Loss of support seen for Tennessee walking horse shows

Horses compete for the 2012 Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship. / John Partipilo / File / The Tennessean

The president of a leading Tennessee walking horse organization said this week the industry has lost public support over allegations of soring and must "rid ourselves of this black cloud."

"I believe our modern-day padded show horses are cleaner than they've ever been," Tracy Boyd, president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, said this week in a statement on the group's website.

"The problem is that nobody outside our industry believes it. And when you've lost the public, you have lost it all ... and we have clearly lost the public."

Read more at The Tennessean.