Mayor green lights Maury County “Big Lick” horse cruelty show

MAURY COUNTY, TENNESSEE — According to the New York Times, Tennessee is fourth in the United States where Covid-19 new cases are increasing. Tennessee is just behind the States of California, Virginia, and North Carolina which lead the country.

On May 21, 2020, local horse show managers announced that a three day “Big Lick” walking horse show will be held at Maury County Park in Columbia, Tennessee, June 4-6, 2020, promising that those attending would be required to “socially distance and wear masks.”

So Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles (@AndyOgles), who is in his first term, agreed to allow the mass gathering.

“Mayor Andy Ogles appears oblivious to the fact that many of the horses and people will come to Columbia from nearby counties which have among the highest Covid-19 viral infection rates in the State of Tennessee,” pointed out Clant Seay. “Others will also come from adjoining states such as Georgia which has 42,838 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,683 deaths according to the George Department of Health,” he added. Listen to Mayor Ogles here (YouTube).

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Horse soring is the intentional infliction of pain to a horse’s legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait traditionally known as the “Big Lick”.

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Clant Seay is widely known as a tremendous champion of sored horses who travels from horse show to horse show along with a dedicated group of horse lovers protesting this abhorrent spectacle of horse abuse. They will be at this one. Care to join them?

Seay also lobbies in Washington D.C. for passage of legislation that will close loopholes and strengthen current U.S. anti horse soring law.

Extreme cruelty

Image from 2015 HSUS Horse Soring Investigation.

Horse soring is the intentional infliction of pain to a horse’s legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform an artificial, exaggerated gait traditionally known as the “Big Lick”.

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In training barns where soring takes place, it is common to see horses lying down in their stalls, moaning in pain.

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Chemical Soring

Caustic chemicals—blistering agents like mustard oil, diesel fuel and kerosene—are applied to the horse’s limbs, causing extreme pain and suffering.

Mechanical Soring

Another horse soring technique, known as pressure shoeing, involves cutting a horse’s hoof almost to the quick and tightly nailing on a shoe or standing a horse for hours with the sensitive part of his soles on a block or other raised object. This causes excruciating pressure and pain whenever the horse puts weight on the hoof.

A Life of Fear and Pain

The life of a sored horse is filled with fear and pain. While being sored, a horse can be left in his stall for days at a time, his legs covered in caustic chemicals and plastic wrap to “cook” the chemicals deep into his flesh. In training barns where soring takes place, it is common to see horses lying down in their stalls, moaning in pain.

Whenever the horses are ridden, in training or competition, trainers put chains around the horse’s sored ankles. As the horse travels, the chains slide up and down, further irritating the areas already made painful by soring.

Tennessee walking horses, known for their smooth gait and gentle disposition, commonly suffer from the practice of soring. Other gaited breeds, such as racking horses and spotted saddle horses, also fall victim.

Related Reading

— Protest the cruel abuse of Tennessee Walking Horses in Columbia, TN; Tuesday’s Horse; May 27, 2020. Read more Tuesday’s Horse posts on Soring »

Fund for Horses

— Visit the Fund for Horses website for our Horse Soring Fact Sheet » View Images » Take action on pending legislation S.1007 »

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