Advocates leading the fight to end the walking-horse abuse known as soring are staging a "Walk On Washington" Wednesday in front of the U.S. Capitol "to support a bill sponsored by U.S.
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.) that would ban the use of pads and
chains for achieving the exaggerated show gait known as the 'Big Lick,'" Janet Patton reports for the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Whitfield says his bill would crack down on all "illegal and abusive training methods—including painting chemicals on horses' front legs to make them sensitive and putting objects under the horse's front shoes to cause pain—all to encourage the horse to lift its feet higher," Patton writes. He said his bill would strengthen the federal Horse Protection Act, which is enforced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Whitfield said in a statement: "This will be a good opportunity for Congress to see the amount of support this bill has from within the Tennessee walking horse industry and from those who present sound horses without stacks and chains. We are exploring all options to move this legislation forward in the House of Representatives." The bill has extraordinary bipartisan support in Congress, said Clant Seay, a Tennessee attorney working with the All American Walking Horse Alliance and other organizers of the rally.
"Opponents of Whitfield's bill, including U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, both Republicans from Tennessee, say banning pads and chains will cause economic damage by killing off the walking horse industry's flashy performance show classes, which Alexander called 'one of Tennessee's most treasured traditions'," Patton writes.
Whitfield says his bill would crack down on all "illegal and abusive training methods—including painting chemicals on horses' front legs to make them sensitive and putting objects under the horse's front shoes to cause pain—all to encourage the horse to lift its feet higher," Patton writes. He said his bill would strengthen the federal Horse Protection Act, which is enforced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Whitfield said in a statement: "This will be a good opportunity for Congress to see the amount of support this bill has from within the Tennessee walking horse industry and from those who present sound horses without stacks and chains. We are exploring all options to move this legislation forward in the House of Representatives." The bill has extraordinary bipartisan support in Congress, said Clant Seay, a Tennessee attorney working with the All American Walking Horse Alliance and other organizers of the rally.
"Opponents of Whitfield's bill, including U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, both Republicans from Tennessee, say banning pads and chains will cause economic damage by killing off the walking horse industry's flashy performance show classes, which Alexander called 'one of Tennessee's most treasured traditions'," Patton writes.
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