Tennessee Walking Horse Soring Issue *Update post 1*

[hurleycane]

You know something WITW, I think USEF can really clean house if they take this power of theirs one step further.

I think they could easily go beyond just invoking HR6388 at their shows. They could also disallow any show to be USEF sanctioned if held at a venue which permits showing with such action devices.

I mean think about it.

Like in the case of the horse park and the upcoming stacked sale. Would it not be grand if USEF said “If you host a stacked event - no more USEF acknowledgement for you Mr Horse park for X # of years.”

That would give the Park a good out.

ANd God bless them. USEF is showing us all, it does not need enactment of a government law to exert intense pressure on this industry. Like I whined a good long while ago - professional horsemen associations need to really get involved in this. Once they do - real change will come.

Wanted to add, some TWH grapevine folks I know say more and more of the larger TWH Racking and SSH barns are moving out of the stacked business all together. Cause the money is in the flat shod horse. Not cause their conscious is changed mind you.

I just hope they leave all the soring too.

[sunridge1]

Not to be a Debby Downer but they could have done that years ago when the TWH was ousted form the AHSA/USEF. I thought they did because they completely disappeared in the Upper Midwest Circuits. I thought they no longer showed with ASB circuit because they were completely ostracized. I never even suspected they would be anywhere else but their own shows. Holy liability to include them. Especially if they invite chaos and problems.

[hurleycane]

One of the goals of the stacker’s is to gain some level of legitimacy through the purple effort, right? Well would not holding events at a premiere park be a purple accomplishment toward a goal of legitimacy? Kinda like when saddlebred folks said they showed at The Garden, or hunters/Jumpers at Rolex. See my point?

So since USEF has such cash and legitimacy meaning for venues and locations (ie the Georgetown show), USEF imposing a time out penalty on locations/venue if that venue allows non HR6388 compliant competitions would be an additional pressure to end the stacking chaining stuff.

Not saying we do not need HR6388, or the Horse Protection act - we still need for people to do jail time if they abuse animals - but we also need professional horsemen and their associations to impose HR6388.

For instance, even though Saddlebreds and Morgans no longer show with the walking horses at the local fair grounds - the stackers still show at the fair grounds. Closing that door will have a great impact on the stacker’s customers (bottom line). Cause the fair grounds is a very nice place to show and these customers sure like riding in the big areana with their friends and family looking on. What if they got told - the fair grounds will not let us come anymore because we stack and chain horses??? See the curtain dropping???

And so one sure fire way to close door of legitimacy that being at the fair grounds provides would be for the Saddlebreds and Morgans to tell the fair grounds their rules do not permit them to use a facility which does not operate under the spirit of HR6388. And that future engagements will be moved to another city or location if stacked chained events are held there.

See what I mean?

USEF can push a little further.

[cordial]

[QUOTE=hurleycane;6784785]
You know something WITW, I think USEF can really clean house if they take this power of theirs one step further.

I think they could easily go beyond just invoking HR6388 at their shows. They could also disallow any show to be USEF sanctioned if held at a venue which permits showing with such action devices.

I mean think about it.

Like in the case of the horse park and the upcoming stacked sale. Would it not be grand if USEF said “If you host a stacked event - no more USEF acknowledgement for you Mr Horse park for X # of years.”

That would give the Park a good out.

ANd God bless them. USEF is showing us all, it does not need enactment of a government law to exert intense pressure on this industry. Like I whined a good long while ago - professional horsemen associations need to really get involved in this. Once they do - real change will come.

Wanted to add, some TWH grapevine folks I know say more and more of the larger TWH Racking and SSH barns are moving out of the stacked business all together. Cause the money is in the flat shod horse. Not cause their conscious is changed mind you.

I just hope they leave all the soring too.[/QUOTE]

I am assuming that you feel flat shod means no soring, no pressuring shoeing, no nothing abusive? That is where you are incorrect!!

[hurleycane]

I am surprised you would say this cordial.

Do YOU understand that a barefoot horse can be sored?

Do you?

[cordial]

[QUOTE=hurleycane;6787029]
I am surprised you would say this cordial.

Do YOU understand that a barefoot horse can be sored?

Do you?[/QUOTE]

Yes, Mr, Hurley, I know that, but you spend so much of your energy on getting rid of the padded horses that you think that everything will be fine and dandy. I have said on many posts that to me the worst abuse is pressure shoeing, but you have never mentioned it Pressure shoeing is seen mostly in the flat-shod division. I hope that can be done away with!

[hurleycane]

YOU infer what I think - you have had ample opportunity to read what I think. I in no way shape or form think what you post above.

I do not want to get rid of the shoe on a horse, nor do I want to get ride of a pad. I want to see all the stacks, chains, banded shoes etc etc etc gone. They are just excessive and burdensome and each a bit of an abuse which all came along part and parcel with all forms of soring.

I know you do not see nor understand my position. But I am pro HR6388. It does not mean that I think all who do not stack and chain are pure as the driven snow.

Yes, pressure shoeing is right up there with chains and stacks. All bad news and all soon to be history. And having read your posts I know you are of the opinion that things will be fine for you and yours without these things. I hope others will also see that a lot can be done with these horses without the excesses of the “business as usual” TWH crowd.

Many changes for the good are on the way.

