Soring

Common card · No. 346703

Soring is the use of chemicals, pressure or devices to cause pain to the front feet and legs of horses when they touch the ground. This results in the horses picking up their front feet higher and faster than they would do naturally. Sometimes called "fixing", it is an abusive and prohibited practice, illegal in the U.S. under the Horse Protection Act of 1970 (HPA). It is closely associated with show ring Tennessee Walking Horses, where they exhibit an exaggerated high-stepping action of the front legs at all gaits, but particularly at the running walk, known as the "big lick." Under normal circumstances, "big lick" action is created by horseshoes that have added pads and weight (sometimes called "stacks"), usually combined with additional weighted chains or rollers placed around the pasterns to create dramatic, high-stepping action of the horse's front legs desired in competition. Practitioners of soring do so because they believe that the pain associated with this practice exaggerates...

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