Printed in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on Sunday, August 28, 2016
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/opinion/letters/story/2016/aug/28/horse-soring/383095/
Earlier this month, I drove to Murfreesboro to speak at the USDA's public forum on new proposals for rules against horse soring. Some of the comments made by the horse trainers were shocking. I couldn't believe grownups were making them. They deny soring exists, and/or claim it is not abuse. Horse soring is alive and well.
Tennessee is currently a haven for abusers who hide their training practices and pretend it is all in the name of benign entertainment. Horse soring, both chemically and with chains and pads, should be banned, as should the "Big Lick" style of competition.
We have a chance to create a new, less-tortured future for our namesake horse, the Tennessee Walking Horse. The horses' natural gait is beautiful and should not be altered. Claims that banning the Big Lick would mean an end to horse shows, or to gaited horse breeding, are not true. Let's move into a more humane future for these gentle and sensitive horses.
The USDA is accepting public comments at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare/horse-protection-amendments.
Mary Marr
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