From The Huffington Post:
Graphic undercover video shot by investigators from the Humane Society of the United States and obtained by ABC News has revealed shocking alleged torture of horses under the supervision of renowned Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell.
According to ABC News, the alleged abuse was intended to force the horses to produce the "high-stepping gait" on which they are evaluated in competition.
In the video, McConnell presides over the stable hands as they allegedly use electric cattle prods to force the horses to lift their feet in a special way.
McConnell also supervises as hands allegedly apply corrosive chemicals to the animals' ankles, allegedly so the mixture will eat into their skin and prompt them to lift their legs high.
"That creates intense pain and then the ankles are wrapped with large metal chains so the horses flinch, or raise their feet even higher," the Human Society's Keith Dane told ABC News.
In light of the footage, McConnell was indicted by a federal grand jury and is expected to plead guilty to the charges.
Despite safety measures like steroid bans, the horse competition industry continues to yield startling casualties, according to The New York Times:
"On average, 24 horses die each week at racetracks across America. Many are inexpensive horses racing with little regulatory protection in pursuit of bigger and bigger prizes. These deaths often go unexamined, the bodies shipped to rendering plants and landfills rather than to pathologists who might have discovered why the horses broke down."
7 comments:
I have never heard a horse cry and it broke my heart. I find myself in tears over this brutality. Teresa, did he die? He wasn't moving anymore.
I would LOVE to whip that low-life scum bag and make him do tricks, make him do some high jumps, etc.
I wish people like that would get the chair or never see the light of day again.
I hate to look at this sort of thing, but looking away is wrong too. The problem is knowing what to do about it.
I can't even watch that video. Just mentioning it makes me angry.
They ought to do the same to the trainer.
This was horrendous. Some people don't deserve their place in the food chain.
I understand and agree with all of your comments and the sentiment by all of you. Sorry for the general response but I am in pain even with taking a pain pill, but I did want to give some sort of response.
You had to share it, Teresa, things like this need to be exposed or else those wretched people will continue to torture those beautiful animals.
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