Almost half the US Senate has joined forces to call for “swift action” to end the “deliberate torment” of soring.

Led by Michael Crapo and Mark Warner, 48 senators from both political parties have written to agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack, urging the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to publish a rule developed under him during the Obama administration.

H&H reported in 2017 on the rule, which was aimed at stamping out the barbaric practice of “soring” Tennessee walking and other horses; using physical and chemical means to cause pain and exaggerate the horses’ movement into the high-stepping “big lick” gait.

It was hoped the rule would have “eliminated a failed system of industry self-policing and the use on Tennessee walking horses and racking horses of devices integral to soring”, but it was put on hold when Donald Trump took over as president and has not been resurrected.

Sara Amundson, president of the Humane Society Legislative Fund, said: “It’s long past time for USDA to strengthen its weak regulations to stop one of the worst cruelties imaginable – where scofflaw trainers deliberately torment horses to get them to fling their front legs high, just to win a ribbon in a show ring.

Continues below…

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Report on soring ‘highlights need to end industry’s self-policing’

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“It’s like forcing an Olympian to train with broken glass in her shoes so the pain will make her leap higher over the hurdles. Secretary Vilsack was trying to fix this in January 2017 and now he can do so straight away, as this strong bipartisan letter urges him to do.

“We commend Senators Crapo and Warner for their outstanding leadership and all the legislators who joined this crucial effort.”

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US animal welfare organisations have welcomed a report on soring that “underscores the urgent need to eliminate the current self-policing in the Tennessee walking horse industry”.

The Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Legislative Fund have responded to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s report.

The report states that “to detect soreness in Tennessee walking horses, only veterinarians should administer inspections at shows”.

It adds: “Inspections should follow proper technique and employ sufficient observation of horse movement, palpation of limbs to detect local pain and inflammation, thermography, and swabbing to detect inflammation or prohibited substances. Physical exams should take into account current understanding of how horses experience and present pain.”

The report evaluated different methods used to detect soring, the practice of injuring the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking and other horses to produce the high-stepping “big lick” gait.

It found that differences in training and experience account for discrepancies between inspections carried out by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) vets and designated qualified persons (DQPs), mainly non-vets licensed by the industry organisations that host shows.

The report recommends that only vets should carry out inspections, adding: “If budget constraints necessitate the use of third-party inspectors, they should be trained by APHIS, evaluated, and screened for conflicts of interest.”

The report also recommends information and methods that inspectors should learn in their training.

The report was made following a thorough study carried out by vets and other experts in animal health and behaviour.

Humane Society Legislative Fund president Sara Amundson, and Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the US, made a joint statement in response to the report.

“The recommendations on methods of detecting horse soring underscore the need to eliminate the failed system of industry self-policing that has enabled this cruel abuse for decades,” the statement said.

“Though some in the Tennessee walking horse industry hoped that the study would enable them to continue their abuse, the National Academies have delivered a thorough report that recognises palpation as the gold standard for detection of soreness, embraces an enhanced rule on scarring and offers other constructive proposals designed to achieve more robust enforcement of the Horse Protection Act.

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“Last year, we fought off attempts to enact an 11th-hour proposal floated by the sorers and a group they teamed up with, which would have blocked these recommendations and other vital reforms provided for in the US Department of Agriculture’s 2017 anti-soring rule that we’re urging the Biden administration to swiftly reinstate.

“The Prevent All Soring Tactics Act, which an overwhelming bipartisan majority of members of the House of Representatives approved in the last Congress, goes even further to protect horses, and we’ll be championing its passage in the 117th Congress.”

The report adds that the decision to disqualify a horse from a show should be driven by an experienced vet, and made based on the diagnosis of local pain. It should also include thorough assessment of the horse’s movement and other behavioural signs such as weight-shifting.

It recommends that thermography be used to help detect inflammation, and that swabbing to detect prohibited substances such as topical pain relievers be carried out randomly and to suspect horses. The report also recommends that “serious consideration” be given to blood testing, which is used in other equestrian competition to detect medications that could alter the horse’s response to pain.

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New “compromise” legislation in the US aims to end the horrific torture of soring horses. H&H speaks to welfare charities and organisations to find out all sides of the debate

US campaigners against the cruelty of soring in Tennessee walking horses believe planned legislation will not improve welfare – and may make it worse.

