Alexander, McConnell, Paul Introduce "Proposal to End to the Contemptible, Illegal Practice of Horse Soring Once and for All," Preserve Tennessee Walking Horse Tradition

Press Release

U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate today that Alexander said is "a proposal to end the contemptible, illegal practice of horse soring once and for all" while preserving the Tennessee Walking Horse tradition that has made Tennessee known worldwide.

Alexander's legislation, which he also introduced last Congress, modified a proposal that was introduced in the last Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives by U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and Tennessee's six other Republican congressmen.

Alexander said: "The legislation we're introducing today is a proposal to end the contemptible, illegal practice of horse soring once and for all, and I hope those in Congress who want to address this problem will work with us to get a result. The Humane Society bill would destroy the Tennessee Walking Horse tradition. In baseball if a player illegally uses steroids you punish the player -- you don't shut down America's pastime. We need to punish and stop any trainer, owner or rider who engages in the illegal practice of horse soring -- not shut down a treasured and important tradition in both Tennessee and Kentucky."

A competing bill, advocated by the Humane Society of the United States, has also been introduced in the Senate. The Humane Society bill would ban many industry-standard training and show devices that do not harm horses on their own, and has been described by the Performance Show Horse Association as legislation that would "do little more than create another layer of bureaucracy at the USDA while denying horse enthusiasts the opportunity" to participate in competitions that are the basis of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry.

Alexander continued, "When I first went to Japan in 1979 to recruit Nissan, the Tennessee Walking Horse was one of the things the Japanese knew best about our state. In fact, the emperor had his own Walking Horse because it has an enjoyable gait that makes riding a more pleasurable experience. And when the first major supplier of Nissan -- Calsonic -- came to Shelbyville, the company's gift to Tennessee was Calsonic Arena, where the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is held."

In 2013 the Tennessee Walking Horse tradition included more than 360 affiliated shows, and it features more than 220,000 registered horses nationwide, including more than 55,000 in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Walking Horse Association.

Horse soring is already illegal under federal law. Alexander's legislation would take six additional steps to end horse soring, while preserving the Tennessee Walking Horse tradition.

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