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By Sara Amundson and Kitty Block<\/em><\/p>\n Two bills reintroduced to the U.S. Congress this week could prevent the protracted suffering of so many horses: One would outlaw the painful soring techniques some trainers still inflict on horses to force them into the \u201cBig Lick,\u201d an exaggerated gait for horse shows, and the other would ban horse slaughter in the U.S. as a matter of federal law and end the export of American horses for slaughter in other countries. You can act now to show your support for ending these cruelties.<\/p>\n The Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act would protect horses from \u201csoring.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Horse soring\u2014a cruelty that has persisted for more than a half a century in the show horse industry\u2014is perpetrated by a faction of those who show Tennessee Walking Horses and related breeds. They deliberately inflict severe pain on the horses\u2019 legs and hooves to create the artificially high-stepping \u201cBig Lick\u201d gait in order to gain an unfair competitive advantage.<\/p>\n In soring, caustic chemicals\u2014blistering agents such as mustard oil, diesel fuel and kerosene\u2014are applied to the horse’s front legs and wrapped tightly to \u201ccook\u201d into the skin for days; heavy chains are attached to strike against the sore legs; hooves are cut down to the quick; and hard objects are jammed into the tender flesh. All these practices are designed to cause excruciating pain every time the horse steps down, so the leg will be flung high as the horse tries to avoid the pain.<\/p>\n This is a cruelty with roots in the training barn, where soring occurs. The horses suffer not just in the show ring but every day, in their stalls, where they lay moaning and are unable to engage in natural habits such as grazing or walking outside. The PAST Act would prohibit the use of devices that are integral to this cruelty, eliminate the failed system of industry self-policing and increase penalties for violators.<\/p>\n