Animal Wellness Action (AWA), other welfare organisations and key figures in the Tennessee walking horse industry, have agreed to “compromise” measures aimed at preventing the horrific practices used to achieve the unnatural “big lick” high-stepping gait.

The move came after the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act passed the US House of Representatives in July 2019, but stalled in the Senate.

The act would amend the Horse Protection Act (HPA) in an attempt to stamp out the injuring of horses’ hooves and legs to produce the big lick. Common methods include applying diesel and kerosene to skin, grinding down hooves to expose sensitive tissues, and using “sharp or abrasive objects on tender areas to maximise pain”. Under the current industry self-policing, those who abuse horses often go unpunished.

AWA executive director Marty Irby said the collaboration is the “greatest step in half a century to help end the scourge of soring”.

It includes banning action devices and reducing shoe stack sizes – but 35 other welfare, veterinary and industry organisations do not believe it is the answer.

Keith Dane, the Humane Society of the United States’ senior adviser on equine protection, told H&H the charity has grave concerns about the proposals.

“For 44 years, the walking horse industry has had responsibility for enforcement of the HPA; the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) handed it over, which has been an abject failure,” he said. “But these proposals would still allow the industry to self-inspect. Inspectors would have to be USDA-licensed but the USDA hasn’t got the funds to send someone to every show to look over their shoulders. The industry would be responsible for hiring and paying inspectors, so they’d have tremendous clout, as now.

“Leaving the industry very much in the driving seat flies in the face of what the USDA Office of Inspector General said in a 2010 audit, that the system is a failure and it perpetuates turning a blind eye to serious violations of the HPA.”

Another concern is that less significance would be placed on palpation of limbs to detect pain that could indicate soring.

“The industry doesn’t like that method,” he said. “But the vet community has long accepted palpation is a good way of determining pain.”

Mr Dane said currently, a horse who fails the palpation test may not compete that day. In the proposals, this could be allowed if the horse did not fail other tests, which he described as “absurd”. Palpation would not even be conducted in many cases. The compromise legislation also allows pads to be used, “inviting people to do all the damage between the pads and the hoof, which is crueller in many ways”.

Another issue is that although the compromise bill introduces tougher penalties for soring, “the bar is so high, no one’s going to be penalised; the worst would be that you couldn’t show that day”. It would also not cover abuse in training, as evidence collected there could not be used to convict someone of soring.

Mr Dane said although the PAST Act, and other legislative attempts to end soring, have stalled thanks to some senators’ blocking, the Humane Society is hopeful there will be movement.

He explained that a rule change due to be brought in by the USDA four years ago would have stamped out much of soring, but this was put on hold by Donald Trump when he became president. With Trump on the way out, and as incoming leader Joe Biden was vice-president in the previous administration, there is hope the rule may be re-introduced.

There is also hope that with Senate elections due early next year, there may be a way to get the PAST Act to the vote.

“We think there’s an easier route to stop soring,” Mr Dane said. “The rule would accomplish a lot, but there are things that would have to be in legislation.”

“We’ve got a road-block in the Senate, which we have to overcome, one way or another,” he added. “If the path clears, we know we’ve got the votes.”

Teresa Bippen, president of the Friends of Sound Horses charity, agrees pursuing the PAST Act is a far better option, and that the self-regulation proposed is “the fox guarding the hen house”.

“I feel this compromise bill would be worse for horses than what we have now,” she told H&H.

“Under this bill, if a horse has pastern scars, it can still be shown, which isn’t the case now, so they can still use chemicals and chains that cause scars, at home. Current law also bans foreign substances from being used on horses’ legs. That includes numbing agents, which the proposal doesn’t. So people can use numbing agents to get horses through inspections.”

Ms Bippen added that in the proposals, a horse judged to be sore cannot be shown for 24 hours, as opposed to the rest of the competition, as is currently the case. Some events run for 10 days.

“I can’t even speculate why people are backing this proposal,” she said. “Maybe it looks like a win; they’re reducing the size of stacks but it’s not the stacks that are so much the problem, it’s what they’re concealing to cause pain.

