"Today, Tennessee Walking Horses are known throughout the industry
as the breed that shows abused and tortured horses."

~ Jim Heird, Ph.D., Do Right By The Horse, February 2010

"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity,
you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

~ St. Francis of Assisi

Monday, February 7, 2011

NEWS - SHOW to Host Farrier Clinic in March

From the Walking Horse Report...

SHOW To Host Farrier Clinic
Thursday, January 27, 2011

SHELBYVILLE, – The SHOW HIO will host a farrier clinic on March 12, 2011 at the Blue Ribbon room on the show grounds of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tenn. The “For the Horse Farrier Seminar” will include guest speakers Dr. Tracey Turner, private practitioner and USDA consultant, and Dr. Vern Dryden, equine veterinarian and farrier at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky.

The seminar will include a review of data collected by Dr. Turner relative to hoof health in 2010 as well as a review of the trends in that data. Dr. Turner will analyze what is better in the Tennessee Walking Horse in 2010 compared to previous years.

The seminar will also focus on the areas that still need to be addressed relative to hoof health such as thin front hoof walls, no heel growth and compressed or sheared heels. Another topic, which is very important in the industry today, is how trimming a hoof can help or hurt compliance with the Horse Protection Act. Dr. Turner and Dr. Dryden will address this issue as well as ways a farrier can help insure hoof health. They will also look at ways to correct issues still facing the hoof of the Tennessee Walking Horse.

In the afternoon, Dr. Turner and Dr. Dryden will actually work on some problem hooves which will be done via closed circuit so everyone will be able to view and ask questions. Any owner, trainer or farrier is welcome to attend.

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This sounds like it's going to be a nice clinic. Seriously, I think that if both doctors aren't being paid to lie, then it should be extremely educational and shed some light on the care of horse's hooves that the TWH industry seems to choose to be oblivious to.

My major issues with this event are the following.

First, they are going to talk about how the hoof of 2010 is better than it used to be. Um, what? From the angles that the horses' hooves are being filed to 20 to 30 years ago to now, we are seeing more extreme angles and more pressure shoeing to force the gait since chemical soring is so obvious now. 20 to 30 years ago it was the chemicals that were prominent; now it's the pressure shoeing that's popular.

Second, I believe this is yet again another attempt by SHOW to make it look like they're making changes. I was told by a source who attended the latest big sale in KY that SHOW was allowing sore horses into the sale ring by the dozens. Some horses were so obviously sore they could hardly walk. This source also went to look at horses after they'd been in the sale ring, and they had obvious scars that they never should have been allowed into the ring with. So, I have to say that the hypocrites at SHOW are merely at it again to cover up the fact that they're keeping everything the same.

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