns out a pastern is a tender part of a horse’s foot where evil people drive nails, insert golf balls or apply heavy pads so the animals will lift their painful front hooves in a very unnatural gait called “The Big Lick.”

The biggest mystery to me is why anyone would sore a horse, but there is overwhelming evidence that caustic chemicals are routinely applied to the forelegs of performance horses in search of a grotesque dance that happens every August.
I was drawn into the fray in May after seeing a horrendous videotape that shocked and angered the entire nation. Since then I have had thousands of “teachers” who, through private email, have bared a very revolting part of the Walking Horse industry to me.

The public outcry has been incredible, lending credence to the notion this year’s National Celebration, which is slated to begin its 11-day run in Shelbyville on Aug. 22, will be unlike the shows of the past. The reason is the Shelbyville-based hierarchy is fighting with all its might against mounting pressure from every direction to finally clean up 50 years of abuse, corruption and the now-seedy image of the Walking Horse industry when, in fact, the defenseless horses are one of the most noble breeds in America.

According to the Bible’s New Testament, 1st Timothy 6:10 starts “For the love of money is the root of all evil” and nothing could be closer to the truth when it comes to deliberately soring a horse. Just like some people go to the Indianapolis 500 to see the cars crash, there are those who go to Shelbyville to see the freaks.

A growing number of trainers say “The Big Lick” can’t be achieved without the hideous and sadistic methods used to produce the unnatural stomping gait, but if the government – both on the state and Congressional level – succeeds in outlawing such depravity, some say Shelbyville’s house of cards could collapse and, according to enforcement official, that is where “the root of all evil” is located.

The horse show has historically brought hundreds of thousands of dollars to Shelbyville’s distressed economy, but it also lines the pockets of those who are now so viciously fighting the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Humane Society of the United States, and a clamoring public to stop the vile abuse and eradicate once and for all the stacks, or pads, and action devices that cause horse lovers of other American breeds to angrily weep.

David Howard, who has craftily wormed his way into the Walking Horse elite of Shelbyville, is today believed to be the ringleader of “The Big Lick” faction. He controls the Celebration board, which picks the judges for the show. He also owns the Walking Horse Report, that is chock full of expensive ads from hopeful owners and trainers, and he owns several other horse-related enterprises.

If “The Big Lick” is eliminated, the crowds may not return to Shelbyville because there would be no more freaks, then the pages of ad revenue might dry up, then the hefty payrolls for the trainers may disappear, and – much like Humpty Dumpty – David Howard’s empire would take a great fall. This is why the Shelbyville bunch is suing the USDA. This is why they are now furiously visiting senators and Congressmen and reminding them that “walking horse money” was donated to various election campaigns. And this is why horses are still being abused.

When the villainous Jackie McConnell pleaded guilty to violating the federal Horse Protection Act on May 22, Howard somewhat innocently told Chattanooga TV station WRCB, “I’ll be honest with you, we’ll never get there. There’s going to be somebody always cheating.”

When Howard revealed his ace card, it caused the anti-soring segment to tighten its resolve. This summer it became a felony to abuse a horse in the state of Tennessee and last week federal judge Sandy Mattice ordered abuser John Mays to write a newspaper article about soring under the terms of his release. The USDA passed new rules for stricter judging, which could cause the Celebration to be decertified, and all summer long there has been one embarrassment after another.

A couple of weeks ago Howard used his bully pulpit to boot Marty Irby – who heads the breed registry – from the Celebration board and there are signs the intertwined leadership may soon be in disarray. Mike Inman, who insiders say is a shameless pawn for Howard, is the Celebration’s new CEO-elect and, in a newspaper interview last week, he said, “We need to focus on the positive and actively promote the performance horse. When you understand the (performance) package, the action device, when you put it in people’s hands, they understand it, they get it, and accept it.”

Oh? Two of the largest equine veterinarian groups have already called for performance devices to be totally banned this summer, saying the unnatural stacks obviously inflame a horse’s legs and are easily altered to hide far worse abuse. “Have you ever seen a performance horse in a field? They don’t do the ‘Big Lick’ unless they are forced to do it,” offered one reader.

But the scurrilous owners and trainers are adapting. With increased attention to violators, trainers are suddenly entering horses in the names of underlings, horse’s names are being easily changed, and clever methods are being used to escape detection of chronic abuse. The new swab tests are laughable, as is the fact the Celebration will use its own judges this year, three of which have known past violations of the Horse Protection Act.