“The big lick industry has said its non-negotiable position is they won’t give up the big lick, which means the horses will continue to be abused. This isn’t a compromise, it’s a sellout.”

Work in progress

Mr Irby told H&H the draft legislation is “a work in progress”.

He said the scar rule was lost as it has not been effectively enforced for years, and the plan would mean inspectors finding “evidence of severe visible injuries” would have to investigate.

He said it would be “very difficult” to ban numbing agents as they are so widely and freely available, and that although allowing pads “isn’t ideal”, it would be more than a 50% reduction in size, and mean they must be easily removable for inspection of the bottom of the hoof. He said allowing part of the shoe to be retained was a “trade” for eliminating “tortuous” tail braces.

“This isn’t perfect, but I believe it is the greater good,” he said.

Mr Irby said the organisations are “working through” the issue of palpation with vets.

He added that he does not believe the rules Trump put on hold will be introduced as they were years in planning last time, and he has been told by the walking horse industry that should they be introduced, “they have two lawsuits ready to file”.

“The compromise legislation will have the support of [Senate majority leader] Mitch McConnell and that’s something this issue has never had before,” he said.

“If this issue is not resolved by a compromise, I don’t see any end in sight for soring, and that will be on the conscience of those who oppose a compromise.

“Those who don’t understand the legislative process are severely hindering our efforts to end soring.”

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Political opponents have united in the US in a historic attempt to end the “senseless, abject torture” of soring for good.

Animal Wellness Action (AWA), the Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF), the Center for a Humane Economy, Horses for Life Foundation and the American Horse Protection Society, as well as key figures in the Tennessee walking horse industry have agreed to support new measures aimed at preventing the horrific practices employed by some trainers, to try to achieve the “big lick” high-stepping gait.

H&H has reported on the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which passed the US House last July but stalled in the Senate.

It was the most recent of more than 20 pieces of legislation and amendments to the 1970 Horse Protection Act, which aimed to prevent soring but left loopholes, to be introduced in the US government in the past 20 years.

“Not a single measure has been enacted, leaving a 50-year-old statute to govern management of regulated horse shows,” said a spokesman for AWA.

“The Horse Protection Amendments Act, H.R. 1157/S. 1455, introduced on seven occasions in either the House or Senate, and supported by the Tennessee walking horse industry, has also not advanced. Even attempts to finalise regulations to end soring have long-failed at every turn.”

In this current attempt, the stakeholders have come together to support compromise legislation that would ban action devices and dramatically reduce shoe sizes. It would also ban tail braces: in some horses, the muscles and tendons in the tail are severed, and the horses live in a contraption that maintains a full break in the tailbone. The horses are shown in the ring with a metal U-shaped stand under the tail to create high carriage.

“Bitter political adversaries have come together to break the logjam in Congress and put the nation on a path to end horse soring,” said Wayne Pacelle, president of AWA, and the Center for a Humane Economy. “If enacted, this deal will end the political stalemate in Congress and take the pain out of walking horse shows throughout the south.”

Frank Eichler, owner of Rising Star Ranch, the biggest Tennessee walking horse stud in the US, said the agreement between welfare organisations and the industry is “100 % about the welfare of the Tennessee walking horse, not about the horse politics”.

“Our pledge to support these reforms in statute represents the strongest commitment ever to move the industry forward and utilise science-based testing to eliminate soring. Third parties trying to thwart this common-sense agreement will only hurt the horse.”

AWA executive director Marty Irby, a former president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association, said the collaboration is the “greatest step we’ve seen in half a century to help end the scourge of soring, protect the horses, and allow the Tennessee walking horse to step soundly into the future”.

“Naysayers on both sides of the issue can either continue to throw rocks at those who are seeking viable reform or they can step up, join our discussion and help work together to allow the Tennessee walking horse to regain its rightful place as America’s horse,” he said.

“We invite every equine industry, veterinary, and animal protection stakeholder to the table of compromise.”

Horses for Life Foundation founder Allondra Stevens said the negotiations provide an opportunity to drive change, adding: “It’s incumbent on all of us to work together to ensure that American horses are no longer subjected to the senseless, abject torture of soring.”

