Tennessee Walking Horse Soring Issue *Update post 1*

[Graymaresrule]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6504694]
http://chattanoogan.com/2012/8/18/232466/Roy-Exum-Is-Scott-DesJarlais-Crazy.aspx

Roy Exum: Is Scott DesJarlais Crazy?
Saturday, August 18, 2012 - by Roy Exum

Scott Desjarlais, who has just finished his freshman term as a member of arguably the worst Congress in United States history, is so eager for campaign bucks he will “dance with the devil” next Thursday night. DesJarlais, a Republican physician from Jasper, is running for re-election on Nov. 6 against a former Democratic state senator from Winchester, Eric Stewart, but DesJarlais obviously could care less where his campaign money comes from.

According to his opponents, DesJarais has a history of “being bought and paid for by Washington lobbyists” but now comes word the daring doctor is getting intimately cozy with the dirty side of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.
At a time when there has never been as much animosity towards those who abuse and sadistically sore horses, it has been revealed that DesJarlais has already confronted United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on behalf of the now-vilified “Big Lick” horse industry.

DesJarlais can’t help but realize public perception of those who wantonly abuse animals for monetary gain is no longer acceptable in today’s society and, as a health professional, Scott must know that America’s top two equine veterinarian groups have already demanded in a joint announcement this summer that sweeping changes are needed to eliminate stacks, performance devices and other items that imperil the horse and hide wide-spread cheating.

But DesJarlais, in a clear affront to most of those he serves in the state’s Fourth Congressional District, has taken up the banner for a staggering Shelbyville crowd and – in fact – will raise campaign funds next week with a gala reception during the 74th Annual National Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, which is considered by law-enforcement officials as the epicenter for Tennessee Walking Horse abuse.

David Howard, considered the czar of the “Big Lick” crowd in the walking horse world, “outed” DesJarlais this week when he wrote, "Congressman Scott DesJarlais represents Tennessee Fourth Congressional District which includes Shelbyville, TN. and he has spent a great deal of time recently familiarizing himself with the industry and its challenges.

"He has taken time to meet with members of TWSHO and has reached out to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. He will be observing the inspections and visiting the Celebration on Thursday evening, August 23.

“(DesJarlais) has taken time out from his campaign to help the industry and a fundraiser will be held for him Thursday, August 23 from 5:30-6:30 in the Calsonic Conference Room. This is an opportunity for us to show our appreciation and help re-elect a conservative congressman in November.”

Whew! Either DesJarlais is crazy or he is desperate for cash because any politician who sides with the “Big Lick” segment of the industry after a scathing video of horses being brutally attacked in May could well be committing suicide in the November election. What is this guy thinking?

DesJarlais has already been called down earlier this year. State Democratic leaders claimed his “level of hypocrisy was pathetic” when, just five days after he obtained campaign contributions from a nuclear energy company, he urged the government to “free up funds” for a certain project, according to a Chattanooga Times Free Press article on the Marion County politician.
[B]
The article says, “On March 14, 2011, USEC’s political action committee sent $1,000 to DesJarlais’ re-election campaign. Two months later, the congressman signed a letter asking White House officials to “make rapid completion” of a loan guarantee for the company’s ‘American Centrifuge’ project.”

The newspaper also reported, “On Oct. 31, 2011, USEC’s PAC sent another $1,000 to DesJarlais. Five days after the check arrived, the congressman signed a separate letter urging the Department of Energy to 'take administrative action now to free up funds for USEC.”[/B]

Now Walking Horse advocates fear DesJarlais will use his political influence to roughen up the Department of Agriculture for demanding this summer that all judging and fines be equal in the heavily-tainted horse industry. David Howard’s TWHSHO already has a lawsuit pending with the government and the USDA has taken steps to decertify the Shelbyville organization for its refusal to accept the mandates.

Does Scott DesJarlais have any clue whatsoever of what he is doing?

For DesJarlais to jump into such a fray is patiently absurd. Five men have pleaded guilty in Federal Court this year to violations of the federal Horse Protection Act and – what’s this? – just 18 days before scurrilous trainer and video star performer Jackie McConnell is to be sentenced by Federal Judge Sandy Mattice, Rep. DesJarlais will be in Shelbyville stuffing his pockets.

Scott DesJarlais is a medical doctor. His business is stopping pain and torment. And while his realm is limited to human beings, how can someone so eager to heal abide defenseless animals being subjected to unspeakable cruelties. Scott DesJarlais’ behavior is beyond comprehension.

royexum@aol.com[/QUOTE]

OT, but Mr P is the technical director of the ACP

[The_Gringo]

My point was that Roy Exum is a hypocrite not a horse lover and that some of you need to quit cheering this phony messenger just because you happen to agree with the message.

