opinions .” The headline accompanying the first article , which appeared Sunday , August 31 , stated , " Revise the Industry or It Will Die .” This may be true , but exposing OUR problems to the nation will not solve them .
The focal point of our problem at the present is in Washington , D . C ., where a bill has been presented to Congress by Senator Joseph Tydings of Maryland , a hunter-jumper enthusiast , which would provide federal
legislation to control " sore horses .” This bill ( Tydings
Bill S 2543 ) would give representatives of the Agriculture Department the authority to make a personal decision regarding the condition of your horses and he
could , without a warrent , fine a trainer , owner , truck driver , and the manager of a horse show a maximum
of $ 500 and put everyone involved in jail for a period
not to exceed six months — or both . Recently , Representative Dan Kuykendall of Tennessee presented a
similar bill to the House of Representatives . This , my friends , is a problem !
The practice of " soring ” Tennessee Walking Horses as a training technique dates back to the 1950 ’ s . It has been said that trainers of other breeds have been using similar techniques for years but have learned to avoid detection . It is rumored that a Middle Tennessee trainer stumbled upon the technique quite by accident , and was actually trying to cure a bad case of thrush ( similar to athlete ’ s foot in humans ) when he noticed the results of a mild mustard-oil remedy . Since the discovery of this original technique , we have witnessed a progression of trial-and-error devices , most of which have failed . We have seen a ten-year experimental period in which our horses improved in performance , quality and acceptance , but always hanging over us was the ominous " sore horse ” indictment .
During the early 1960 ’ s we saw the advent of the " big-lick ” horse that carried the full load of drastic training devices . It was in January of 1960 that a now-famous article appeared in SPORTS ILLUSTRAT ED in which these training devices were described as
" torture ,” and the writer called for an end to such treatment . It was here that we began to feel the effect of several things , including pressure from other breed
enthusiasts that were feeling the effects of the newfound popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse . Our breed was becoming more and more popular with spectators , and people were selling their other stock and buying Walking Horses . New stables were cropping up all over the country and the demand for trainers far exceeded the availablity of capable people . Horse owners were willing to pay a good wage to anyone who could " train ” a Tennessee Walking Horse .
In their haste to get started , a lot of these newcomers began to take short cuts to training . They also experimented with all sorts of devices which eventually led to a drastic situation . Opponents of our breed began to hear rumors about some very cruel and barbaric techniques that had been tried and , without checking to see if they were true or whether they worked or not , jumped on the bandwagon to describe them as typical in training Walking Horses . The use of chains and boots has played a big part in the drama of the modern-day Tennessee Walking Horse . Ever since the early days , horsemen have been using chains to train their horses to pick their feet up off the ground . Around 1956 , when boots were first introduced for Walking Horses in the showring , another change began taldng place . The boot was originally intended to protect the front foot from the overstriding movement of the back foot , but Walking
Horse trainers soon learned that the boot could affect the movement of their horse and improve the gait .
This eventually developed into a problem also as unique devices were tried in the boots . As the condition of our horses ’ feet worsened , steps were taken to control the situation . The Celebration dropped the boots for inspection in the showring for the first time
in 1960 . The following year , this became a common practice in showrings all over the country . Dropping
the boots also gave the exhibitors an opportunity to change boots in the ring . . . which became another problem .
The situation continued to rock along for several years with rules and regulations being altered to fit the condition at the time . Various authorities tried to establish a measure of control , with no appreciable effect . The breed continued to spiral upward in popularity and acceptance , and our problems were compounded by the mere fact that the Tennessee Walking Horse was a very exciting and comfortable showring performer .
By the 1960 ’ s many people who had been lovers of our breed for years turned to other breeds rather
than be a party to such practices . The abused horse became commonplace and we tended to look the other way when they lined up . A lot of trainers and amateurs either could not ( by virtue of the fact that they did not know how ) or would not employ these training techniques on their horses in order to compete . They have gradually dropped by the wayside and still long for the day when we return to the easy-going , comfortable gait which they could maintain .
In 1967 an effort was made to organize the Walking Horse trainers and to give them the full responsibility
for " cleaning up their own house .” The majority of trainers responded to their new organization and a major effort was made to draft rules and regulations that were acceptable to everyone . The American Humane Association sent a representative from Denver to meet with the Walking Horse trainers , and representatives of several other organizations made an effort to cooperate . The first year was productive and considerable progress was made in many areas .
In 1968 a movement was begun to change the inspection system involving Tennessee Walking Horses . The procedure was to check all horses and boots outside the ring and forego the " boot-dropping ” ceremony inside the ring . Considerable problems developed , especially at American Horse Shows Association shows , as eager stewards and ill-prepared veterinarians seized
the opportunity to eliminate as many Walking Horses as possible from the showring . Unscrupulous exhibitors soon embarked on the practice of " turning in ” their competitors with the hope of eliminating them from competition . In many instances , especially if the steward or veterinarian was a friend , it worked very well , and we have seen many fine horses returned to the
barn as being " unfit ” for competition . The situation soon turned into a discussion as to what constituted
a " scar ,” and whether or not it would grow hair .
Despite all the recent adverse publicity the situation regarding training techniques and the condition of our horses is getting better and better . For the past two years we have had an awareness among our trainers ( professional and otherwise ) to " clean up ” their stock and most of them are doing an excellent job . The " sore horse ” is on the way out !
We discussed this issue with a lot of professional trainers and were advised that the vast majority of
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September / October , 1969 57