Anyone who advocates for horses for any length of time will come to face with this issue — whether a supporter of a horse protection organization or active in social media — and that is a lack of unity, of working together for the good of the horse. It is not something one would expect to happen, but it does, and for a wide variety of reasons. Some are defensible; some are not.
This division in ideas of principle and application is most often seen in the horse slaughter and wild horse and burro issues, probably because those are the two most highly recognized and participated in horse cruelty causes. But lack of unity is not isolated to these issues.
The horse soring issue, according to a USDA official, is experiencing the same problem. However, it appears that it occurs among the offenders rather than the defenders.
In an report from the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, it says:
A Department of Agriculture representative who enforces the Horse Protection Act had critical comments for the local equine industry this past weekend.
Dr. Chester Gipson, Deputy Administrator for Animal Care with USDA-APHIS, met Saturday with members of the Walking Horse Owners’ Association (WHOA) in Murfreesboro, telling members enforcement of the Act would be no different during the 2012 show season than it was last year.
But Gibson also told WHOA members that the Walking Horse industry had “no credible voice,” warning that they are dividing themselves, and urging unity.
Gipson added:
“There is no credible voice within this industry and when someone doesn’t like something they spin off and create their own group,” Gipson was quoted as saying in the Walking Horse Report. “You are dividing and surrendering and we don’t have to do anything to you, you are doing it to yourself.”
He urged the industry to stop splintering saying, “there are more good resources in your industry than in any industry I know but they aren’t being used effectively.” However, Gipson was also quoted as being optimistic about the industry’s efforts at unification.
In other words, they have all they need to clean up yet another sport where horses are exploited and inflicted with pain and suffering to enhance performance — according to human standards that is. The high stepping gait of a Tennessee Walking Horse is naturally beautiful, and is not improved by exaggeration.
Another comment of note is:
Gipson reportedly said that the issue of horse soring “has become an animal welfare issue,” explaining that groups such as the American Association of Equine Practitioners and the American Veterinary Medical Association “have stepped up and become more active.”
LEARN MORE
— Horse Soring Fact Sheet
http://www.horsefund.org/horse-soring-fact-sheet.php
— Horse Soring Images
http://www.horsefund.org/horse-soring-images.php
Tuesday's Horse 
Can the FEDS really do something?
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Soaring needs to be banished forever and everyone needs to get on the same page and help do just that and NOW!!!! That is animal abuse!!!!
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As a Walker owner and fan I could not agree more, SOARING NEEDS TO BANISHED FOREVER! The natural gait of a T.W is the most beautiful thing a horse can do!
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Obama will do squat is a fact, these acts of pain on our horses is more then i can believe, i also agree with Janet, we need someone who cares, and to punish the people who are breaking the law.
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I am astonished at his brash no nonense approach and welcome it. Horses first.
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Even when the ‘Celebration’ was shut down one year, these people continue by hiding objects such as marbles, shards of glass, etc. between the frog of the hoof and the pad for those stacks that the horses wear. The Horse Protection Act of 1971 has had little impact as it is a matter of life and death for the Investigators. The ‘Designated Qualified Persons’ are all in on it and always have been. Only the Feds can shut it down.
Elle
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The Horse Protection Act is typical of legislation promoted by animal rights groups based in Washington. There are no criminal repercussions; only civil penalties. So they are basically unenforceable. The Humane Slaughter Act (what a ridiculous title… as if…) is the same.
Fines by the tens of thousands of dollars are amassed, and never collected. FOIA documents show that time and time again. If DC are so concerned about the budget, how about getting these bureaucrats off their duffs and start making offenders pay their fines. Of course, it happens at the State level too.
Better than that, make it a crime and arrest these people, put them in jail. If you are not going to hit them in the wallet, and hard, that is the only way to stop them.
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Sadly, I must agree; I have been working at ending horse slaughter since the 107th Congress. These politicians are criminal. The people that send them to kill are criminal. The New Holland Livestock Auction must be shut down. California has to enforce their ban on slaughter as horses are leaving the state right down to Mexico. There simply are not enough people at the Border to check if the horses are coming from California. The state is broke, however, Governor Brown has always been an animal lover. I know a gal who wanted to make people aware of this in CA, however, her Senator was not animal friendly at all. I told her to get in touch with Senator Boxer and let her know. I have not heard back. The problem is that everyone is outraged, but nobody puts that emotion into action. This anti slaughter movement is so fractured it dumbfounds me.
Elle
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The Horse Protection Act was enacted to protect horses from horse soring.
The Act has been amended this Congress to ban horse slaughter plus throw more cash at protecting horses from horse soring.
End horse slaughter; also amend the Horse Protection Act to make it a criminal act to sore horses. Civil penalties clearly do not work.
Quite shortchanging horses passing ineffective legislation; give it teeth.
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Indeed, I know the history of the Legislation. All anti slaughter bills are an amendment to the Horse Protection Act of 1971. It is my thought that since we have failed for nearly twenty years to amend the Horse Protection Act of 1971 that perhaps we need a new tact to take. Don’t amend this Act, start a new one entirely. We have the evidence but we have politicians in Congress who are in bed with Big Ag and Big Pharm. ALEC is the rougue non agency that decides what the politicians should support. The drugs alone are sufficient to ban it completely. Our FDA says that any animal intended for food should not have bute, and a host of other drugs as they are not safe for human consumption. There is no half life for clembuterol as Dr.s Marini and Dodman have proven. Sue Wallis can moan and groan all she wants, but she is unable to refute the science. Just as the Feds cannot refute the science given by Craig Downer and the Cloud Foundation.
I grow weary of this. With each new Congress we get more and more animal haters. The Polar bears are mating with Grizzly Bears as they can not find mates of their own species. Wolves are mating with Coyotes and this hybrid is particularly dangerous. Wolves avoid humans at all costs. Their main diet is field mice but the Coyotes are much more aggressive. This is because the Fish and Wildlife Service decides which species should be on the Endangered species list. The Polar Bears have been removed so we can drill for oil in the arctic refuge. The Wolves have become delisted as there are trophy hunters that chase them to exhaustion and shoot them from helicopters. I sure do miss Senator Stevens. By definition, all the wild horses and burros should be on the Endangered Species list. We can petition all we want but it falls on deaf ears. Obama will do squat and whomever succeeds him will be far worse.
Elle
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