Jackie McConnell has become the Michael Vick of the Walking Horse world. We get it Roy! Continuing to refer to him as “Jackie the jerk” is frankly very juvenile sounding and serves no real purpose. Stripping him of training license, previous awards, banning him from the business for life and criminal prosecution these are things that have already been done by the industry and law enforcement. I believe this to be much more concrete and effective than name calling.

What Mr. Exum needs to understand is you can’t selectively support one group of horse abusers while condemning another. Not if you want to maintain any credibility. It’s like saying its ok for a Baptist minister to molest a child but the Catholic priest that does it needs to be taken out and shot. Abuse is abuse, it matters not who the abuser is, one is no better than the other.

Just as in the case of the Catholic Church, any long term meaningful change for the Walking Horse industry is going to have to come from within.

Many people from outside the industry have been trying to force the soring genie back in the bottle for the last 50 plus years and it hasn’t worked. Money has been spent, laws have been passed and yet it is still around. This only proves that as in many other things you can’t legislate morality.

[Graymaresrule]

[QUOTE=The Gringo;6513982]
<SNIP>

What Mr. Exum needs to understand is you can’t selectively support one group of horse abusers while condemning another. Not if you want to maintain any credibility. It’s like saying its ok for a Baptist minister to molest a child but the Catholic priest that does it needs to be taken out and shot. Abuse is abuse, it matters not who the abuser is, one is no better than the other.
<SNIP>.[/QUOTE]

No one likes seeing a racehorse (or event horse or any other) break down and no one is saying that the horse racing industry is lily pure. However there is a LOT more oversight in the racing industry and offenders are dealt with far more severely.

What happened to Eight Bells was indeed sad but NOTHING like the heartless cruelty exhibited in the video.

[aarpaso]

what camp fire do you set at anyway,gringo(websters,3rd college edition gringo:Sp gibberish altered,in latin america a foreigner an american or englishman:hostile and contemptuous term) is this the hat you have chosen to wear.

Jackie the Jerk was caught on tape abusing.and was thrown under the bus by the very people who should have STOPPED SORING yrs ago,1970 to be exact. it took others K and R.

ALL BIG LICKERS knew what they were doing they just hoped like hell they would not get caught. and the HPA 1970 law well they thumbed their dirty noses at it. now when that LAW may get more teeth,they are screaming like a chicken stealing dog with buckshot up his ass.

Keep screaming buddy we hear ya. and so do alot of folks who have written to the Judge, called Senators.

I for one will not stop writing calling braking up town meeting to be heard on the issue of enforcement for the HPA .

[WalkInTheWoods]

Hey Gringo - You have not proven your point that Roy Exum is a “phony messenger”. He admits he knew nothing about TWHs until May of this year. Maybe he wore rose colored glasses re: tb racing. That does not make your case for villification. You have used tb racing and religion to attempt to derail this thread. Whats next ? Abortion ? Women playing professional football ? Vegetable rights ?

[WalkInTheWoods]

More on DesJarlais

http://chattanoogan.com/2012/8/23/232752/Roy-Exum-What-Is-Rep.-DesJarlais-Doing.aspx

Roy Exum: What Is Rep. DesJarlais Doing?
Thursday, August 23, 2012 - by Roy Exum

Scott DesJarlais, the Republican Congressman from Jasper who tonight will be feted with a gala reception by “The Big Lick” crowd at the 74th Annual National Walking Horse Celebration, is apparently no friend to animals. It has been learned that last month DesJarlais unexplainably voted against a bill in Congress that would enhance the current federal anti-animal fighting laws.

Never mind that the infamous Michael Vick dogfighting case in 2008 spawned national outrage, resulting in a sharp-toothed felony for possession and/or training fighting animals, and forget that 208 members of Congress just co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act of 2011 – what is alarming is that the Jasper physician voted against making it a crime to willfully attend a chicken or a dog fight.

Animal rights activists believe that prosecuting spectators at “blood sport” events will greatly reduce the number who atttend the now-outlawed fights – eliminate the crowds and soon the admission revenue, the betting and even the participation dries up. Under the proposed law, spectators would be charged with misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in prison.

