SHELBYVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
Accusations of horse abuse at the Walking Horse Celebration grew louder on Friday as federal inspectors disqualified more horses.
The Humane Society of the United States called the event a conspiracy and a cover-up.
This has been the most contentious celebration in years partly because insiders in Shelbyville sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the way it inspects horses.
As The Celebration prepares to crown a new World Grand Champion, a young woman dealing with a disqualified horse wonders if controversy cost her a championship.
"It's never been an issue. I've been showing him for four years, and this year at The Celebration, they told me I couldn't go in. He said my horse was sored, but we had vets that proved that he wasn't," said participant Maggie-Mae White.
It's become a consistent story at the 74th Celebration in Shelbyville.
The USDA has the final say in inspections. This year it disqualified dozens of horses.
In response Friday morning, the industry defended itself.
"Reform in this industry, it is serious. There are serious people doing serious things," said Jeff Howard with the Tennessee Walking Show Horse Organization.
But the Humane Society could not disagree more. On Friday morning it lobbed some its most explosive accusations yet.
"Shouldn't this be cleaned up if this industry were serious about this problem?" said President & CEO of the Humane Society of the United States Wayne Pacelle. "We have an industry in denial, engaging in a cover-up and conspiracy in order to continue to sore horses for ribbons and profits."
Some walking horse trainers cheat using chemicals and other devices to force the horse to step higher.
The Humane Society said it firmly believes the majority of high-stepping horses suffer from some sort of abuse.
"That is an unnatural, illegally-induced gait. Horses don't walk that way," Pacelle said.
But the Horse Protection Act, the law guiding the industry, disagrees with that statement. They contend that the horse's distinctive walk they may be achieved through patient, careful training. Some owners promise that kind of training helped their horses.
"He can do it. He does his gait naturally," White said. "This year was my last shot, and I wasn't allowed in."
The Humane Society wants the government to revise the Horse Protection Act to give inspectors access to the training process. That could be the one thing to which both sides can agree.
Amid the controversy, the Walking Horse Celebration names its next world grand champion on Saturday night.
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