Wayne Pacelle is the president and chief executive officer of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). This Op-Ed first appeared on the blog A Humane Nation, where it ran before appearing in LiveScience's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.
The HSUS is making steady progress in its campaign to crack down on soring — a process where trainers injure the feet and legs of Tennessee walking horses to induce an unnatural, high-stepping gait in the show ring.
To achieve that artificial, exaggerated gait, trainers cause extreme pain for the horse, applying caustic chemicals — blistering agents like mustard oil, diesel fuel and kerosene — to a horse's legs or hooves. The process results in tremendous suffering for the horse.
Earlier this week, a federal court in Texas rejected a soring-related legal claim brought by SHOW, an organization charged with horse-industry enforcement. SHOW — which stands for Sound horses Honest judging Objective inspections Winning fairly — was challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s authority to set minimum penalties for soring violations under the federal Horse Protection Act.
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