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The stakeholders have agreed to seek to achieve the following points:

• New and additional penalties for horse soring.
• Eliminating chains and action devices used to exacerbate pain derived from soring.
• Reducing the size of large, stacked shoes (currently 4.5-8 inches in height) to 1.5 inches at the toe and 2.5 inches in height (the same as other breeds that have shoe assemblies).
• Banning the use of tungsten, lead, or other heavy elements or composites in the shoe, and a ban on the use of metal bands to fix a heavy shoe to the hoof.
• Eliminating tail braces and tail docking (currently allowed and continuing in other breeds).
• Banning the possession of caustic chemicals and devices used in the soring process.
• Upgrading penalties for violators of the HPA.
• Creating a new organisation that will impose immediate penalties and fines on violators of the HPA while still allowing fines and penalties to be imposed through federal prosecution.
• Establishing an inspection program that parallels favors objective, science-based testing methods, as used by other breeds that conduct in-house testing.
• Employing independent inspectors licensed and certified by the US Department of Agriculture.
• Limiting the application of the legislation to Tennessee walking, racking and spotted saddle horses

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The owner of a Tennessee walking horse rescued from a life of soring aims to make a feature-length film raising awareness of the horrific practices involved in the “big lick” gait.

US actor Cameron Ring has already made a short documentary based on the life story of Awesome Gal, the mare he has owned for some 10 years, and he hopes to secure enough funding for the longer version.

“My mission is to end the horrific practice of soring that Awesome endured,” Cameron said.

“Though I cannot change Awesome’s past, I can change the future for thousands of other horses suffering the same abuse by telling her amazing story.

“This touching account will expose the dark side of the Tennessee walking horse industry and inspire anyone struggling through hardships.”

Soring methods used to help create the exaggerated “big lick” gait include applying diesel fuel and kerosene to burn the skin, grinding down hooves to expose sensitive tissues, and applying “sharp or abrasive objects to tender areas to maximise pain”.

Under the current system of industry self-policing, those who abuse horses often go unpunished, and although there was hope for a better future when the Prevent All Soring Techniques (PAST) Act was approved by the House of Representatives last July, Cameron told H&H this has got no further.

“There seems to be no desire to move forward on this,” he said. “Awesome’s got an incredible story and I think if we can tell it, we could create national outcry, and force the Senate into action.”

Awesome was “power-shod”, her hooves were cut down to the quick, but managed to escape the yard on which she was kept, and ended up at a rescue yard where she bonded with a girl who had come out of an abusive relationship.

Cameron took her on when the rescue yard had to close and the rest is history.

“Awesome’s is such a sweet story and hers has a happy ending,” Cameron said.

“But anyone who knows horses would look at [the horses in the ring] and see they’re in pain, and they have such a beautiful gait naturally.

“I’ve seen undercover footage of what goes on in the barns and it’s horrific.”

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Cameron’s film is at the voting stage at the From a Distance Film Festival but he said as soon as he can secure funding, he can start work on the longer project.

“There’s no real awareness of soring but if this can help get it out there, people can’t ignore it,” he said.

“We need the legislation passed and enforced, so these horses can be treated better, and to improve the relationship between horses and humans.”

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American horses have won a “historic victory” as a legislation amendment aimed to stop the “inhumane” practice of soring has passed the House of Representatives.

Members voted 333 to 96 yesterday (25 July) in favour of the US Senator Joseph D Tydings memorial Prevent All Spring Tactics (PAST) Act.

The bill is named after the late Maryland senator who saw the 1970 Horse Protection Act, which the PAST Act would amend, through Congress.

It would end the practice of injuring the hooves and legs of Tennessee walking and other horses to produce the high-stepping “big lick” gait, and, according to the Animal Welfare Institute, is the “most significant protections for Tennessee walking horses and related breeds since passage of the Horse Protection Act”.

Soring methods include applying diesel fuel and kerosene to burn the skin, grinding down hooves to expose sensitive tissues, and applying “sharp or abrasive objects to tender areas to maximise pain”. Under the current system of industry self-policing, those who abuse horses often go unpunished.

“This is a historic moment for horses that have been subjected to this brutal practice in the name of competition,” said Animal Welfare Institute president Cathy Liss.

“Soring will persist as long as trainers, owners and others involved in walking horse shows are not held accountable for their actions and even rewarded by winning prizes.”

