Earlier this year HSUS came out with video that showed a well-known, big-winning Tennessee Walking Horse trainer abusing his horses. As usual, HSUS had this video in its possession for quite some time and did nothing with it. They sat on it until it could be most useful to them. In this case, that was when the Tennessee legislature was considering an Ag-gag bill that would have made it illegal for such groups to go undercover on farms or agricultural businesses under false pretenses and videotape. Similar bills have been passed in other states. The reason for these bills is because some animal rights groups have used deception in editing and making these films to accuse farmers and agricultural businesses of cruelty, which can be fairly easy to do with film.
However, in this particular case, the video of the trainer, Mr. Jackie McConnell, appears to have been accurate. Mr. McConnell subsequently pleaded guilty to the charges in court. The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration took the following action:
CELEBRATION SANCTIONS JACKIE MCCONNELL
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
In a precedent setting move, the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration took decisive action today, both denouncing and condemning the actions of trainer Jackie McConnell, who was both videotaped abusing a horse and admitted to a Horse Protection Act violation in federal court today.
The TWHNC Board of Directors voted to suspend McConnell for life and also took the following action:
(1) suspended McConnell for life from entering the TWHNC grounds for any and all events, regardless of the event's affiliation or ownership.
(2) voted to permanently remove Mr. McConnell's name from the list of Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration Hall of Fame inductees. Any picture, plaque, image or other mention of his name from Hall of Fame data will be permanently removed from this day forward and his name will be forever erased from Hall of Fame rolls.
(3) voted to permanently remove any and all pictures and signage on the Celebration grounds carrying either the name of Jackie McConnell or the likeness.
(4) banned from entry onto the TWHNC grounds any horse under the custodianship or presumed to be under the custodianship of Mr. McConnell.
"This action is the strongest we can take and it clearly reflects our disgust with the actions of Mr. McConnell,"said Dr. Doyle Meadows, TWHNC CEO. "His actions are not reflective of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, and we in no way want him associated with our show."
Sounds reasonable, right? But HSUS was not satisfied. This was a huge opportunity for them. They have been bashing and complaining about Tennessee Walking Horses and "soring" for a long time, so finding a high profile trainer guilty of this bad practice was just what they had been hoping for.
Soring is the use of painful chemicals to cause the horse to lift his hooves higher in the show ring and it is illegal under the Horse Protection Act. Tennessee Walking Horses have a natural running walk which is flashy and can be quite spectacular to watch. Some horses naturally have a higher action than others. Training can teach the horses to move out. Length of hoof, pads under the hooves, and some training devices are also used to encourage higher action. Most people who follow Tennessee Walking Horses know what is legal and what is illegal to do.
APHIS inspectors (yes, they do something besides harass dog breeders) are on hand at Tennessee Walking Horse shows to check for the use of foreign substances on the horse's hooves and legs and for prohibited devices.
And, yet, HSUS is still hounding the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration this year. They sent a letter this summer to the Celebration calling for reforms. The Celebration board replied:
TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE NATIONAL CELEBRATION RESPONSE TO HUMANE SOCIETY’S OUTDATED DEMANDS
(Shelbyville, TN) – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is coming late to the game on this one. Rather than working to reform the industry to rid it of soring trainers, the HSUS is going after the very people who have led the reform effort.
SHOW HIO, which does the inspections at The Celebration, has the strictest inspections and the harshest penalties in the business. In fact our process goes above and beyond what is required by federal regulations. If the HSUS looked at The Celebration’s record it would see that we are doing much of what the organization proposes, and have been for years, and the things we are not doing have nothing to do with protecting the horse but everything to do with the HSUS’s sensationalistic media tactics.
In terms of the HSUS’ requests:
1. We don’t allow soring horses in the ring. We have the strictest inspection business and the harshest penalties in the business. Already being done.
2. Already being done.
3. It would not make sense to do something that could harm the horse when there are a number of things we already do to ensure that the horse has not been sored.