But DesJarlais, who is in his first term, raised considerable eyebrows when he voted against the bill in July and now, as he is honored with a reception at the much-maligned Walking Horse Celebration tonight, there are those who are taking an increasingly hard look at the Conservative who moved to Tennessee after studying medicine in South Dakota.

Tonight’s reception for DesJarlais at the Shelbyville arena offers three tiers of stewarding to the Congressman’s campaign. A Patron will give $2,500, a Host is $1,000 and a door invitation is $250. The reception is being given by David Howard, who is identified as the kingpin of “The Big Lick” crowd, and his son.

“The Big Lick,” which came to light when a shocking video was shown in May of former Hall of Fame trainer Jackie McConnell brutally beating and abusing animals, has been under constant fire from an enraged public and, while it is believed that 98 percent of those who own and love Tennessee Walking Horses neither sore nor torture the animals, the high-stepping gait that scurrilous trainers sinisterly develop has been found to be unnatural and – in a better word – criminal over the summer.

The 74th annual Celebration, which began its 11-day run yesterday, is under an intense microscope this week and the Shelbyville insiders are so eager to put a happy face on the festivities they instituted unprecedented swab tests and public reporting of violations just days ago. The hasty decision has rocked the horse industry with more questions than answers – What’s outlawed? Who does the testing? Where is the lab? Who decides the fine? Where is due process?

According to many who had planned to show, the swabbing initiatives are ill-defined and the fear of getting caught or mistakenly maligned – plus the heavy presence of both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Humane Society of the United States – has made every horseman in the tiny Tennessee town nervous and leery. Public perception, understandably, is at an all-time low and many owners of Walkers are already abandoning the “stacks” and performance devices in favor of showing only flat-shod horses.

So the question of the hour in Shelbyville is why is Congressman DesJarlais aligning himself with the quite controversial “Big Lick” crowd? Yes, as the representative in the state’s 4th District he depends on Shelbyville for votes but David Howard has told his followers that DesJarlais has already approached the USDA on behalf of the “Big Lick” crowd.

Ironically, one Shelbyville group known as SHOW has a lawsuit pending in a Texas court against the USDA and DesJarlais, in a recent letter that he wrote to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack (which also appeared on the Walking Horse Chat website Wednesday), said he didn’t want to talk about the litigation but, instead, was more keen on “fostering a mutually beneficial relationship between the USDA and the industry to ensure a successful ‘Celebration’ in Shelbyville is my chief concern.”

DesJarlais then wrote: "However, a few recent USDA actions have concerned me and my constituents. Some, but not all, are listed below:

• – Twelve times more violations have been issued than were issued prior to the filing of the lawsuit;

• – The leading performance (Horse Industry Organization) was notified it would be audited and a day later that audit was rescinded;

• – A directive was issued to the industry that leaders should not talk to their representatives in Congress about their concerns;

• – The industry was allegedly told that if it went above the Deputy Administrator’s head, APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) would shut down their world championship event;

• – The videotaping of USDA inspections was prohibited even though the videotaping is done to ensure that the horses are not sored;

• – The Industry was informed that the scar rule would now be interpreted differently despite the fact that the law has not changed. When industry representatives asked the USDA officials what had changed and why, they were allegedly told, ‘It’s a new day.’

“Individually, these actions or directives may not seem overtly onerous. Collectively, however, they are unacceptable and create great uncertainty for the industry and this upcoming ‘Celebration,’” wrote the Congressman before affixing his signature.

The “Big Lick” reception for Scott DesJarlais will begin at 5:30 p.m. (CDT) in the Calsconic Conference Room. “Casual attire but no ball caps, please.”

royexum@aol.com

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6514195]
Hey Gringo - You have not proven your point that Roy Exum is a “phony messenger”. He admits he knew nothing about TWHs until May of this year. Maybe he wore rose colored glasses re: tb racing. That does not make your case for villification. You have used tb racing and religion to attempt to derail this thread. Whats next ? Abortion ? Women playing professional football ? Vegetable rights ?[/QUOTE]

One could also ask “what’s the next subject on which Roy knows nothing but will crusade anyway?”

He’s a columnist; an entertainer. He’s not a journalist. He’s more like one of the Kardasians than Woodward or Bernstein. He’s also biased beyond measure and using his column to advance his views. That’s completely legitimate, by the way. So’s pointing out that he’s doing it.

G.

[WalkInTheWoods]

Thanks for posting and keeping this thread active so everyone can find it easily to read and decide whether or not Roy is helping.

