To stop the soring of Tennessee walking horses, two U.S. lawmakers from Tennessee and Kentucky today introduced legislation to end the use of action devices and to end self-policing in the industry.
U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., and Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., today introduced the Horse Protection Act Amendments of 2012.
"How we treat animals is a direct reflection of our character, both as individuals and a nation. There is no ribbon, no prize nor championship worth the price of one's humanity," said Cohen in a prepared statement as he announced the move during a Washington news conference.
The proposed amendment for the 40-year-old law aims to end soring - abuse to induce an exaggerated high-step - with three major goals, according to the lawmakers.
- It eliminates self-policing by requiring the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assign a licensed inspector to shows.
- It adds a prohibition on the use of action devices on the horse breeds that have been the victims of soring.
- It increases the penalties on an individual caught soring a horse.
Read more tomorrow in the Chattanooga Times Free Press.