The bill must now be passed by the Senate, and approved by president Donald Trump, before it becomes law, but Ms Liss said few bills had garnered such broad, cross-political support.

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“Fortunately, lawmakers recognise the severity of the problem and the need to protect Tennessee walking horses from abuse,” she said. “We urge Senate leadership to quickly pass the PAST Act to provide much-needed enforcement and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.”

Oregon representative Kurt Schrader, one of those who introduced the Act in January, said soring “runs rampant”.

“We gave folks a chance to self-police, but the abusive behaviors continued,” he said.

“The bill that was passed today will strengthen and improve current regulations by improving USDA [US Department of Agriculture] enforcement, increasing civil and criminal penalties, and banning incentives to sore horses. This is a historic day and I am grateful for my colleagues who worked tirelessly to get this legislation across the finish line and for the beautiful horses that we love so much.”

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An amendment to US welfare law aimed at bringing the “cruelty” of soring to an end has passed a major milestone.

The Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which would amend the 1970 Horse Protection Act to prevent the abuse of Tennessee walking and other horses, has secured enough supporters for it to move on to a debate and “floor vote”, the next stage in the legislation process.

The PAST Act was introduced in the US House in January by senators Kurt Schrader and Ted Yoho, co-chairmen of the congressional veterinary medicine caucus. The aim is to close loopholes that have allowed soring to continue.

The practice refers to measures such as applying caustic chemicals to horses’ front legs, or inserting sharp objects into their hooves, with the aim of producing the exaggerated “big lick” gait for which the Tennessee walking horses is known.

The PAST Act was first introduced six years ago but floor votes on it were blocked by influential political figures, despite “overwhelming support” from both chambers of the US government.

The sponsors of the bill named this year’s version after the late senator Joseph D Tydings, who wrote the Horse Protection Act and “worked for 48 years to close loopholes that the horse soring crowd used to complicate enforcement of the law”.

“I’ve seen horses’ feet that have been sored so badly they looked like pizza with the cheese pulled off, and it’s long past time to end the rampant abusive practice of soring that I’ve personally witnessed since childhood,” said Marty Irby, executive director at Animal Wellness Action, and past president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association.

“We are going to get a vote and take a big step toward eradicating the soring plague that’s marred the breed for more than 60 years, and I applaud the US house members for their dedication and support.”

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Ben Tydings Smith, grandson of the late Mr Tydings, said his grandfather would be “thrilled” to see the act’s progress.

“He cared so deeply for these horses and I know he is probably looking down with a big smile on his face,” he said.

The PAST Act vote will take place no later than the week of 23 July, and supporters hope it will be a success, which would mean the Senate would have to take the matter up. If passed by the Senate, it would have to be approved by president Donald Trump before it becomes law.

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A legislation amendment aimed at bringing an end to the “barbaric” practice of soring has been put forward by two US senators.

Mike Crapo and Mark Warner have reintroduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act, which would amend the 1970 Horse Protection Act, to prevent the abuse of Tennessee walking horses and others in the southeast US.

The aim is to close loopholes that have allowed trainers to take measures such as applying caustic chemicals to horses’ feet, inserting sharp objects into their hooves and using stacked shoes and ankle chains, to produce the exaggerated “big lick” high-stepping gait.

The PAST Act was first introduced in 2013, but has been repeatedly blocked.

A previous proposed amendment, which covered training and licensing of inspectors to enforce the law, and banned chains and large stacked shoes, was put on hold by US president Donald Trump shortly after he came into office.

This has now been dropped but this current proposal goes a step further, by increasing penalties for lawbreakers.

“I support the humane treatment of all animals and the responsible training of horses,” said Mr Crapo. “I remain committed to ending the cruel practice of soring, and will continue to promote enforcement of current animal welfare laws.”

Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, a former president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association, said he “applauded” the senators’ action.

“I’ve seen horses’ feet that have been sored so badly they looked like pizza, and it’s long past time to end the rampant abusive practice of soring that I’ve personally witnessed since childhood,” he added.

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Priscilla Presely, who advocates for animal welfare, said: “There’s no other category of horse show practitioners who do something quite so cruel and diabolical as sore the feet of horses.

 “No lawmaker should look the other way and allow this to continue for one more day.”

