Champion Tennessee Walking Horse breeders fined and suspended for one year by USDA for soring and showing JFK All Over
SHELBYVILLE,
TN (March 31, 2011) – The Int'l Fund for Horses report that William
B. (Bill) Johnson and Sandra Johnson are suspended from being
involved in “any show or event” for one year by the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) for violations of the Horse
Protection Act in connection with the “soring” and showing of
Tennessee Walking Horse champion “JFK All Over” at the 30th
Annual Spring Fun Show in Shelbyville, Tennessee, in May of 2000.
The
Horse Protection Act is a Federal law that prohibits horses subjected
to a practice called soring from participating in shows, sales,
exhibitions, or auctions.
Soring
is the illegal practice of deliberately causing pain on the front
legs or feet of a horse to create an exaggerated, high-stepping gait
to gain a competitive edge and win ribbons in the show ring. A
variety of cruel and devious methods are used to sore horses. Soring
includes painting caustic chemicals on a horse's pasterns and then
wrapping the legs in plastic to "cook" into the flesh, or
pressure shoeing with a foreign object such as screws or bolts, or
half of a golf ball.
In
addition to the one-year suspension by the USDA that began January
21, 2011, Bill and Sandra Johnson each are ordered to pay a $1,000.00
fine. Continue reading >>