[WalkInTheWoods]

I’m hearing a rumor that the Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show in April in Panama City Beach,Fla is cancelled. Another Licker venue biting the dust ? :yes:

[hurleycane]

Would be nice.

[Thoro]

[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6788857]
I’m hearing a rumor that the Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show in April in Panama City Beach,Fla is cancelled. Another Licker venue biting the dust ? :yes:[/QUOTE]
I don’t think so, it doesn’t say its canceled on their web page…

[FortheTWH]

Hi friends. I haven’t read all of the posts, but I decided to join to chime in on this thread. My name is Andrea, and I’m so glad to see that the soring issue has come to COTH. Unfortunately we are dealing with this torture on a daily basis, and the fight to end it is getting harder and harder because we keep winning some of the small wars, so they’re getting meaner and meaner.

To answer your question, WalkintheWoods, I will have to do some research and find out. That’s a good question. We just got word that the Germantown Charity Horse Show will no longer have the stacked TWH due to the new rule written by the USEF! Even though the USEF does not recognize TWHs as part of their federation, they have a new rule that prohibits stacked horses on the show grounds at their shows. 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! http://forthetnwalkinghorse.blogspot.com/2013/01/news-usef-bans-pads-and-chains-from.html

Also, we’ve been doing a lot of work with the For the Tennessee Walking Horse blog, website, and Facebook group to help end soring, and we could really use folks who are working to help end it. Even sending emails to our Congress persons about the new amendment to the HPA to eliminate stacks and chains and to strengthen the penalties helps! The blog is http://forthetnwalkinghorse.blogspot.com and the website is in my signature, with a link to the blog.

THANK YOU to those of you who are continuing to bring this to light and to help us stop this atrocity. We promise, the TWH deserves a better reputation than this, and we need all the help we can get to end this nightmare!

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=Thoro;6789045]
I don’t think so, it doesn’t say its canceled on their web page…[/QUOTE]

No, it doesn’t. But it seems odd that there is no information at all regarding the show. A major event in April usually has it’s program up and running by Jan. At least they do if they want maximized participation.

G.

[WalkInTheWoods]

It is true. There is a bleep on the front page of twhnc.com

Gulf Coast Charity Horse Show Cancelled

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC) has announced that the 2013 Gulf Coast Charity Celebration has been cancelled. Although cancelled in 2013, both the TWHNC and Gulf Coast Charity are looking at ways to continue the show in 2014.

The Gulf Coast Charity Celebration in Panama City Beach, Fl. has been a staple on the Walking Horse show calendar since 1999 and will be missed by exhibitors and trainers who have frequented the white sand beaches of Northwest Florida.

"It is unfortunate that we were unable to achieve the correct balance of cost, participation, and sponsorship to make the show profitable in 2012,"said Celebration CEO Mike Inman. He continued, “The Celebration has proven it will do everything it can to help horse shows in the industry to survive but at some point we have to protect the bottom line of The Celebration and unfortunately that motive necessitated the move to cancel the 2013 Gulf Coast Charity Celebration.”

The three day show was scheduled for April 25-27, 2013, its traditional last full weekend in April date. The void in the show calendar has not yet been filled. The Celebration is looking at all options to move forward in 2014 with a show in Panama City Beach.

[WalkInTheWoods]

Here is a bleep from a resort that gets lots of business during the show. I wonder what happened to make this year’s participation from the Celebration crowd unravel.

http://www.grandpanamabeachresort.com/gulf-coast-charity-horse-show-at-frank-brown-park

[FortheTWH]

There is a possibility that the TWH division has been removed from the Big D Charity Horse Show in Texas, too. It was also a stacked division.

[FortheTWH]

Confirmed…the Big D in Texas will not have the TWH division.

The new USEF rule is really making a difference here. It’s pretty clear when your shows have to be shut down because of a prominent horse federation’s new rules to avoid abuse. Let’s hope they see this for what it truly is.

[gogaitedgo]

BWWWWAAAAA!!:tickled_pink::D:encouragement:

[hurleycane]

[QUOTE=FortheTWH;6789330]
Hi friends. I haven’t read all of the posts, but I decided to join to chime in on this thread. My name is Andrea, and I’m so glad to see that the soring issue has come to COTH. …

… we need all the help we can get to end this nightmare![/QUOTE]

Yes, TWH Racking and SSh horses and show associations need all the reform help they can get.

But unfortunately, the soring issue has not yet really come to the attention of COTH - it is but a thread on the forum. It would be a great day indeed if Chronicle of The Horse would actually assign a journalist to examine the issue and address it formally in the magazine. Specially since AAEP, AVMA, and USEF are continuing to turn their esteemed attentions to it.

But to my knowledge they have not.

Maybe time for a little poke to the magazine itself?

[Guilherme]

Why would the COTH, whose focus is sport horses, spend time and effort dealing with an issue that affects a tiny minority of a minor breed? Even if you figure on including all the sored up flat a and light shod horses you don’t have hardly the entry at one major trotting event.

While the practice is the domain of the cruel and incompetent that does not mean that publications with a totally different orientations should spend their time exposing it. Now a publication with a broader focus, like say Western Horseman or The Horse is a different kettle of fish. Maybe y’all should “poke”* them instead!!!

G.

Ever look at the etymology of the word “poke”? You might find some interesting historical meanings!

[hurleycane]

Pretty good poke there Mr G.