I have seen racking horses, but have NEVER heard of this practice. It sounds reprehensible to me but perhaps the resident horse experts can educate me?
The CEO of the Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration show says the "law hurts the industry".
Peter.

There various ways to sore a horse to get it to liven up it’s step. Most are either irritants or weights. Occasionally horses are hurt or even lamed, but like many things, the risks and pain are often exaggerated by self-appointed “animal rights” activists.

Just as the UK banned cropping the ears and tails of dogs due to activists creating problems for the politicians, so do our politicians make laws to appease animal rights activists.

Someone spending $45,000.00 for a champion walking horse is not going to do anything to seriously hurt his investment.

Just more government interference where it doesn’t belong IMO.

BH63

quote:

Originally posted by BuffHunter63:
There various ways to sore a horse to get it to liven up it’s step. Most are either irritants or weights. Occasionally horses are hurt or even lamed, but like many things, the risks and pain are often exaggerated by self-appointed “animal rights” activists.

Just as the UK banned cropping the ears and tails of dogs due to activists creating problems for the politicians, so do our politicians make laws to appease animal rights activists.

Someone spending $45,000.00 for a champion walking horse is not going to do anything to seriously hurt his investment.

Just more government interference where it doesn’t belong IMO.

BH63

When it comes to money, all bets are off. You've got to get a return on that 45,000. investment and people will do what it takes. They have no empathy for the animal.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/a...e-killing-of-alydar/

Grizz

Just as most marriages don’t end in one spouse killing the other for the insurance money, this story, although full of drama, has little to do with most owners and trainers of either race horses or competition Walking horses.

Growing up, my pastor and his wife owned a couple of very expensive walking horses. They had trainers that used different methods to exaggerate their gaits, but from what I could tell, the horses, a mare and a stallion, never suffered from anything other than minor, temporary discomfort.

And those horses won their share of trophies.

Sunup’s Cheerleader was the name of the stallion, but I don’t remember the mare’s name.

In just about any high level competition, animal or people, there are training injuries.

BH63

Some horses can injure himself in a featherbed, others can be indistructable..Proper care is your best bet, and know your vet well...A horse can sore himself up just like and athelete, and the stonger he is the more likely to sore up..Soreness is treatable just like humans..

When I rope 10 or 15 steers, me and the horse need a day or two to heal up and hair over, and a little Tylenol for me a bute for him helps both of us..

^
I knew a kid like that. Couldn’t get out of bed without hurting himself.

I once saw him try to stand up under a table and knock his head silly. Cried for a while and damned if he didn’t do the same exact same thing.

Horses that are accident prone can sure cost you some money.

BH63

We are NOT talking about kids hurting themselves getting out of bed. Neither are we talking about soreness. NEITHER ARE WE TALKING ABOUT HORSES THAT ARE ACCIDENT PRONE.BULLS--T. We are talking about SORING.

Chemical soring and pressure shoeing
One method of soring involves using chemical agents such as mustard oil, kerosene, and other caustic substances on the pasterns, bulbs of the heel, or coronary bands of the horses, causing burning or blistering of the horses' legs to accentuate their gaits. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is sometimes added to increase the effect. The treated area is then often wrapped in plastic while the chemicals are absorbed. The chemical agents cause extreme pain, and usually lead to scarring. A distinctive scarring pattern is a characteristic indication of soring, so practitioners may attempt to disguise the scarring with a dye, or the horse's legs may be treated with salicylic acid to reduce scarring. These chemicals are harmful, usually quite toxic, and sometimes carcinogenic, such that practitioners must use a brush and wear gloves when applying them.[citation needed]

Other methods of soring include pressure shoes, where the hoof is trimmed to the quick so that the sole is in direct contact with the pad or shoe.[6] The horse may then be "road foundered", ridden up and down hard surfaces on the over-trimmed hooves, until they are very sore. Trainers sometimes place objects, such as metal beads, nails, or screws, under the pad, causing intense pressure, although this practice has begun to decrease with the use of fluoroscopy to detect such methods.[citation needed] Abusive use of chains (such as using them with chemical soring agents) is also a common practice.[7]

Action devices

Stacks are built-up pads between shoe and hoof, usually held on by a band over the front of the hoof.
"Action devices" include "stacks"—multiple pads between hoof and horseshoe; and "chains"— bracelet-like chains or rollers placed around the pastern. Illegal use occurs if irritants have been placed on the same area of the horse's foot or leg. The movement of a chain over a chemically traumatised area of the leg increases the painful response, resulting in the exaggerated gait.

Thank you experts. I got the answer I expected!

"the risks and pain are often exaggerated by self-appointed “animal rights” activists."
I guess these animal rights activists are also horse breeders who have formed their own association!
Peter.

Actually WE were talking about all those things!

Just because the thread didn’t follow the narrative you were hoping (trolling?) for, doesn’t mean one whit to how the narrative turned out.

For someone who professed no knowledge of the practice you sure come up with a lot of details.

I have no patience for people who aren’t upfront and forthright in their dealings.

If you were trying to stir up sympathy for your cause, then just say so.

I don’t have time for other people’s “causes” or their ignorance.

Come to think of it, you are the same guy that posted about your old dog biting you and asked for advice.

Almost everyone said you should put the dog down or take it to the vet.

And again, you ignored everyone and started whining about how you were not going to put down a family member. You also changed the narrative about the age of the dog.

Now I have a pretty good idea why the dog bit you, he had no damn respect for you. Dogs are a good judge of character!

Now I know why the forum has ignore lists.


BH63

BH63, PLEASE put me on your ignore list! I was asking for inside information from people who KNOW, not from people who just put it down to "animal rights". You don't have to believe in "animal rights" to think that the deliberate inflicting of pain is wrong. You are correct, initially I did NOT know anything about horse soring. I had never heard of it! But, what I DID do was to try to find out about it. And, guess what, there are people in the business who do not agree with it and are trying to reduce it.
I do not call that trolling. Obviously you do. Please ignore any future posts of mine, on ANY topic.
Peter.

I know of the practice of "sore-ing" a gaited horse. Yes it is done and yes it is painful to the horse and only done for the owners pleasure. I believe it to be wrong. Morgans, TN Walkers, other gaited shows; it is there in their training barns.
Weighted shoes on healthy feet; don't have a problem with that. That is no different than sliding plates on a reining horse. Can you hurt a horse? Yes from overwork or accidents. True in every discipline. We humans use weights on our limbs to promote strength and stride as well.
True gaited horses can have quite snappy strides naturally without hurting them for our pleasure.

I still think its much ado about nothing.

PETA and similar organizations go around and find one or two instances where a horse gets a sore and then they market the hell out of it to raise funds.

From racehorses to reining horses to trotters to roping horses occasionally a horse is injured through equipment, chemicals/meds, or just hard training.

Show me someone who never pushes his/her horse and you will probably find a horse that needs training.

A horse that is seriously hurt will not last long in the show ring.

BH63