For the PAST Act to become law, it would need to pass through the commerce committees in the US House and the Senate, then be allowed a vote on the floor of both chambers, or attached in some way to a larger piece of legislation.

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A proposed legal change aimed at stamping out the barbaric practice of “soring” Tennessee walking horses has been put on hold by the new Trump administration.

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) amendment, which covered training and licensing of inspectors to enforce the law, and banned chains and large stacked shoes, is one of a number of rules put on hold by the White House on 20 January, Trump’s first day in office.

Soring, the inflicting of pain by chemical or physical means to exaggerate the horses’ gait, making them lift their front legs higher in what is known as “the big lick”, was described by US representative Steve Cohen as “truly one of the worst practices”.

The HPA already bans showing or selling horses who have been sored and prohibits certain equipment, and it was hoped the amendment would mean it was consigned to the history books.

It was due to be published in the US’ federal register yesterday, 24 January, which would have meant its coming into effect.

But the White House issued a memo for all unpublished rules to be withdrawn and sent back to the relevant agencies for review.

“Bureaucratic bungling scuttled a rule that policy makers and executive agencies agreed was the right thing,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States.

Related articles:

• ‘A stain on Tennessee’s reputation’: law change aims to stamp out soring
• Tennessee walking horse trainer pleads guilty to abuse
• Undercover footage reveals abuse of Tennessee walking horses

“Now only the Trump administration can revive this long overdue rule, which enjoyed enormous bipartisan congressional backing by 224 senators and representatives, and generated more than 100,000 public comments in support.

“We urge the Trump administration to take an honest look at the issue and to publish the rule and adopt it.”

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The barbaric act of “soring” applied to Tennessee walking horses could be consigned to the history books after the American government introduced a legislation amendment aimed to stamp out the controversial practice.

Soring is the practice of inflicting pain – by chemical or physical means – to exaggerate the horses’ gait, making them lift their front legs higher in what is known as “the big lick”.

The United States Equestrian Federation is backing the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “efforts to amend and strengthen previous regulations”.

The rule is a final upgrade to the Horse Protection Act, which bans showing or selling horses who have been sored and prohibits certain equipment.

Under the new law, the USDA will train and license inspectors to enforce the act, while chains and large stacked shoes will also be banned.

“Horse soring is truly one of the worst practices,” US representative Steve Cohen said in a statement. “I applaud the Obama administration for finalising this much-needed update to the existing Horse Protection Act regulations.”

From 30 days after the publication of the amendment, all “action devices except for certain boots” will be banned at all shows, exhibitions, sales or auctions.

All pads and wedges will be banned from January 1 2018, unless they are therapeutic. The delay will allow time for the size of any pads to be gradually reduced, to “minimise any potential physiological stress to the horses and prepare horses to compete in other classes”.

The Humane Society of the United States welcomed the rule, which it described as “a move that should largely spell the end of the barbaric and gratuitous practice of horse soring”.

Society president and CEO Wayne Pacelle said: “Horse soring is a stain on Tennessee’s reputation, and today’s move by the USDA begins to wipe that stain away.

Related articles:

• Authorities crack down on illegal soring
• Tennessee walking horse ‘torturer’ avoids jail
• Undercover footage reveals abuse of Tennessee walking horses

“Hurting horses so severely for mere entertainment is disgraceful, and I put this abuse in the same category as dogfighting or cockfighting – practices that betray our humanity and that cannot stand the light of day.

“We applaud Secretary Vilsack and the administration for addressing these issues before President Obama departs the Oval Office.”

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Federal authorities are taking steps to ban the illegal practices used to train Tennessee walking horses.

Writing in his blog, Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is ready to crack down on soring.

The practice of using chemical and mechanical irritants to force the horses to step higher has been illegal since 1970.

But Pacelle said “cruel, unscrupulous trainers exploit regulatory loopholes, and the corrupt industry self-regulation system allows the perpetuation of what amounts to organised crime, all for the sake of show ribbons.”

Last week the USDA sent a proposed rule to update its existing Horse Protection Act regulations to the Office of Management and Budget for White House clearance – a key step before a proposed rule is released for public comment.

For some time the HSUS has urged the USDA to take action against all soring practices.

