[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 71 (Thursday, May 17, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H2819-H2820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1040
                        HORSE PROTECTION PROGRAM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Schrader) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHRADER. Madam Speaker, today I rise to discuss an important and 
timely issue negatively affecting the welfare of the horses of this 
great country. It's called ``soring.'' Soring is the act of 
deliberately causing pain to exaggerate the leg motion of high-gaited 
horses, such as Tennessee Walking Horses.
  This inhumane practice, despite being illegal for almost 40 years, is 
still used far too often by many owners and trainers to win in the show 
ring. Today, I hope I can persuade you, my fellow Members of Congress, 
to take interest in this issue, to oppose this cruel and illegal 
practice, and to increase the support for the USDA's Horse Protection 
Program.
  Horses are sored in several different ways:
  Caustic materials, such as kerosene or mustard oil, are applied to 
the lower leg. This makes the horse's leg sensitive so that, when 
certain cruel devices like chains are placed against it, it causes 
severe pain, causing the horse to lift its leg high in an exaggerated 
gait. There are other common approaches also, like trimming the hoof 
excessively, exposing sensitive tissues, inserting devices between the 
shoe pads and the sole of the horse and, frankly, improper shoeing 
techniques. No matter the technique, its purpose is to cause the horse 
pain so that it lifts its leg higher and faster.
  While rest and training may allow some horses to eventually recover 
from that harm, others suffer irreversible hoof damage and are actually 
crippled for life. The harm caused by soring is not just physical. The 
mental damage done to the horse can make its rehabilitation difficult, 
if not impossible.
  Soring is so egregious that it has actually been illegal in this 
country for over 40 years. The Horse Protection Act was passed in 1970. 
So why, 40 years later, are we still having the same conversation?
  The problem lies within the culture of some of those in the walking 
horse industry, in which unethical trainers and unethical owners not 
only continue this practice but use tricks to deceive detection. 
Substantial financial gains come from winning horse shows, and this 
makes soring appealing to many unscrupulous owners and trainers. Soring 
is a shortcut that overshadows the balance and collection seen in the 
beautiful natural movement of horses that perform racking gaits. These 
gaits can actually be achieved without soring, rather by investing the 
proper time, training, and conditioning on the horse.
  The Horse Protection Program at the USDA serves as regulatory 
enforcement for the Horse Protection Act. Unfortunately, due to budget 
constraints, USDA inspectors only attend a small fraction of the shows. 
In 2011, USDA documented 587 violations of the act while attending only 
62 of the 600 to 700 shows held that year. Fiscal year 2012 was the 
first time in the history of the Horse Protection Program that it 
actually received more than $500,000 in

[[Page H2820]]

funding. In February of this year, Barney Davis, a Tennessee trainer, 
was convicted of soring, fined $4,000, and was sentenced to a year in 
prison. In March, nationally known trainer Jackie L. McConnell and 
three of his associates were charged with 52 counts of violating the 
Horse Protection Act. These recent charges, including the first two 
convictions in two decades under the U.S. Horse Protection Act, have 
brought increased attention to this horrible abuse.
  These indictments and prosecutions are long overdue, and I applaud 
the U.S. Attorneys and USDA civil servants who have courageously worked 
to end soring. Yet adequate funding of the Horse Protection Program is 
critical for the enforcement of this act and for the prevention of this 
abusive practice. It is imperative that USDA's Horse Protection Program 
be adequately funded, ensuring the end of this cruel practice. 
Financial backing must be supported, not hampered, by this Congress.
  The American Veterinary Medical Association has condemned soring for 
over 40 years. I join my fellow veterinarians across America in calling 
for a stop to this heinous abuse of America's horses. We in Congress 
need to stand up as well and speak out against this egregious form of 
animal cruelty. It is time for soring to end.

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