The Tennessee State Fair, which will be held in Nashville during September, will not even allow performance horses due to the public’s increasing disdain, and some states are introducing laws to curb the cheating and abuse that has spread elsewhere. Worse, the overwhelming majority of Walking Horse owners detest the ill-gotten reputation that has plagued the breed for a half-century and seem eager to disassociate from the Shelbyville groups and their agendas.

Rumors continue to swirl. It has been confirmed the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has obtained records and federal investigators, as well as USDA inspectors, will attend the Celebration in a continued effort to eradicate those who will cheat for money. It’s that simple. And they will sadistically “steward” any horse until they are forcibly stopped.

royexum@aol.com[/QUOTE]

Thanks for posting that, you beat me to it. Roy sooo gets it!

[pony4me]

So it looks like it’s Shelbyville Walking Horse vs. National Walking Horse. It will be interesting to see what the attendance numbers are at this year’s “Celebration.” A while back there was some discussion about concerned people attending and then just walking out for the Big Yuck/Sore Lick classes, but now it seems like the best course of action is to just not go.

Reminds me of the old hippie saying, “What if they gave a war, and nobody came?”

[hurleycane]

Wonder if ROy will attend? It would be something else for him to accompany the USDA there - not that I would wish that on anyone. But I bet ROy would have incredible observations to write of.

[walknsound]

Yeah, if Roy there we would get the straight of it too. The Celebration will be crawling with media I’m sure, but no one like Roy!

[WalkInTheWoods]

I read somewhere that Roy will not be attending. Dont blame him. I could go if i made some arrangements, but i dont want to put money in the wrong pockets and i dont think i could behave myself during performance classes. It would be walk out or get thrown out i guess.

Still having a hard time with the slime having the gall to include performance classes this year. They are impervious to public opinion. Have you ever seen anything quite like it ?

I hope the good folks in Tennessee choose other activities to attend during “Celebration”.

[katarine]

[QUOTE=pony4me;6493907]
So it looks like it’s Shelbyville Walking Horse vs. National Walking Horse. It will be interesting to see what the attendance numbers are at this year’s “Celebration.” A while back there was some discussion about concerned people attending and then just walking out for the Big Yuck/Sore Lick classes, but now it seems like the best course of action is to just not go.

Reminds me of the old hippie saying, “What if they gave a war, and nobody came?”[/QUOTE]

Well, it’s been TWHBEA vs NWHA since NWHA’s inception.

If you want to support a sound horse organization, not a perfect one, but one that doesn’t have padded horses at all: Go to the NWHA National show in Oct in Ohio. If you’re local, go to the NWHA show in Sept at the TN State Fair.

[walknsound]

I don’t blame him either. I definately would be thrown out, my mouth has a mind of its own. That there will be performance classes just shows how out of touch with reality the Celebration is, and no conscience, classic definition of psycopathic/sociopathic behavior. Hopefully they haven’t come up with any new ways to avoid detection of soring, and the USDA is able to catch them. The world is watching.

[walknsound]

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/8/13/232106/Roy-Exum-Its-Not-The-Courts-Fault.aspx

[Rbow]

[QUOTE=walknsound;6495599]
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/8/13/232106/Roy-Exum-Its-Not-The-Courts-Fault.aspx[/QUOTE]

The picture at the bottom is worth opening the link!

[hurleycane]

[QUOTE=walknsound;6495599]
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/8/13/232106/Roy-Exum-Its-Not-The-Courts-Fault.aspx[/QUOTE]

[INDENT]Roy Exum: It’s Not The Court’s Fault
Monday, August 13, 2012 - by Roy Exum

Roy Exum
When Jackie McConnell is sentenced in Federal Court next month, it will not be because he viciously and sadistically has harmed horses for over documented 30 years. No, McConnell pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and transporting an injured horse across state lines. And contrary to popular belief, not one of the five persons who have pleaded guilty this year of violating the federal Horse Protection Act has been charged with actual animal abuse by the federal government.

If that is hard for you to understand, imagine how Federal Judge Sandy Mattice and lead prosecutor Steven Neff feel when fiery letters are written like those that appeared in Chattanoogan.

com last week. All three authors were right in their belief that Jackie McConnell will receive a much lighter sentence than he deserves – along with other criminals – but neither Mattice nor Neff can veer from a prescribed set of laws that today govern our nation.

Oh, I’m quite sure it drives them crazy, especially since the famous McConnell tape that was seen by millions was released after McConnell copped a plea, but we must never forget that federal laws are made in Washington and one reason the federal Horse Protection Act has never been enforced until just this year (it became law in 1970) is because it clearly lacks the teeth to deter those who wantonly abuse and sore Tennessee Walking Horses.

