Take the stand against Tennessee Walking Horse Abuse with Me!
Hello Everyone,
Something very important is happening that could help end a majority of the abuse Tennessee Walking Horses endure. The USDA has finally taken a stand to put an end to the chains and stack / padded shoes the Tennessee Walkers wear in order to get the artificial gait (big lick) that the judges give the ribbons for.
Since coming to Tennessee and taking up the fight against this cruelty, I have seen so many abused Tennessee Walking Horses. The breed is very docile and the abuse they endure makes me sick. It seems that any docile breeds of animals are preyed upon by those who willfully want to abuse an animal. Just like Beagles are a docile dog and they are the breed chosen by laboratories to experiment on, the Tennessee Walking Horses are abused and exploited to make their beautiful natural gait into a heinous artificial gait.
One thing that struck me the first time I got a close up look of a Tennessee Walker wearing stacked shoes was how puffy and swollen their Coronary band is. That is not normal and has to be very uncomfortable. I never hear anyone talking about it, but it is just another thing that really bothers me.
Let alone the scars from chemical burns I have seen and documented first hand. I had no idea how bad the abuse is until I came to Tennessee and have seen what these horses endure.
If this is the first time you are hearing about the abuse that Tennessee Walking Horses go through, I urge you to watch this news clip that exposes the abuse behind the artificial gait, to watch it click here . I know it is hard to watch, but until you watch it you are living in a bubble. These horses need help and until everyone understands what is happening their torture will continue. It is hard to even believe this abuse is going on in the United States of America.
Since coming to Tennessee in 2015, I have been fighting for these abused horses and exposing what is really happening. These horses are a big reason why I restructured the California shelter and moved to Tennessee, this has to be stopped! I have been rescuing Tennessee Walking Horses at auctions that have scars from chemical burns, have been used up or they didn’t make the cut as a show horse because they couldn’t handle that torturous training involved with getting the artificial gait. In all my years of rescuing horses I have never routinely seen so many domesticated horses so fearful and so emotionally messed up. In the photo below is Flashy, he has scars on his legs. I believe that is why he was dumped at the auction. He was so scared of anything that looked like a whip and was so frightened by everything that we could barely lead him down the alleyways at the auction. They are emotionally fried! I rescue as many as I can, but sadly so many go to slaughter, it breaks my heart. Buying and shipping horses for slaughter is legal in Tennessee.
This war against the Tennessee Walking Horse abuse is huge. Showing Tennessee Walking Horses is a sport of the rich and they like that artificial gait. They have a lot of money and use it to keep their beloved artificial gait the highlight of the shows.
This must be stopped and I desperately need your help !! Now I know many of you are thinking “What can I possibly do?” Let me tell you. 🙂 There are good people in the USDA that want to put a stop to this abuse. The USDA has Proposed New Regulations to Combat Horse Soring . The USDA is holding public meetings across the USA and I’m pleading with you, if you are anywhere near any of these USDA public meetings to Combat Horse Soring, please, please go to that meeting. I will be at the one in Murfreesboro, TN. Murfreesboro is in the heart of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry. Everybody in Tennessee who loves this artificial gait is going to be there to fight against this proposed new regulation. It is very important that the USDA see that there are far more people against the cruelty then those for it. They need to know that there is a huge host of people backing them with these proposed new regulations.
One of these meetings is going to be in Sacramento. I know that some of you who read this are in California and I want to urge you to go to this California meeting to show your support for the Proposed New Regulations to Combat Horse Soring.
One of the California Tennessee Walking Horse “trainers” came to Tennessee, I’m assuming to join the crowd of folks who like the artificial gait and do not want any new regulations. This guy in the photo is from California and was just arrested for threatening a Tennessee Walking Horse advocate. I’m guessing that he will be at the California USDA Public Meeting, if you can go please be careful of him. For more information about him – click here for part 1 or click here for part 2
Now this next step I’m pleading that everyone will take the time to do. Please go to the Amendments to the Horse Protection Act Regulations government’s website and leave a comment showing your support of the USDA and that you want the stack shoes and chains to be banned. Click Here to be taken to the Amendments to the Horse Protection Act Regulations page and then click on the Comment Now button.
If you are in Tennessee or feel like visiting Tennessee, please mark on your calendar August 9th and come to the public meeting in Murfreesboro. I will be there and if it is possible for you to be there I hope you will come. If you would like to follow this event or can come to it, join the Facebook event page, Click Here.
Lastly if you would like to make a donation to help save Tennessee Walking Horses, I would be most grateful. These are beautiful horses and they are the most abused breed of horse that I’m aware of. I know we can’t save them all, but for the ones we do save it changes the world for that horse.
Give Now!
D onate using PayPal, click here.
Donate on our website, click here.
Thank You So Much!
Sincerely,
Tawnee Preisner
President
Horse Plus Humane Society