Washington International Horse Show in our nation’ s capitoi. Despite clear indications that everyone would be chastised to the utmost degree; despite the fact that they knew the Tydings Bill sponsors would be out in force; despite warnings that they would be subjected to the most grueling inspection ever accorded this or any other breed prior to showring competition... eighty-three horses were entered and most of them competed in eight Walking Horse classes.
On hand to greet the first group of Tennessee Walking Horses before their entrance into the showring was a committee of inspectors. This group consisted of Bob Thompson, DVM, Columbia, Tn.; Ralph Knowles, DVM, Washington, DC, state officer for the Department of Agriculture, Equine Division; John Clark, Assistant U. S. Attorney General, Washington, DC; Mrs. W. E. McNeil, A. H. S. A. Steward, Independence, Va.; three representatives of the American Horse Protection Association; and two Federal Park Rangers complete with a two-horse trailer and all equipment needed to impound a horse and / or person. They were ready!
For three days every horse entered in a Walking Horse class was checked before entering the ring. The inspection consisted of a diligent search of the horse’ s front feet by hand. The veterinarians did their job well. They were looking for " sore horses " and tried, according to the detailed descriptions provided by the authors of the Tydings Bill, to find some. They looked at the fetlock and coronet areas both in front and in back. They looked for indications of " scooting juice” or any other foreign substances. They looked for screws in the feet or nails in the frog. They looked for wedges. They looked and looked... and the other members of the group stood by, eagerly awaiting their first victim. On Saturday evening, after the last Walking Horse class had gone into the ring, Dr. Knowles was subjected to a one-hour harangue by the three members of the American Horse Protection Association. Something was wrong! The inspectors must not be doing their job. The horses that were in the ring were still hitting a big lick and shaking their heads and their back ends were up under them. They must be sore or else they couldn’ t perform like that. The two park rangers stood by, ready to do their job. The discussion continued! Couldn ' t they find just one horse... just ONE... that could be described as a " sore horse "?
It is now known that every horse that every horse that was brought before the inspection team was passed for competition, and every horse performed well and was a credit to
CHECK THESE ACTION PICTURES OF WALKING HORSES AT THE WASHINGTON HORSE SHOW
THEY SAID IT COULDN ' T BE DONE.. this breed called the Tennessee Walking Horse. There were some callouses and some spots with hair off, but
there was no blood and no black smear and none of the other things that have been alleged by opponents of the breed.
We didn’ t see any horses stumbling off trucks or creeping and crawling around either before or after the show. Needless to say, everyone had made an extra effort to present nothing but the best examples of our breed, and it paid off. On hand for the show w ' ere several trainers from Tennessee. Their participation added even more sting to the fact that all horses were passed by the inspectors, because these men are not supposed to know how ' to " make ' em” any other way. Well, something happened because there were horses represented from Louisiana to New York and they all passed inspection. It can be done! We can have our horse and our honor, too!