big lick IS ABUSE

#horseabuse #biglickabuse

Soring, or "big lick", is the use of chemicals to cause pain to the front feet and legs of horses when they touch the ground. This results in the horses picking up their front feet higher and faster than they would do naturally. People who sore their horses believe that it gives them a competitive edge over other horses in the horse show ring. Soring is illegal in the U.S. under the Horse Protection Act of 1970. Tennessee walking horses are not allowed to be shown without passing an UDSA[clarification needed] and HPA inspection for soring. Tennessee walking horses are not allowed to have scars on their pastern as it is considered associated with soring. Other breeds that have a history of soring including the Racking Horse and the Spotted Saddle Horse.

Soring is often mistaken for padded performance. The pads, sometimes called "stacks", that are seen on Tennessee walking horses in padded performance are made of rubber and are light weight. When a Tennessee walking horse is seen wearing rubber pads they will usually also have the addition of 6 oz chains placed around the pasterns to make the horse aware of the action of its front legs.

Although soring is illegal, it is still done in this industry which is why you mainly see darker coloured horses to make it harder to spot blook or wounds caused from soring.