Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH), a national organization that fights abuse and soring of Tennessee Walking Horses, has analyzed five years of data on Horse Protection Act (HPA) violations that resulted in over 3,800 suspensions since 2002. The violations include soring, scarring, pressure shoeing and the use of foreign substances on horses’ legs.
In analyzing the soring suspension history for Tennessee Walking Horses for the five-year period to determine where soring incidents are most prevalent, the state of Tennessee tops the list with Kentucky and Alabama taking second and third places, respectively:
Suspensions For the Period 2002-2006 Percentage of Soring
Tennessee 40.4
Kentucky 13.3
Alabama 8.8
The violations most frequently leading to suspensions were scarring (39.5%) and soring, which included violations involving one or both front legs (49%).
For more information about FOSH, visit www.fosh.info or call (800) 651-7993.