Roy Exum: Horse Celebration appears doomed

BY ROY EXUM
Cross-posted from The Chattanoogan

Mr. Exum writes:

The 75th Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is scheduled to begin three weeks from tonight in Shelbyville and it is looking like a ticket will be the worst buy since the Titanic set sail.

The eleven-day event is sponsored by the “Dirty Lick” faction of Tennessee Walking Horse industry and the scurrilous group known for its abuse of animals suffered a severe blow in Texas yesterday when a U.S. District Court in Fort Worth upheld federal regulations to prevent the intentional “soring” of the magnificent animals.

While soring has been banned for over 40 years under the federal Horse Protection Act, a Shelbyville-based subsidiary known as “S.H.O.W.” had sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the far-away court under the premise the regulations were “unfair” and in violation of their constitutional rights. But the court ruled the mandatory penalties were indeed constitutional and within the USDA’s statutory authority to protect the animals.

— Link to source article >>

IN OTHER NEWS

On July 31, just before breaking for Congress’s traditional August recess, Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2013 (the “PAST Act”). This newly introduced bill is the companion bill to H.R. 1518, the House version of the PAST Act.

H.R. 1518 currently has 49% for it and 51% against it.

Please take a few minutes to endorse and comment on H.R. 1581 here >>

VIDEO

Watch this video and you will see how crucial it is that you speak up on behalf of these horses.