What Exactly is Soring?

Soring is quite possibly one of the most alarming and most unknown forms of animal cruelty. Soring is the process of putting acidic products and irritating chemicals on a horse’s legs that cause pain in the horse in order for it to lift its legs higher for more action. It is commonly found in the world of the Tennessee Walking Horse, and we see it most prominently with the Performance horses, or “Big Lick” horses.

Soring, by definition from the Horse Protection Act (HPA) passed by Congress in 1976, is:
“(A) an irritating or blistering agent has been applied, internally or externally, by a person to any limb of a horse,
“(B) any burn, cut, or laceration has been inflicted by a person on any limb of a horse,
“(C) any tack, nail, screw, or chemical agent has been injected by a person into or used by a person on any limb of a horse, or
“(D) any other substance or device has been used by a person on any limb of a horse or a person has engaged in a practice involving a horse, and, as a result of such application, infliction, injection, use, or practice, such horse suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain or distress, inflammation, or lameness when walking, trotting, or otherwise moving, except that such term does not include such an application, infliction, injection, use, or practice in connection with the therapeutic treatment of a horse by or under the supervision of a person licensed to practice veterinary medicine in the State in which such treatment was given.”

In order to understand how soring works and why soring exists, we need to take a look at the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse and why soring came to be.

Tennessee Walking Horse Breed History

The Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) was developed in the southeast United States, mainly Tennessee, by plantation owners. It was the first breed to have the name of a state as part of its moniker. Breeders used a combination of Morgans, Narragansett Pacers, Standardbreds and Saddlebreds to create a horse with a smooth, four-beat gait. This gait is so smooth that a rider can carry a glass of champagne while riding the horse in his gait and not spill a drop. This gait was important for riding all day over the large plantations so the owners could check on the crops and workers. The gait requires minimal effort by the horse and rider, so neither the horse nor rider would get tired easily and could ride all day long.

The popularity of the smooth ride of the TWH spread quickly and many people wanted to own these smooth-riding horses. So In 1935, the TWH Breeder’s Association of America began to put together a registry and stud books. These stud books were closed in 1947, determining that the TWH was a separate breed on its own. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognized the TWH as a distinct breed of light horse in 1950. In 1974, the registry’s name was expanded to the TWH Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association (TWHBEA).

The Natural Gaits of the TWH

The smooth ride of the TWH is characterized by a four-beat lateral gait. This means that the feet on one side of the horse move forward before the feet on the other side. In watching a TWH in its gait, we can clearly see the following footfall pattern: right hind foot, right forefoot, left hind foot, left forefoot. When the horse is in this gait, three legs will be on the ground while one leg will be in the air, alternating in the described footfall pattern. Each individual footfall can actually be heard, so when the horse is in gait, we can count out loud “one and two and three and four and” and be in timing with the gait. The gaits of the TWH have been give the following names.

Flat Walk. The flat walk is a four-beat, broken lateral gait at a leisurely, comfortable speed with a prominent head nod where the head and neck nod from the withers.

Running Walk. The flat walk at a faster speed.

Canter. A three-beat lateral canter that, when ridden, can be likened to riding a rocking horse with the feeling of riding uphill. The canter is similar to the canter of non-gaited horses.

The Show Gaits of the TWH

Over the years, the gaits have been developed for the show ring to show off the horse’s flashy movement and stunning confirmation. These show gaits are based on the amount of animation, or lift to the horses legs, and the size of the shoes the horse wears. Horses can be entered in two gait classes, where they are only shown in the flat walk and running walk, or three gait classes, where they are shown in the flat walk, running walk and canter.

Lite Shod or Flat Shod. The horse is shown at the regular, natural flat walk and running walk. The shoes can be no more than 3/4-inch wide and 3/8-inch thick.

Plantation. The horse is shown at the regular, natural flat walk and running walk. The horse has more animation than the Lite Shod or Flat Shod horse. The front knees of the horse must not lift higher than the horse’s chest. The shoes can be no more than 1 1/2-inches wide and 1/2-inch thick.

Performance or “Big Lick.” The horse is shown wearing “stacks” and chains on its front legs to fully exaggerate the natural gait. These are the horses that are usually sored.

Where Did the Big Lick TWH Come From?

In 1945 and 1946, a stallion named Midnight Sun entered the show ring. His natural flat walk with no special shoeing was extremely animated with high knee action, similar to today’s Plantation show horses. No one could ever beat Midnight Sun in the show ring, and everyone wanted to duplicate his gait. The TWH shows were also seeing a recession in attendance after World War II. However, people started coming specifically to see Midnight Sun and his flashy gait. To attract more crowds to the shows, TWH trainers decided to borrow action devices from other horse breed trainers in order to get a more flashy, animated gait out of their horses.

Trainers and spectators pushed for more and more animation, which lead to the “Big Lick” horse.

The Big Lick horse is shown in what are called “stacks.” Wooden (no longer used), plastic or leather shoes that are stacked on top of each other are attached to the horse’s regular shoe to create the stacks. A band is put over the top of the horse’s hoof to keep the stacks in place. By show rule definition, Stacks can be no taller than half the length of the hoof from the coronet band to the toe. This is usually up to about 2 1/2 inches in height. However, taller stacks, up to 5 inches, with a hoof length of up to 3 inches have been recorded.

How Did Soring Start?

Training a horse to perform the Big Lick is tedious and time consuming. The horse must be gradually worked up to the taller shoes so they can gradually carry heavier and heavier shoes. This can sometimes take several years, depending on the age, strength and stamina of the horse. To get more horses in the show ring sooner, TWH trainers wanted a faster way to get the horses to perform this gait.

The desire for a more animated horse in less time lead to the development of “soring” in the early 1950s.

What is Involved in Soring?

Soring is the practice of applying acidic products to the horse’s pasterns. The pasterns are wrapped in plastic wrap and then regular vet wrap so the product creates a heating action that absorbs through the skin and into the tissue beneath. The causes painful blistering and burning. Before the class, the wraps are removed and chains are put around the pasterns. The chains scrape against the burned areas, causing more pain and forcing the horse to pick his feet up higher to try to avoid the pain.

Acidic products that are used include the following.

Mustard oil (used to make tear gas in WWII)

Diesel oil (before it is broken down to make diesel fuel)

Crotonal or croton oil (crotonaldehyde)

Salicylic acid (2-hydroxybenzoic acid)

Proxlyin Solution, Notrocellulose Solution, or Notrocotton Solution (mixture of Proxylin 5-10%, Ethanol 20-30% and Diethyl Ether 60-70%)

While some of these chemicals have to be special ordered, products that produce similar results can be created by combining products or using too much of a product found in your local grocery store or tack store. These products must be applied with a brush and while wearing gloves because they’re incredibly toxic to the skin, eyes and mucus membranes.

How Can I Tell if a Big Lick Horse Has Been Sored?

While these aren’t tried and true methods to tell if a horse has been sored, they are signs that have been found in horses that have been sored. Some horses will exhibit some of the “symptoms” and not others.

Horse shifts weight to the hind feet and stands with all four feet together, as if standing “on a quarter.”

Drags front toes.

Scars or granulated bumps along the pasterns or near the cornet band.

Abnormal, wavy hair growth and/or dark hairs (darker than what the horse’s color should be) in the pastern area.

Hocks are carried low to the ground and twisted outward when moving.

While the TWH is characterized by three legs on the ground and one in the air, the horse may have two legs in the air to try to compensate for the pain.

Page 2 on Soring and what can be done about it