It's about TIME!

[SmokenMirrors]

Anyone seen this or heard? Thank god that the powers that be for the TWH shows are finally standing up and saying ENOUGH! Hopefully the future for the TWH will look brighter and those who wish to sore, harm, or make a horse do something it is not intended to do will eventually be eradicated and those who are fined will think twice.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20090823/NEWS01/908230325/Abuse+reports+precede+Celebration

[jen-s]

That's great news! Thanks for posting!

I rode TWHs briefly as a young teenager. My first love was hunters, but my stepfather had always had walkers, so what's a kid to do... I'm not saying all barns are like that one because I'm sure they aren't, but any appeal for the fancy steppers quickly faded for me when I realized what was going on only slightly behind the scenes.

[Ambrey]

Anyone seen this or heard? Thank god that the powers that be for the TWH shows are finally standing up and saying ENOUGH! Hopefully the future for the TWH will look brighter and those who wish to sore, harm, or make a horse do something it is not intended to do will eventually be eradicated and those who are fined will think twice.

http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20090823/NEWS01/908230325/Abuse+reports+precede+Celebration

Yep, I was going to post that!

I really liked the part about disbanding the trainer/owner run organization, and the acknowledgement that the higher level of citations was necessary to reduce actual violations! But honestly some of the stories still turned my stomach.

I wish there was some sort of tribunal for these people. Some of those offenses should be "one strike you're out."

[bugsynskeeter]

Furthermore, the KBIF is no longer allowing TWHs into their incentive fund, due to the fact that several of the earners of the IF payouts have prior records for soring horses.

[katarine]

This change shut down showing around here (AL) for a while this Spring, while they got their arms around what was legal and what wasn't: By this I mean that previously a horse that was bilaterally scarred (from past soring) but didn't exhibit that he was currently sored...that horse COULD be shown. No more. Overnight many show horses were out of a job. FWIW, that was what happened.

They'll get snakier about it, 'they' won't get honest unless it risks their livelihood in a huge way, like the life time suspensions. Owners should carry some burden- I wonder who owned the horse in North Alabama? Like the horse's presented with golf balls shoved under their saddles, to distract them from the inspection process, or the guy in the article with God only knows what in the horse's mouth. There's so much money and ego at risk. We'll see where it goes over time.

[JollyBadger]

Great news for the Tennessee Walking Horse!

Thank you for posting!

[ReSomething]

This change shut down showing around here (AL) for a while this Spring, while they got their arms around what was legal and what wasn't: By this I mean that previously a horse that was bilaterally scarred (from past soring) but didn't exhibit that he was currently sored...that horse COULD be shown. No more. Overnight many show horses were out of a job. FWIW, that was what happened.

They'll get snakier about it, 'they' won't get honest unless it risks their livelihood in a huge way, like the life time suspensions. Owners should carry some burden- I wonder who owned the horse in North Alabama? Like the horse's presented with golf balls shoved under their saddles, to distract them from the inspection process, or the guy in the article with God only knows what in the horse's mouth. There's so much money and ego at risk. We'll see where it goes over time.

FWIW I have to agree with this - horses with any sort of old scarring are out of a show career now, even the flat shod trail pleasure types. No honorable demotions to lower levels for many horses. We'll have to see how it shakes out. I'm hoping very hard it works out for the benefit of the horses in both short and long term.