The Associated Press reported this afternoon that the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association has organized a last-minute championship show for Thanksgiving weekend. The news was first reported in, oddly enough, the International Herald Tribune. One can only imagine what people in Paris and Prague and Stockholm thought of the report.
Only three of nine finalist horses at the recent Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee were allowed to compete; the other six were turned down by USDA veterinarians and inspectors, who said that their inspections found that the horses' feet or pasterns showed signs of "soring" and were in violation of the Horse Protection Act.
The three horses that did pass inspection never made it into the ring because an angry owner of a disqualified horse offered to pay them not to go in. Earlier in the show, classes had been cancelled for more than 24 hours after disagreements between trainers and inspectors erupted.
Called the Tennessee Walking Horse Invitational, the new show will be held at the Tennessee Miller Stadium, which I think is in Nashville; it will have 50 classes and a purse for the grand champion of $15,000. Horses must first pass inspection before they can compete.
Check the archives for August 2006 to read more about the fireworks at the Celebration.
Showing posts with label USDA inspection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USDA inspection. Show all posts
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
Walking Horse Celebration Official Statement
From the Walking Horse Celebration office:
Official Celebration News Release
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The decision to cancel the final class of the 2006 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was based upon the best information available to show management from the inspection area and from law enforcement officials.
Tennessee Highway Patrol officers informed Celebration officials that they were confident they could protect the safety of the people working in the inspection area but did not have the manpower available to assure the health and safety of the 26,000 spectators, exhibitors and horses.
When show officials entered the warm-up area to check if the three entries eligible for the class were going to show, they were unable to reach the horses. They were almost immediately confronted by a crowd of approximately 150 people who demanded that all horses be allowed to show and were told that the three entries eligible to show would not be going into the ring.
As the crowd continued to build, law enforcement officers escorted the show officials from the warm-up area and took them to the Celebration Administrative offices and the announcement was made that the class would not take place.
The Celebration deeply regrets having to cancel our World Grand Championship class for the first time in 68 years but we were unwilling to compromise the health and safety of our fans, horses, personnel and exhibitors.
We extend our deepest sympathy to all of those affected by this difficult decision and thank you for your continued support of our show during this most challenging season for the entire industry.
Official Celebration News Release
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The decision to cancel the final class of the 2006 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was based upon the best information available to show management from the inspection area and from law enforcement officials.
Tennessee Highway Patrol officers informed Celebration officials that they were confident they could protect the safety of the people working in the inspection area but did not have the manpower available to assure the health and safety of the 26,000 spectators, exhibitors and horses.
When show officials entered the warm-up area to check if the three entries eligible for the class were going to show, they were unable to reach the horses. They were almost immediately confronted by a crowd of approximately 150 people who demanded that all horses be allowed to show and were told that the three entries eligible to show would not be going into the ring.
As the crowd continued to build, law enforcement officers escorted the show officials from the warm-up area and took them to the Celebration Administrative offices and the announcement was made that the class would not take place.
The Celebration deeply regrets having to cancel our World Grand Championship class for the first time in 68 years but we were unwilling to compromise the health and safety of our fans, horses, personnel and exhibitors.
We extend our deepest sympathy to all of those affected by this difficult decision and thank you for your continued support of our show during this most challenging season for the entire industry.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Still More Trouble Afoot at Grand Finale of Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration: Finalists Fail Soring Inspection
One can only imagine the reaction of the crowd at the Walking Horse Celebration on Saturday night (September 2, 2006) when it was announced that there would be no grand champion class after ten days of showing.
The world's largest show for Tennessee Walking Horses had already been shut down for more than 28 hours the week before following a confrontation between USDA inspectors and trainers. The show had resumed, but the inspectors had the last call, so to speak, when inspectors rejected the majority of finalists for the grand championship on the grounds that they could not pass federally-mandated regulations defining how to identify a horse that has been made "sore" with chemicals or treatment to the pastern and/or pressure shoeing.
The three horses that did pass inspection were not shown. Whether this was voluntary or they were bribed is possibly a bigger concern right now than the condition of the horses themselves.
According to the Walking Horse Report newspaper, several trainers of horses that had been declared sore then went into a schooling arena and had a mock show for assembled fans.
One trainer said he took his horse directly back to the barn because he feared for his safety. Show ring officials had to be escorted by law enforcement, according to the WHR.
Reports from The Tennessean and Walking Horse Report were used to compile this summary. The New York Times even reported on this embarrassing event in the horse show world.
The world's largest show for Tennessee Walking Horses had already been shut down for more than 28 hours the week before following a confrontation between USDA inspectors and trainers. The show had resumed, but the inspectors had the last call, so to speak, when inspectors rejected the majority of finalists for the grand championship on the grounds that they could not pass federally-mandated regulations defining how to identify a horse that has been made "sore" with chemicals or treatment to the pastern and/or pressure shoeing.
The three horses that did pass inspection were not shown. Whether this was voluntary or they were bribed is possibly a bigger concern right now than the condition of the horses themselves.
According to the Walking Horse Report newspaper, several trainers of horses that had been declared sore then went into a schooling arena and had a mock show for assembled fans.
One trainer said he took his horse directly back to the barn because he feared for his safety. Show ring officials had to be escorted by law enforcement, according to the WHR.
Reports from The Tennessean and Walking Horse Report were used to compile this summary. The New York Times even reported on this embarrassing event in the horse show world.
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