4. This is a ridiculous request as the USDA and The Celebration inspectors are allowed to enter anywhere at anytime.
The HSUS can keep talking about caring for horses but we are actually doing it. The difference between The Celebration and the HSUS is when inspectors at The Celebration see evidence of soring they send the trainer home and punish him or her severely. When the HSUS sees evidence of soring, they send a film crew, spend six months watching abuse, a few more editing a video and use it as a fundraising tool.
When the HSUS becomes more interested in stopping abuse when they see it than watching enough that they can make money off it, maybe someone will listen.
Nice reply.
One part of HSUS's letter is interesting. It's the PS.
P.S. We have become aware that you will be hosting a meeting with a commercial dog breeding advocate on the Celebration grounds. Associating with an individual hostile to animal welfare will not help the process of dialogue. It will only align the industry with puppy mills, animal fighters, and others where this individual has a following. It is an example of a looming public relations threat for the industry, and I hope you will take action before that occurs.
hehehe If you are on the Petlaw list you know who this is. If not, I'll fill you in. Mr. Pacelle is referring to Mr. Frank Losey, who seems to be a constant thorn in his side. Here's Mr. Losey's confession:
I CONFESS!!!!!!!!!
I am the the "advocate" who Mr. Pacelle was referring to, and I was
permitted to give my presentation, as scheduled, on July 28, 2012 to
270 Attendees who traveled from not only all over Tennessee, but also from NC, FL, GA, AL and KY to hear me speak. My presentation lasted for about an hour. If anyone wishes to watch the video, it may be found on the following link:
http://www.walkinghorseclubky.com/frank-losey-seminar/#comments
Frank
If you will take a look at the link above, you can enjoy Frank's presentation to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration and see why he drives Wayne Pacelle nuts.
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration begins today, August 22, and runs through September 1, in Shelbyville, Tennessee. There's a huge billboard across from the Celebration grounds this year as HSUS tries to encourage people to report anyone who sores or abuses horse by calling their tipline. I believe they're offering $10,000 for tips that lead to convictions. They even sent out a press release in Spanish yesterday to try to get Spanish-speakers to report anything they see. They REALLY want to get something on somebody at the Celebration.
The Celebration folks came out with their own news this week:
Celebration changes testing to detect horse abuse
SHELBVYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is changing procedures at its annual competition that are used to detect signs that a trainer has applied painful chemicals to the horses' legs in a banned practice known as soring.
The celebration's board of directors on Monday announced the changes that will, for the first time, make the results of chemical tests public and result in trainers immediately losing their trophies and prize money if caught abusing horses.
In the past, chemical test results were delayed, but this year the show is expediting the results so they will be available during the event that begins Wednesday and runs through Sept. 1 in Shelbyville.
Soring is a banned practice that exaggerates the breed's high-stepping gait in competitions.
Really, between instantly testing for chemicals and announcing the results, and APHIS inspectors on site, it sounds like it would be hard to do any soring but, as I said, I'm not a Tennessee Walking Horse person. I do know that I wouldn't trust HSUS or their supporters as far as I could throw them so anyone with a horse at the Celebration should be on guard. Do not allow HSUS to tamper with your animals. If possible, keep video cameras handy and have someone in your horse's stall area at all times so no one unauthorized can come near your horses. HSUS can and will fake evidence. It would be nice if the Celebration has video monitoring on site so they can see who is coming and going and what they are doing.
I don't ever want any horses to be harmed in any way but HSUS will never be satisfied when it comes to horses or any other animals. It's Tennessee Walking Horses right now, but it could be eventing next, or racing (which already draws AR criticism), cutting horses, jumping, or dressage. HSUS and ARs will always find something to criticize about riding and using horses. They go through one industry at a time criticizing it, offering their "reforms" and suggestions, and trying to take over until they can eliminate it. Don't let them do it.
If you love Tennessee Walkers or you're a fan of saddle seat equitation, I hope you can go to the Celebration in Shelbyville over the next few days. These are beautiful, gentle, wonderful horses and their running walk is glorious. Go out and enjoy them. Send a message to HSUS that they aren't going to get rid of Tennessee Walkers. Tennesseans and many others love these horses and they're not going away.
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