# Petition to End Soring



## Mr. Midnight's Mom (Jul 30, 2008)

As most of you may know - there's been a law on the books since the early 1970s that prohibits soring of the TWH. As you also probably know, the USDA is severely underfunded when it comes to enforcing this law.

One Horse at Time is sponsoring a petition in an effort to bring this issue to the public's attention and hopefully causing some changes.

Please honor your love for horses by signing this petition and then by passing it along to as many people as you know.

Thank you.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/533003783


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

Um, I'm confused. You want me to sign a petition about stopping something that was outlawed in the 1970's!?!?

What is petition's purpose? What is it supposed to change? (that is what a petition is supposed to do, change something.)


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Tx, the whole reason for the petition is to raise awareness. Although soring was outlawed in the 70's, it still runs rampant today. There are just not enough honest people who are willing or qualified to monitor these events and check the horses. Just because something is written in the rule books doesn't mean that it is being enforced. Just look at western pleasure, the aqha rules clearly state that the horse's ears shall not drop below the level of the withers for more than 3 strides but still you see the "almost" peanut rollers winning the futurities. I say almost because it is not quite as bad as it was about 15 years ago, but it is FAR from natural. They are trying to get more people to help so that maybe it can be monitored at every show instead of 1 out of every 100. There are no TWH or gaited horses around here so signing that petition is really all I can do.
Sorry for ranting, it just makes me mad to see what some of these horses go through.


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## Angilina (Jul 23, 2008)

I can attest to how far reaching the soring is. I need to post pictures of my mare's legs before they heal more. She has open wounds on them, places where the hair shaft has died and has turned white, and how she is just now learning how to be a horse again. This mare is only 6, but she has been through tortures no horse should ever endure. I was aware that it was going on, but I was not at all aware just how widespread it still is until a flesh and blood example decided it was time to come home with me.

www.OneHorseataTime.com Is a TWH rescue/awareness organization. Give them a look. And give these horses a chance.


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## Rachluvshorses4eva (Apr 11, 2007)

This is going to sound really dumb. But what do you mean by soring?
 Sorry, never heard of 'soring' before.  :lol:


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## Angilina (Jul 23, 2008)

http://www.walkinonranch.com/1000Words.html I think the pictures speak for themselves.

In those shoes, the 4" padded ones, my mare had marbles and at another point a golfballs with screws in them. She had open wounds on the backs of her hooves, and her hind end is majorly screwed up muscularly. It's going to take me a while to get her back into shape. She had kerosene put on her legs. It's pretty horrific what happens to them. The barn I bought her from had SIX USDA violations in ONE YEAR. They were still operating and showing.

Thankfully, in the 3 weeks I've had her, she's had a complete personality change. I love her so much, all 17.2hh of her!


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## Rachluvshorses4eva (Apr 11, 2007)

Um, sorry, I don;t really like looking at pictures of horses in or after abuse, so I didn't open that link. Sorry, could you please just describe it to me? 

Thanks.


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## Angilina (Jul 23, 2008)

http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/tennessee_walking_horse.html
In words then:



> By Keith Dane
> 
> There wasn't much to celebrate when the 2007 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration drew to a close. To the contrary, the crowning of another World Grand Champion turned out to be just another missed opportunity to clean up this industry.
> 
> ...


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## Miss Katie (Dec 30, 2007)

Thats sick. Im so glad we dont have this dicipline in Aus.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

> Rachluvshorses4eva
> Um, sorry, I don;t really like looking at pictures of horses in or after abuse, so I didn't open that link. Sorry, could you please just describe it to me?


they put caustic chemicals on the horses fetlocks to cause blistering then put chains on top of the blisters that cause the horse to pick up his legs quickly and very high (simple version) 
if you want more details without the pictures go to
http://www.onehorseatatimeinc.org/ then click on critical issues then choose the article to the left that says "Soring and the Big Lick"


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## minihorse927 (Aug 11, 2008)

I use to work at a big name saddlebred farm and they had their horse padded like the ones on the site. I had seen and helped their farrier, and I will give them this much credit, they never did anything to hurt the horse. They never used anything other than shoes and leather pads to get the gait they wanted. 

On the other hand, I watched SO many shoes, pads, and hoofs go flying across the riding arena, I finally got disgusted and had to quit. Some of these horse hooves would break off so close they would be sore for weeks on end. To begin with they left their feet really long so they could "hold" the shoe to begin with, then added the metal bands to help hold the shoe. Instead of trying to treat the hoof and give the horse a chance to heal, they would have a farrier out immediately to build the hoof back up with acrylic and put the shoe right back on. I felt so bad for the poor horse because you knew they were in pain after that shoe and half their hoof went flying off. Then to top it all of, within a week or two the scrylic would break off and the same thing would happen ago, this is now why I am staying away from TWH and Saddlebreds. Between this and the soring issues that are going on, they have ruined the two breeds for me.


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## Rachluvshorses4eva (Apr 11, 2007)

Yes, yes. I've heard of that. Thanks for jogging my memerory. I can't believe that they still do it. And you know what, they STILL pay some vets to pass the horse's vet checks when they are unwell.
They are horrible.


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