One writer was critical of the fact that John Mayes, a barn worker for McConnell in Collierville, was released after four months and ordered to write a newspaper article on horse abuse. But, wait, Mayes was jailed on a parole violation – not animal abuse – and had served the mandated 2/3s of his six-month sentence. The newspaper idea was just Judge Mattice’s way of making sure Mayes realizes soring will not be tolerated.

In my way of thinking Jackie McConnell needs to be dealt with quite severely, but, by the laws that are molded in Washington, not one of the hundreds of people who have written Judge Mattice demanding a fat chunk of Jackie’s flesh is going to be satisfied with whatever manner the judge sentences McConnell on Sept. 10 because – let’s face it – the judge clearly doesn’t have the might – nor the right – to make the time fit the crime. At least, not yet.

It isn’t Judge Mattice’s fault, or prosecutor’s Neff’s fault. No, pilgrim, it is our fault. The American people must demand stronger, tougher penalties for laws from the people who make them. That is what happened in Tennessee this spring and resulted in a law that makes livestock abuse a felony, punishable by one to five years in a state prison. That law became official on July 1, but the United States, as mighty as it well me be, doesn’t have a livestock law like that.

You are right – pro football’s Michael Vick did 18 months at Leavenworth but that was because there are tougher federal laws for fighting dogs than there are for abusing horses. While you gasp over that one, be reminded our new state law against livestock abuse has a dandy loophole where it clearly states the law does not apply if the animal involved is being “trained.” Are you surprised?

Let me show you how that works. Right now the scurrilous side of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry is in a desperate fight with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the way horses are inspected. The USDA has mandated that all inspections and penalties should be the same, but the “Big Lick” crowd now suspends a guilty trainer for just two weeks. As a result the USDA is in the process of decertifying The Celebration and David Howard is so keen to muscle out the government he is attacking by using certain lawmakers he has meticulously “nurtured.”

Last week in the Walking Horse Chat he had the audacity to write: “Just in the past two weeks, there have been meetings or phone conversations with nine Senators and Congressman soliciting their help to meet with the Secretary of Agriculture; there was a meeting with Undersecretary Avalos and Kevin Shea (Shea is Chester Gipson’s boss) relative to problems with the USDA; there have been face to face meetings with the daily newspapers in Knoxville, Nashville and Chattanooga; while the USDA continues to make expensive and outrageous demands in the law suit, there is no backing up on the litigation. And those are just a few things we are involved with for the industry.”

Howard also wrote, “I work constantly for this industry and it is quite expensive in terms of time and money. I reserve the right to defend myself and correct misinformation on this site. What (Marty Irby) did with the domain names of the Celebration is disgraceful for the President of TWHBEA and his false attacks on the Celebration and me personally will not go unchallenged.”

So do you see how the “dark side” keeps the light from shining? The problem with the federal Horse Protection Act is that ever since it was written, people like David Howard have spent years to make sure it lacks the force that Sandy Mattice and Steven Neff need to deal with those who break it.

Conversely, Neff is the first federal prosecutor in history to get a conviction of the Horse Protection Act. Mattice is the first judge to ever dole out a sentence. These are the last guys who need to be slammed by the public. The answer? Horse advocates need to take the same path that the scallywags do – contact the same Congressmen and Senators and demand stronger, tougher laws.

While the anti-soring faction is at it, they should ask our state and federal lawmakers to heed the pleas of the two most prominent equine veterinarian groups and outlaws stacks and action devices on performance walking horses. That one is driving Howard and his followers crazy because if the “Big Lick” is finally cleaned up, some believe it could drive Howard out (of business.)

In a perfect world, there would be no animal abuse, just as there would be no child abuse, rape, murder and so forth that keeps the Federal Court so bogged down that animal rights are at the very bottom of the food chain. But don’t fault Judge Mattice or Steven Neff with that either. That’s our fault, too, and we need to strength the Attorney General’s office so they can better cope with those who do far worse than sore the Tennessee Walking Horses that continue to be cruelly and terribly maimed. [/INDENT]

The right kind of “Big Lick”
http://www.chattanoogan.com/photos/2012/8/article.232106.2.jpg

[aarpaso]

NOW THATS THE ONLY BIG LICK,anyone should ever SEE.

some day SHELBYVILLE will have a concert,the billboard will read:

WE NO LONGER SUPPORT WALKING HORSE ABUSE