The Cruel Practice Of Soring

Tags: Soring, Hoof Disorders, Show, Competition

 

Have you ever wondered how a gaited horse, particularly a Tennessee Walking Horse, Paso Finos, Andalusians, Racking Horses, American Spotted Saddle Horses and Missouri Fox Trotters develop that beautiful, lively and high stepping movement? It is actually a gait that is taught over many months by hard working, horse friendly type trainers that use encouragement and natural means and lots of training and hard work to increase the height of the horses gait and give the dramatic movement. Soring is illegal and according to the USDA, "The application of any chemical or mechanical agent applied to the lower leg or hoof of any horse that causes pain, or, can be expected to cause pain, for the purpose of "enhancing" the horse's gait for show purposes is strictly prohibited under The Horse Protection Act, as amended (15 U.S.C. SS 1821 - 1831)."

Unfortunately many disreputable trainers still choose to take short cuts to develop this gait, resulting in a very inhumane and cruel practice known as soring. Soring literally means to make the hoof sore and painful, so the horse only puts it down for a brief period of time and pulls it up rapidly off the ground when weight is shifted to the limb. Horses that have been sored may have problems with their hooves and joints all through their life as they have changed the distribution of weight throughout the body. Horses that distribute all the weight to the hindquarters and only seem to just barely touch down on the front feet are likely to have been sored. A typically pained or frightened, wild eyed or distraught expression is often on the face of these horses when they are in the ring competing. A horse that has been trained properly to gait will have an intense, interested expression and will appear proud and competitive in the ring, which is a huge difference in appearance.

Soring can be done through applications of various types of chemicals to the feet. These can include mustard oil or croton oil, which produce excruciating pain when any type of pressure is placed on the foot. Mustard oil is a carcinogen and will cause blistering and burning of the tender tissue just above the heel of the horse. Often these inhumane trainers then wrap the legs to further increase the burning sensation to the feet, especially the night before an event. Croton oil will eventually lead to toxicity and central nervous system breakdown if used repeatedly. It can also give the horse second-degree burns and cause internal tumors. Kerosene and diesel fuel may also be mixed in various combination to create a soring chemical.

Soring can also be done through absolutely horrible mechanical methods such as heavy chains that permanently damage the feet, nails and screws drive up into the hooves to cause pain, ball bearings inserted between the shoe and the sole and even pressure shoeing which files down the protective hoof wall and actually nails the shoe directly into the sensitive sole.

Horses that have been sored will have swelling and pain below the pastern, show multiple small scars around the cornet band or hoof top, bleed from the top of the hooves, tip-toe like movements or dragging of the front legs, standing with the four feet close together under the body and horses that lie down when they are stabled or left tied.

The trainers, if they can be called such, that practice soring know it is inhumane, cruel and illegal and they hide the practice. Responsible trainers and owners of gaited horses need to work together to report these individuals and ensure that they are punished for their behavior and banned from training.

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