“Congressman William Whitehurst of Virginia has introduced a bill into the House which would stop such torture,” wrote LIFE magazine in October of 1969. “Washington’s most determined friend of the walker, however, may be Maryland’s Joseph D. Tydings, equestrian and senator who has introduced a similar bill in the senate.” The legislation referenced was the … Read more
Decision Sticks with Trend of Perpetuating Tennessee Walking Horse Abuse Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia remanded a case back to the United States Department of Agriculture for a new hearing before agency Administrative Law Judges in the case of Joe Fleming Stables v. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. … Read more
Tennessee Walking Horses need your help to end “soring,” and the artificial high-step known as the “big lick.” A New York Times headline on September 4, 2006, read “Horse Show Ends in Uproar Over U.S.D.A Inspections” reporting on the failure of the judges at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration to crown a World Grand Champion in … Read more
Group previously negotiated a “deal” enabling round-ups of up to 30,000 wild horses and burros a year from our public lands Malicious, intentional cruelty should be a felony offense. That was a long-held rallying cry for a wide range of animal protection organizations, including the Humane Society of the United (HSUS), where my former colleagues … Read more
On December 9, 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the Horse Protection Act (HPA), the first federal law aimed at shielding horses from a distinct form of cruelty. Just prior to the HPA’s enactment, LIFE Magazine, in “Agony of the Walking Horse” chronicled abuses in the subculture of a show horse industry. … Read more
Some weeks ago, we interviewed University of Tennessee history professor Ernest Freeberg on the Animal Wellness Podcast as part of the launch of his book, “A Traitor to His Species,” a biography of the late ASPCA founder Henry Bergh. Freeberg recounted Bergh’s focus on helping all animals, but conveyed Bergh’s dedicated focus in fighting the … Read more
Helping horses by finding common ground with our adversaries Gen’s Ice Glimmer was about to go on a one-way trip to Mexico. Not to white-sand beaches. No, he was off to a make-shift horse slaughterhouse with blood-stained floors. There, the Tennessee Walking Horse would be hit between the eyes with a bolt gun, stabbed, butchered, … Read more
Press Release Nashville, Tennessee — Today Animal Wellness Action (AWA), the Animal Wellness Foundation (AWF), the Center for a Humane Economy, Horses for Life Foundation, American Horse Protection Society, and key stakeholders in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry announced a historic effort that seeks to end soring, protect the Tennessee Walking Horse and the breed, … Read more
Today’s edition of the Animal Wellness Podcast focuses on the seemingly intractable problem of “soring” of Tennessee Walking, Racking, and Spotted Saddle Horses — a kind of torture that involves injuring the pasterns or the bottom of the foot to induce an exaggerated high-stepping gait. Abusive trainers apply caustic chemicals such as mustard oil, croton … Read more
A compromise we’ve secured with industry offers a pathway to end the torture and torment of Tennessee Walking horses More than eight years ago, well into my nearly 14-year tenure as CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, I authorized an investigation into the training practices of Jackie McConnell, one of the most … Read more