My comments in RedBy The Lexington Herald-Leader
The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission for withholding taxpayer subsidies of horse torture.
Commission members wisely balked at renewing the Kentucky Walking Horse Association's eligibility for state breeders' incentives. The breeders fund, which comes from a state tax on Thoroughbred stud fees, provided more than $387,000 to walking-horse owners in 2007, including some who had been cited for violating the federal law against "soring."
Is that too freaking cool or what? It's about time someone stepped up and said: Enough! on the abuse issue.
(more)
The practice of intentionally injuring a show horse's lower legs to manufacture an extraordinarily high step has been outlawed for decades.
Thank you for calling it what it is: A manufactored gait. There is nothing natural about a Tennessee Walking horse showing on stacks.
>But compliance has been spotty, and show exhibitors often just put their horses on a trailer and leave when U.S. Department of>Agriculture veterinarians show up to inspect horses for signs of "soring." The commission left the door open for the walking-horse group to re-apply for the incentive program.
When hell freezes over of padding gets outlawed.
Approval should continue to be withheld until there are credible>safeguards against abuse of horses and the law. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/62034.html
AFT! I can only hope that other states will follow suit and take very public measures to stop abuse in the show ring!
17 comments:
3 cheers for Kentucky!
Hopefully other states will follow suit.
~Mary
http://stalecheerios.com/blog
3 cheers for Kentucky!
Hopefully other states will follow suit.
~Mary
http://stalecheerios.com/blog
This is good news. Its finally a firm comply with the law or get hit in the wallet. (which is hopefully stored in your back pocket)
Even if you think about it from a fiscal standpoint, why is it fair for one breed (regardless of whether it rampantly abused horses or not) to profit from the tax of another?
I don't know anything about how the tax is assessed, but you would think that if it only taxed TB breeding fees, then why would the incentives be paid to other breeds.
Fantastic!! On this same topic, I am considering writing a novel about a young woman who goes up against the good ol' boys of the twh industry. Lots of suspense anda high action story may get more people interested in the plight of these beautiful animals.
Hear, hear.
Good news Tuesday:)
thanks
TJM
Woo! Someone is stepping up and saying it has to stop! And being able to actually DO something!
Glad that Kentucky is going in the right direction.
Question, though: Does anyone know if there is any follow-up with the people who suddenly vanish with their horses when people show up for inspections at the show? Seems they could get busted if they were prevented from leaving or had their own farms investigated.
COOL!
(applauding!)
Carrie Giannandrea
Dances with Horses
Formula One Farms
I can't imagine how anyone thinks the horse is enjoying what is beind done to him. To tell a non-horse person that first you nail stack onto the horse's feet, hold them on with metal bands, paint the ankles with chemicals that the make the legs sore, put chains around them to rub on the sore skin, put things under the pads that hurt, etc. and then ride the horse they would think you were kidding. No one would do such a thing and probably wouldn't believe you.
DAMMIT! How come no one has told me about this yet for my blog? :) Thanks for posting it, TJM, though--I'll add it to my blog!
CCH,
Even if you think about it from a fiscal standpoint, why is it fair for one breed (regardless of whether it rampantly abused horses or not) to profit from the tax of another?
The tax is spread out among lots of different horse groups, not just the KWHA. They were renewing their benefactors this year, and the KWHA had several shows that had dismal numbers last year because of the USDA showing up and everyone leaving. Plus, the VP of KWHA went to court last year as he was being sued for soring a horse and the acid he used ATE THE HORSE'S FOOT OFF. It's all on my blog. He admitted in the courtroom that what he did was what "any normal trainer" would do. He also admitted to using juiced working grease that caused pain on the ohrses. And in 2006, the KWHA were harassing USDA DQPs at their shows, and the president was egging them on.
Meghan,
Question, though: Does anyone know if there is any follow-up with the people who suddenly vanish with their horses when people show up for inspections at the show? Seems they could get busted if they were prevented from leaving or had their own farms investigated.
The Horse Protection Act (HPA) only protects the horse on the show grounds. What they do in their barns back home cannot be regulated as it is a private property. Even if someone were to report a barn as soring their horses, they could only be prosecued as participating in animal abuse and not under the HPA. The offenders have every right to leave the show if they want, so no one can stop them. However, at the 2008 Celebration, the USDA was stopping people in their trailers when they were entering the show grounds and checking their horses. They were also checking the barns at the shows. So they were going beyond just the DQP inspection station booth and really sticking it to them. Once the horse is on the show grounds, they are fair game. It's just that no one has ever enforced it to that degree until now. GO USDA!!!!!
For the Tennessee Walking Horse
When the Painted Horse Comes
The Murder of the English Language
Click here for the article about the KHRC changing their funding. It tells who they will be sending the breeders' incentive funding to starting this year.
Absolutely AWESOME. I can't believe I didn't find this blog sooner, haha! Definately adding you to my list! This is an issue people NEED to hear about, and one that has been so viciously covered up for so long, there just isn't any pussy footing, you HAVE to be as obnoxious and pushy as possible to encourage change.
Anyway, awesome article, so glad to hear it.
My Equine Rat Race
Fantastic.
this is great news too bad it took so long to happen!
asthestableturns.blogspot.com
this is fabulous news its been a long time coming.
asthestablesturns.blogspot.com
Sometimes it is not the horse who is hurt but the people. The horse training and horse show circuit is a perfect place for adult male sexual predators of pre teen girls to conduct their activities. The end result is tortured lives and families.
Art Gayton of Pahrump, NV, a long time trainer and judge on the Appalossa circuit is just such a sexual predator.
Nobody is opposed to horse shows. We all oppose the same thing: the soring and other abuses that go hand-in-hand with the Tennessee Walking Horse. This is no longer merely a 'horse show'. It is an industry with BIG money. You can fine the owner and trainer of a top-winning horse any amount of money. He will only write a check for the fine and laugh. When the abuse STOPS is when the owner and trainer go to PRISON for long periods of time. I have seen this industry from the inside out, and it is ALL corrupt, either with too much money or too many abused and sored horses. It is time to stop all this abuse, doing whatever it takes.
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