In February last year, the nonprofit animal protection organisation filed a rulemaking petition against the USDA to ban the “stacks” and chains used in soring.

The petition called for an end to industry self-policing and a crackdown on violations by extending disqualification periods.

Related articles:

• America acts to prevent abuse of Tennessee walking horses
• Tennessee walking horse ‘torturer’ avoids jail

“At this stage of the review process, the text of USDA’s proposed rule is not yet public. But to be effective, the proposed rule should include all of these common-sense, long-awaited reforms,” said Mr Pacelle.

“We’re going to put our shoulder behind this rule-making to put an end now to both the lawbreaking and the scourge of soring,” he added.

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A Tennessee walking horse trainer has been sentenced to three years probation and fined $75,000 (£47,070) for “soring” horses — an illegal practice which causes walking horses to lift their legs higher for shows.

Jackie McConnell was charged with 52 counts of violating of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) on 18 September at a federal court in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“I take responsibility for what I’ve done,” he said.

In May, McConnell, 60, pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the HPA after a video filmed undercover by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) — showing him abusing the horses — was broadcast on ABC News.

The maximum possible sentence for the crime was five years in prison and a $250,000 (£156,805) fine.

“It was our hope that McConnell would do prison time for these terrible crimes but there are gaps in the federal law that need to be strengthened,” said Keith Dane of the HSUS.

“[McConnell] has shown no remorse. For decades his income was based on the torture of horses.”

The HSUS’s footage showed the horses being beaten with wooden sticks and poked with electric cattle prods at a stable outside Memphis.

The organisation also said that the horses’ coronet bands and pasterns were slathered with chemicals then wrapped in plastic to make them hyper-sensitive.

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A high profile Tennessee Walking Horse trainer – who was shown abusing his horses in undercover footage broadcast on ABC News – has pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the Horse Protection Act (HPA).

The video was filmed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and shows Jackie McConnell beating the horses with wooden sticks and poking them with electric cattle prods.

Mr McConnell admitted to applying banned chemicals to the horses’ pasterns making them hyper-sensitive, causing them to raise their front legs artificially high – a practice known as “soring“.

He also admitted to trying to camouflage the signs of this practice, which has been illegal for more than 40 years.

Two other men – John Mays and Joseph Abernathy – pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges related to the case, with Mr McConnell on 22 May. Sentencing will be held on 10 September.

“Although the HPA has been in place for more than 40 years, violators have seldom been prosecuted,” said the HSUS’s Keith Dane.

“The McConnell case urges the federal government to continue to make the enforcement of the HPA a top priority.”

The trainer has also been banned for life from the biggest annual event for the breed – the Walking Horse National Celebration (22 August – 1 September).

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An American animal rights group has revealed footage of Tennessee Walking Horses – a breed known for its high-stepping gait – being beaten and abused.

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) conducted an undercover investigation and filmed a video that was then broadcast by ABC News.

The footage shows the horses being beaten with wooden sticks and poked with electric cattle prods at a stable outside Memphis. Trainer Jackie McConnell is facing a felony charge for violating the Horse Protection Act.

Warning: this video contains graphic content that you may find upsetting

The HSUS says that horses’ coronet bands and pasterns were slathered with chemicals then wrapped in plastic to make them hyper-sensitive, causing them to raise their front legs artificially high – a practice known as “soring“. The practice has been illegal for more than 40 years.

The day after ABC News broadcast the video, drinks manufacturer Pepsi dropped its sponsorship of America’s leading competition for the breed, The Walking Horse National Celebration (22 August – 1 September).

However, Pepsi has not confirmed the reason for cancelling its sponsorship.

In 2009 an organisation was set up within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry to tour shows and inspect the horses.

But the HSUS’s Keith Dane said: “This procedure of soring has been going on far too long. The industry has been able to self-police with very poor results.”

Leaders of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry claim that such cruelty is rare.

“You don’t have to do this kind of junk to win. We’re terribly against it,” said Dr Stephen Mullins of SHOW, the group that oversees inspections of the horses before major events.

However a random inspection by the Department of Agriculture at last year’s championship found that every horse tested had some sort of foreign substance around their front hooves.

Dr Mullins claims that there are innocent explanations for some of the substances found.

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