Horse soring is abuse

Horse soring is a form of horse abuse and horse cruelty in which pain is intentionally inflicted on horses’ legs and feet to change the way they move during competitions. People who sore horses may apply caustic chemicals to horses’ legs and feet, use devices that strike already painful areas or place pressure on sensitive parts of the feet. As horses try to avoid the pain, they begin lifting and moving their legs differently, producing the exaggerated performance rewarded in some horse show competitions—predominantly in a breed called the Tennessee Walking Horse.

This abuse is most closely associated with the “Big Lick,” a dramatic style of movement in which horses lift their front legs high and shift weight onto their back legs—as if to “walk” on their hind legs. Horses are intentionally subjected to pain in order to produce this exaggerated performance.

Soring has been illegal under federal law (the Horse Protection Act) for more than 50 years, but it has persisted because of weak enforcement, industry resistance and a long-standing system of industry self-policing. Soring violates basic horse welfare principles and causes unnecessary suffering for horses used in competition.

How are horses sored?

Soring can cause intense pain, fear, stress and lasting damage. The exaggerated movement associated with soring is produced through a combination of pain, mechanical pressure and conditioning: 

• Applying caustic chemicals to the horse’s legs and wrapping the legs in plastic to intensify chemical absorption and increase pain and inflammation in the skin and underlying tissues. 
• Placing chains or other devices around the lower legs so they strike painful areas when the horse moves. 
• Cutting or trimming the foot in ways that create pain when the horse bears weight. 
• Placing hard or sharp objects between the horse’s foot and shoe to increase pressure and pain. 
• Using stacked shoes, pads and pressure techniques that alter how the horse bears weight and increases pain during movement. 
• Conditioning horses to suppress visible pain responses during inspections, even while movement remains painful. 
• Once a horse has been sored, putting weight on the front feet can be extremely painful. To escape that pain, the horse may lift the feet quickly, shift weight backward and change the way they move. That pain response is used to produce the desired performance in the show ring. 

Many horses subjected to soring also spend long periods confined to stalls and may suffer long-term physical and behavioral effects associated with chronic pain and repeated stress.

Congress passed the federal Horse Protection Act in 1970 to end horse soring. The law prohibits showing, selling, auctioning or transporting horses who are sore in certain circumstances.

The law recognizes that soring is cruel to horses and creates unfair competition for people who show sound horses without using abusive methods.

But the law has not been enough on its own. For decades, enforcement has been weakened by limited federal resources, industry self-policing and efforts to resist stronger oversight. Horses have continued to suffer despite the clear purpose of the law.

Why does this horse abuse continue?

Soring persists within a relatively small segment of the horse industry where exaggerated movement is rewarded and abusive practices have been allowed to continue. Many major veterinary, horse industry and equine welfare organizations strongly condemn the practice.

People who sore horses may attempt to conceal signs of abuse before inspections. Some use numbing agents, sedatives, specialized equipment or conditioning techniques designed to suppress visible pain responses. Soring practices may also be carefully timed so horses appear compliant during inspection while remaining painful during performance.

For many years, enforcement under the Horse Protection Act relied heavily on industry-affiliated inspectors, raising longstanding concerns about conflicts of interest and ineffective oversight.

Ending soring requires strong federal enforcement, independent inspections, meaningful penalties and continued industry-wide commitment to horse welfare and humane treatment.

What is Humane World for Animals doing to end soring?

Humane World for Animals, formerly called the Humane Society of the United States, has worked for decades to expose and end the cruel practice of horse soring. 

Our work includes: 

• Conducting investigations that have exposed soring and helped drive enforcement actions. 
• Supporting stronger enforcement of the federal Horse Protection Act. 
• Advocating for passage of the Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act. 
• Urging Congress to provide adequate funding for independent federal inspections and enforcement.
• Supporting reforms that replace industry self-policing with stronger independent oversight. 
• Educating the public, lawmakers and horse industry participants about horse abuse and equine welfare. 

Through investigations, advocacy, litigation, public education and policy reform, Humane World for Animals works to address the root causes of soring and strengthen protections for horses.

How can I help?

Speak up for stronger protections 

Contact your federal lawmakers and urge them to support stronger protections for horses, including the PAST Act and full enforcement of the Horse Protection Act.

Share the facts 

Many people have never heard of soring or do not understand how it works. Sharing clear, accurate information can help build public pressure to end this abuse. Print our soring tip line flyer and post it in barns, at shows, in your veterinarian's office, your stable, tack shop or feed store or anywhere that members of the Tennessee Walking Horse community will see it. 

Report suspected soring 

Humane World for Animals offers rewards in some cases for information leading to enforcement actions involving horse soring. 

If you witness suspected soring at a stable, training facility, horse show, sale or auction, report it to local law enforcement or the U.S. Department of Agriculture by calling the USDA Information Hotline at (202) 720 2791. You can also contact Humane World for Animals’ soring tip line at 855-NO-SORING (855-667-6746). 

No horse should suffer for a ribbon 

Horse soring is horse abuse. Humane World for Animals is working to end this cruelty and strengthen protections for horses through investigations, advocacy, enforcement and public education.