Friends of Sound Horses

In 1970 the Horse Protection Act (HPA) was passed which made the practice of soring illegal. Sadly, this practice continues even today. The USDA has inspectors which attend some of the shows to discourage this practice, however, budget constraints severely limit their ability to "police" all but a small number of horse shows.

Initially, inspectors could simply palpate a horse's forelegs as a means to detect soring; their touch would cause the horse to flinch (indicating he had been sored) and the inspector would then know to disqualify the horse.

To avoid detection and disqualification, trainers began practicing what's known as "stewarding". The trainers would palpate the horse just as an inspector would, and any undesired reaction by the horse (such as flinching) would result in a severe beating. Other methods include the use of alligator clips on the tongue or testicles to distract the horse from reacting to the touch.

Radiographs (picture above) are now being used to detect improper treatment, but the problem of soring continues to plague the industry.

To help you see the difference, look at this picture of a Walking Horse. Pay careful attention to the hocks (the area I've circled) and notice in particular the angle of both his back legs; this is what it should look like.

NOTE: Horses carry 60% of their body weight on the front end. A sored horse, however, will shift as much of his weight as possible to his back end in an attempt to alleviate the pain in his front feet and forelegs. The flashy gait known as "the big lick" occurs as a direct result of the horse literally attempting to throw off or climb out of the shoes that are causing him so much agony. If you have ever seen a show, you'll notice it doesn't take very long before these poor animals are all but staggering around the ring. This is due to the overwhelming strain placed on the hind legs; which are not designed to support the bulk of a horse's weight.

Although I've only circled one, you can clearly see the difference in the angles of both back legs. Added to that, his back has a definite downward slope instead of being level. You can see by the flared nostrils and overall body language that this horse is under a horrendous amount of strain to perform.

Many of these horses collapse in their stalls - unable to stand - following a show. The amount of suffering this horse is enduring is clearly evident in his tortured expression.