June 10, 2008
Horses Feel Too
Horses have served humankind as far as history scrolls can date back. Ancient civilizations and extinct empires have historical texts about horses and how these creatures have served them in more ways than one. Fast-forward to the present, horses continue to serve their human masters. Though most humans pushed their beasts to the limit, a few have gone too far.Numerous show horses have been at the receiving end of human brutality. Trained for entertainment, show horses have provided their human audience some leisure time and their masters, huge sums of cash. Behind the curtains however, some show horses that do not cooperate with their masters’ wishes are subjected to pain.Gaiting, or frantic hopping, is one of the show horse’s main tricks. It may be a lovely sight, but the horse silently endures the pain of soring. Soring, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, is the intentional infliction of pain applied on the horse’s foot to make the animal produce a series of gaits throughout the show. The various means of soring range from mechanical devices to chemicals.The Department of Agriculture created the Horse Protection Operating Plan on February 15, 2007 as a means to protect show horses from such treatment. Under the Horse Protection Operating Plan, violators will be subjected to certain penalties. The first person successfully prosecuted by the Department of Agriculture was Tim Holley, a horse trainer from Byhalia, Miss.Holley was found guilty of soring a show horse and while under a 1-year disqualification decree, continued to host shows 35 times. Holley was consequently given a 10-year ban from actively participating in horse auctions, shows, sales, and exhibitions.
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