Vet Ethics: Why Soring Horses Must End in 2025 🐴🚫🔥

By Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

Soring—a cruel practice used to exaggerate a horse’s gait—has been illegal in the United States for over 40 years. Yet it still plagues the Tennessee Walking Horse industry due to ongoing attempts to bypass inspections with hidden techniques. 🐎🔥

In this 2025 ethics update, Dr Duncan Houston explores what soring is, why it’s still happening, and why the veterinary and horse show communities must take a firm stand to end this inhumane treatment. 🧠⚖️

1. What Is Soring? 🥵

Soring is the deliberate infliction of pain on a horse’s limbs to force it to lift its legs higher and faster in a flashy, exaggerated gait known as the “big lick.” The goal is a more impressive show ring appearance—not better training or performance. 🚫

This is achieved by applying:

• 🧴 Irritating chemicals like mustard oil, diesel fuel, or croton oil
• 🔗 Action devices (e.g., chains or rollers) that hit or rub the sensitized skin
• 🧱 Performance packages (or “stacks”) that add unnatural weight to the hooves

These devices, in combination with painful irritation, encourage the horse to lift its legs higher to avoid discomfort. This is not just unethical—it’s torture. 😢

2. Soring Is Illegal—But Still Happens ⚖️

The Horse Protection Act of 1970 banned soring. However, loopholes and poor enforcement have allowed it to persist. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) still finds high rates of foreign substances on horses at shows—even after decades of inspection. 🔍

Why it continues:

• 🙈 Concealment techniques (paint, false hoof walls)
• 🩹 Topical numbing agents used before inspections
• 🦶 Pain-induced gait changes that are hard to prove

Enforcement needs stronger support, updated testing tools, and community accountability. 🧪📸

3. Action Devices and Performance Packages Explained 🧱🔗

🔗 Action Devices:

• Chains, rollers, collars, and ankle rings
• Often used in combination with chemical irritants
• Strike the sensitized pastern area with every step

🧱 Performance Packages (“Stacks”):

• Built from wood, plastic, leather, or rubber
• Held in place by metal bands around the hoof wall
• Conceal pain-inducing objects like nails or foreign material
• Alter balance and create long-term lameness risks

Neither action devices nor stacks have any therapeutic or training value—they’re used purely for visual effect. ⚠️

4. What Do Veterinarians Say? 🩺

Both the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) publicly oppose soring. Their joint statement calls for:

• 🚫 A total ban on action devices and performance packages
• 🔍 Increased enforcement and third-party inspections
• ⚖️ Prosecution of violators to the fullest extent of the law

Veterinarians should never perform or condone soring—and must report it when they see it. 🛑

5. Ethical Training vs. Abuse 🧘🐎

A natural, correct gait is built with:

• 🕓 Time
• 🧠 Patience
• 🧵 Conditioning and positive reinforcement

Soring is a shortcut for unethical gains. Ethical trainers use correct tack, ground work, and conditioning—not pain and deception—to showcase their horses. ✅

6. Summary Table: Why Soring Must End 📋🔥

7. Final Thoughts from Dr Duncan Houston 💬

Soring is not tradition—it’s abuse. In 2025, there’s no place for cruelty in the show ring. By standing against soring, supporting ethical training, and refusing to accept painful shortcuts, we protect both our horses and the integrity of the industry. 🧠🐴❤️

Want to learn more about humane training, gait development, or how to report unethical practices? Visit AskAVet.com or download the Ask A Vet app 📲 to connect with trusted equine professionals who put welfare first.

— Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc