2013 SHOW HIO Inspection Results

Horses Inspected Pre and Post-Show – 2,087
Total Violations – 31 (30 horses, 6 non-Horse Protection Act violations)
Compliance Rate – 98.4%

There was a 46% drop in disqualifications this year compared to 2012 in which 56 horses were disqualified at The Celebration.

Walking Horse Inspections Background
The following is some background on the inspection process:
• Every horse at The Celebration is inspected by SHOW HIO’s Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs). The USDA can and does inspect horses that the department feels need to be inspected.
• Horses can be disqualified for equipment that is the wrong size, existence of a scar, evidence of a foreign substance, among other things. There are many violations that a horse can get that are not indicative of soring.
• DQPs are trained and regulated by the USDA.
• DQPs can issue a violation, which keeps the horse from showing. Violations can also carry penalties.
• No other breed in the equine industry is inspected as thoroughly as the Tennessee walking horse and no other breed has a compliance rate as high as the walking horse.
• Walking horses are one of the healthiest equine breeds showing longer than most breeds, living longer and also less injuries in the ring.