Ban the Big Lick

The Tennessee Walking Horse is a beautiful, gaited breed of horse that is celebrated for its' distinctive, high-stepping paces. They're commonly shown in North America in special Tennessee Walking Horse classes, to determine which horse has the nicest paces. However, one class, known as The Big Lick, has a dark, not-so-secret history of corruption and abuse.

The Big Lick is pictured above. The horse is forced to move with an abnormally exaggerated gait while the rider is perched incorrectly on its back, hanging onto the long shank bit for balance. This gait is unnatural, and cannot be achieved through ethical means. In order to achieve this, "trainers" put their horses through a process known as soring.

There are two kinds of soring, mechanical and chemical, but usually horses undergo both simultaneously. Chemical soring involves applying corrosive substances, such as mustard oil and gasoline, to the pasterns of the forelegs. Their legs are then wrapped tightly to allow the substance to bake into the legs, which chemically burns the skin and is incredibly painful. Mechanical soring involves placing metal chains and rollers around the pastern, which adds uncomfortable weight to the leg when it is lifted. This can cause lesions and bruising, and is particularly painful when placed on legs that have already been chemically sored.

Additionally, large, plastic stacks are nailed onto the fore feet, so that the horse's front end is elevated abnormally. These stacks can be up to 4 inches tall, 2 inches at the toe, and they force the horse to strike out with its foreleg in an unnatural fashion. These are heavy and put the tendons and ligaments in the horse's foreleg under enormous strain. This can alter their anatomy so much that it can take years to rehabilitate a horse that has worn them extensively, as they will be unable to walk properly without stacks. This means that stacks have to be gradually reduced over a long period of time, so that tendons and ligaments can slowly adapt to the reduction in height. Even after years of rehabilitation, these horses may never be completely sound.

Soring is illegal in the US and Canada, and has been for some time. However, it still takes place in states such as Tennessee and Kentucky where Big Lick shows are still popular. These shows have a cult following and will be defended by die hard fans and trainers alike until the end of time. As long as Big Lick classes are still permitted, soring will always be practiced in order to achieve this gait, because it is not possible to achieve through natural means. Horses in these shows are already examined by veterinarians during competitions in order to eliminate those that have been sored. However, these shows are so corrupt that vets are usually paid off, and so the soring ban is not enforced.

It is common knowledge that these abusive practices are still taking place, and many individuals and organisations are trying to fight back. However, the more awareness we can raise, the more likely we'll be able to put an end to this brutality. Please check out the following petitions, resources and videos on The Big Lick and the soring of Tennessee Walking Horses, and feel free to share this information far and wide. Together we can help these horses and put an end to their torture.

The American Veterinary Medical Association - Soring Factsheet - https://www.avma.org/sites/default/files/resources/soring_in_horses_factsheet.pdf

Please sign this petition to ban Big Lick competitions - https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-speaker-nancy-pelosi-tell-congress-to-stop-rampant-big-lick-animal-cruelty-practice-of-soring-passthepastact

The Humane Society of the United States - https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/what-soring

Raleigh Lilith's, an equine welfare activist, video on the topic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR6VHTchtf8

Daenna Corby's, another equine welfare activist, video on the topic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9m_f4VJCIc&t=52s