As a child, I fondly remember the “Jackson Horse Show” at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds where beautiful sound natural flat shod Tennessee Walking Horses (TWH) performed the plantation gaits. My Father was the Horse Show Manager from the early 1940s until the mid-1950s.

WHAT'S GOING ON?

On March 26 - 28, 2015, one of the CRUELEST Horse Shows - the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) performance or "BIG LICK" show is coming to the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.

The “Mississippi Charity Horse Show” will feature 59 “Big Lick" Tennessee Walking Horses classes. Sadly, four of the five "Horse Show Judges" have received Horse Protection Act Violation Citations for "Soring" Horses.

“Soring” is the illegal and cruel practice of using chemical and mechanical methods to create pain in a gaited show horse€™s front feet to exaggerate their animated step ... The Horses are forced to perform the CRUEL and unnatural high stepping "Big Lick" gait.

HOW THEY HURT HORSES TO DO THE "BIG LICK" GAIT

Middle Tennessee State vet Dr. John Haffner, “ The fact is the big lick can only be accomplished by soring. When one soring technique becomes detectable, another one is developed. The big lick is a learned response to pain and if horses have not been sored, they do not learn it."

Trainers deliberately TORTURE by "Soring" by applying harsh chemicals (including kerosene, diesel fuel, and WD-40) to the horse's legs and hooves. The chemicals cause painful blistering so when the horses are shown wearing “CHAINS” on their front feet, it causes excruciating pain which forces the horse into a high-stepping gait.

"Big Lick" TWH also wear heavy built up “STACKED SHOES” weighing 10-15 lb per foot. Often, trainers will insert metal or objects between the pads and the horse's foot to create pain which also causes the horse to step high.

"Big Lickers" also "train" horses not to react to pre-show inspections. One Trainer used a medieval like "Barbed Wire Harness" in the shape of a "Figure Eight" to fit over a horse's head and ears so it would "learn" not to move during inspections. Other Trainers beat or shock the horses to "teach" them.

OVER 50% OF "BIG LICK" HORSES SHOWED SIGNS OF "SORING"

On September 10, 2014, The Tennessean newspaper reported over 50% of 389 Tennessee Walking Horses inspected by USDA vets at the 2014 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWH Super Bowl) showed signs of soring. It said the apparent signs of soring disqualified 166 competitors during the event -€” 15.4 percent of all of the horses inspected."

BUSINESSES REFUSE TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH "BIG LICK"

In 2014, the Celebration's largest sponsor, Regions Bank (16 states), withdrew its $25,000.00 corporate support of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. In 2012, Pepsi-Co (Pepsi Cola, Mountain Dew brands) withdrew its $25,000.00 corporate sponsorship of the event.

NATIONAL MOVEMENT TO ELIMINATE THE SORE “BIG LICK”

In 2014, over 70% of the U. S. House of Representatives and 60 United States Senators publicly announced support for a Federal Law to eliminate the "Big Lick" by removing pads and chains from Tennessee Walking Horses, and make horse soring a federal felony. Tragically, the law did not get a vote. Soring is now concentrated in the States of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi.

UNIV. OF TENNESSEE REMOVED BIG LICK TWH @ UT HOMECOMING

Starting in 2012, the University of Tennessee ended the decades long tradition of exhibiting a"Big Lick" Tennessee Walking Horse at its annual Homecoming football game. The new tradition features a sound natural flat shod Tennessee Walking Horse performing the plantation gaits.

UNIV. OF MISSISSIPPI (OLE MISS) DISASSOCIATES FROM THE MISSISSIPPI CHARITY HORSE SHOW OVER SORING CONTROVERSY

HOW CAN YOU HELP??

SIGN AND SHARE THIS PETITION!

Please urge Horse Show Manager Mr. Robert Taylor to CANCEL the 59 "BIG LICK" Tennessee Walking Horse classes at the 2015 Mississippi Charity Horse Show, and to BAN them in the future. '

Let's Make It Clear - The people of Mississippi - America - and the World firmly believe in 2015 that the intentional abuse of "Big Lick" Tennessee Walking Horse is CRUEL and UNACCEPTABLE. 

Note: Petitioner is a 5th generation Mississippian, Ole Miss alumnus, and former breeder of World Grand Champion “Big Lick” Tennessee Walking Horses. He served as Media Representative for the All American Walking Horse Alliance at the historic “WALK ON WASHINGTON” on June 18, 2014, which urged the elimination of the "Big Lick" pads and chains.