Why Rep. Marsha Blackburn Opposes Effort To End Horrifying Horse Abuse

[ErikJ]

WASHINGTON -- The cruel practice of "soring" championship gaited horses by wrapping their hooves in corrosive chemicals and then applying chains or bands to the wounds in order to create an artificially high-stepping gait came under heightened scrutiny this week in Congress.

Kentucky Republican Rep. Ed Whitfield has introduced a bill to strengthen the decades-old ban on soring gaited horses. So far, Whitfield has garnered 233 co-sponsors from both parties, a difficult task in the highly polarized House of Representatives. But at a hearing of the Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, Whitfield's bill was met with opposition from his fellow Republican, Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn.

Warning: The footage at the top of this article contains images of animal abuse that may be upsetting to some.

Kentucky and Tennessee are home to the bulk of the industry for gaited show horses, in which breeds like the Tennessee Walking Horse are paraded around show rings for major prize money in intense competitions. To create the signature high-stepped gait, trainers often use heavy weights or painful chains on the horses' hooves. What may look to the audience like a happy horse prancing is actually a horse flinching -- the animal lifts its legs higher because putting them on the ground is painful.
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Blackburn, who is vice chair of the subcommittee that held the hearing and one of the top Republican women in the House, spoke out against the bill. "This legislation brings excessive regulatory burdens on the walking horse industry and could potentially eliminate the entire industry and thus the entire breed," Blackburn told the witnesses. The lawmaker argued that the show-horse industry's compliance with the current ban on soring is around 97 percent, thereby making any tougher inspections unnecessary..

In August, Blackburn observed horse inspections in person at the 2013 Celebration, the same annual horse show where inspectors found the shockingly high violation rate in 2012. The Tennessean reported that the top walking horse industry lobbying group, the Performance Show Horse Association, hosted a campaign fundraiser for Blackburn during her visit. Guests paid $100 a ticket, according to the Tennessean.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/16/horse-abuse-law_n_4277033.html

[The CCC]

1. Why Rep. Marsha Blackburn Opposes Effort To End Horrifying Horse Abuse

Words escape me for this cruel sadistic sorry excuse of a human being.

[Gothmog]

2. Blackburn is a nasty lady

I really do not like this lady

[Jamaal510]

3. Maybe it's just me,

but don't some of those horses' legs look extremely skinny?

[Doremus]

4. What is this witch's email address.

No time to look it up right now. If anybody has it handy I'll be happy to tell her what I think of her.

[ErikJ]

5. facebook

https://www.facebook.com/marshablackburn Lots of critical comments on her FB. Like this one.

Hey, Mz Blackheart, Why do you not want sick people to get insurance for the medical help that might save their lives?

[yuiyoshida]

6. What is it with Abuse these days?

Abuse of animals, Abuse of women, Abuse of Children... sometimes I think this country has gone mad.

[blue14u]

7. My family has horses. One of

my sisters rescued an abused horse after he was no longer showing

well. He died last year.. Big John.. He was so loved and cared for in his older years

after she got him...

She had the doctor come see him often after she rescued him b/c of

the damage to his ankles. He never fully recovered from what was done to him.

We miss him dearly..

Every time I see this sick evil woman my stomach turns..