[oliverreed]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6514407]
Thanks for posting and keeping this thread active so everyone can find it easily to read and decided whether or not Roy is helping. :)[/QUOTE]

:yes::yes:

[Dispatcher]

@Guilherme;6514393

One could also ask “what’s the next subject on which Roy knows nothing but will crusade anyway?”

He’s a columnist; an entertainer. He’s not a journalist. He’s more like one of the Kardasians than Woodward or Bernstein. He’s also biased beyond measure and using his column to advance his views. That’s completely legitimate, by the way. So’s pointing out that he’s doing it.

G.

What seems to be the problem with Roy crusading to end cruelty to TWH’s? I don’t care what he does in the future, but right now he clearly sees & understands abuse and cruelty.

[hurleycane]

Roy… most definitely helping. I do not at all understand the shark jumping comments and no need for me to. But Roy… I understand him. And I love that he is really being fed/given some very good information. ANd he is keeping it in the forefront… tirelessly. Keep the fire hot, Roy. Lots of people behind you.

[sunridge1]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;6514393]
One could also ask “what’s the next subject on which Roy knows nothing but will crusade anyway?”

He’s a columnist; an entertainer. He’s not a journalist. He’s more like one of the Kardasians than Woodward or Bernstein. He’s also biased beyond measure and using his column to advance his views. That’s completely legitimate, by the way. So’s pointing out that he’s doing it.

G.[/QUOTE]

Really? No different than the Faux News entertainers…I mean newsmen. You gotta problem with that? Probably not. He writes an opinion piece. It’s not flaunted about as factual news, (even though much of it is)unlike some opinionated bloviating ignoramous everyone knows.

[WalkInTheWoods]

AVMA and AAEP urge strong enforcement of Horse Protection Act at Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration

Here is the article:

http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2012/08/23/DC62014

[aarpaso]

that would be a great thing ,if everytime someone sored a TWH there was someone watching who had the guts to make a call,if we as humans did what the AVMA and the AAEP,soring would stop in a nano second.

that article is going to be sent to the Hill.maybe DR S,DesJarais needs to read what Doctors think of the practice of his contributors.

nite

[walknsound]

According to the Tennessean flat shod classes growing.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120824/NEWS01/308240059/1969/NEWS

[hurleycane]

Hate to say it - but that banded long toe of the pleasure horse is the next thing on the list.

[walknsound]

[QUOTE=hurleycane;6515665]
Hate to say it - but that banded long toe of the pleasure horse is the next thing on the list.[/QUOTE]

Yep, and flat shod horses can be sored too.

[WalkInTheWoods]

Inspection issues at Celebration sparks some friction

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120824/NEWS01/308240079/Inspection-issues-Tennessee-Walking-Horse-Celebration-spark-some-friction?odyssey=obinsite

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=walknsound;6515669]
Yep, and flat shod horses can be sored too.[/QUOTE]

Some of the worst soring done today is on the flat/light shod horses.

We bought a new Marchador a few weeks back and she was shod just like a flat shod Walker (long toe/low heel). It was bad enough the vet we had look at her commented on it. The lady who owned her was on the Eastern Shore of MD.

You never, EVER trim a Marchador like that. You ought not to trim ANY horse like that.

She’s on her second shoeing here at the house and is coming up very nicely. It took some time for her to “find her feet” (and she had a stone bruise on her right front). She really coming on nicely. Prior experience in rehabbing Walkers is coming in handy.

Get rid of the junk on the feet and trim to anatomical correctness and you’ll get the gait that the breeder put in at the breeding shed. Sadly, this is generally not a running walk as a good running walk won’t win you a bucket of warm spit at most Walker shows. For 50 years they’ve bred for a pace that can be “squared up” with devices. So the industry has several decades ahead of it to “clean up its genetic house.” I’m not holding my breath on that.

G.

[Rbow]

[QUOTE=Guilherme;6515713]
Get rid of the junk on the feet and trim to anatomical correctness and you’ll get the gait that the breeder put in at the breeding shed. Sadly, this is generally not a running walk as a good running walk won’t win you a bucket of warm spit at most Walker shows. For 50 years they’ve bred for a pace that can be “squared up” with devices. So the industry has several decades ahead of it to “clean up its genetic house.” I’m not holding my breath on that.

G.[/QUOTE]

Yep,

As screwed up as soring is, it’s not the only way the Big Lick has damaged the TWH. The breed’s bad reputation has as much to do with a screwed up gene pool, as the criminals that prevail within “the industry”.

I’m still optimistic. I really believe the position of the AVMA/AAEP will make a difference. I have a whole new respect for those two organizations.