APHIS: TWH Celebration Soring Violations Rise

Officials at the 2014 Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) National Celebration identified 219 soring violations, an increase from the number found last year.
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Officials at the 2014 Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) National Celebration identified 219 soring violations, an increase from the number found last year, according to a USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) report. This year's event took place Aug. 20-30 in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) forbids soring, the deliberate injury to a horse's feet or legs to achieve an exaggerated, high-stepping gait. The USDA-APHIS enforces the act, and certifies horse industry organizations (HIOs) and trains designated qualified persons (DQPs) that carry out HPA compliance inspections on horses presented for exhibition at the shows. Violation penalties can be set by either HIOs or APHIS.

The USDA report indicates that APHIS and DQPs inspected 1,075 horses at this year's event. Of those, inspectors found 219 violations, including scar rule violations, the presence of foreign substances, unilateral and bilateral soring, high banding, and illegal shoeing. Of the violations, 218 were found in padded or so-called performance horses, while one violation was identified in a flat-shod horse, the report said. Further, of the 1,560 horses entered in the event, 485 horses were scratched and 166 were disqualified (165 performance horses and one flat-shod horse), the report said.

The 2014 figures are roughly double the 2013 Celebration figures, said Tanya Espinosa, APHIS legislative public affairs specialist

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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