Big Lick showing is a type of Tennessee Walking Horse saddleseat showing. However, in these shows it is widespread, and encouraged to abuse your horse. People are given prizes based on their horses' “big lick” gait. The methods used to achieve this unnatural gait are crippling. 

Soring is the practice used to extort horses into the aberrant gate referred to as the “big lick” gait. There are two types of soring: Chemical and Mechanical. In chemical soring people use Chemicals such as Mustard Oil, Croton Oil, Cinnamon Oil, and Diesel Fuel to give horses chemical burns. This makes the horses lift their legs up unnaturally high trying to escape the pain. 

Mechanical soring involves grinding the horses hoof down to expose sensitive tissue and applying devices that put extreme pressure on the hoof wall. Chains are also sometimes put around a horse's fetlock that slides around causing extreme discomfort- especially when combined with chemical soring. Saddleseat trainers often also use very dangerous types of bits, to achieve a more exaggerated gate. They sometimes use chain, wire or spade bits that cause extreme pain when used improperly. 

Besides the obvious severe pain and intense burns, soring horses has more long term effects. Horses after being sored will be lame for weeks- some never being completely sound again. This type of severe physical abuse also leads to mental issues. Horses usually develop several types of back issues from the way their riders sit, and how their tack fits. Big lick riders often position their saddles to be too far back on their horses to exaggerate the gate even more. These saddle positions pinch nerves and create sore muscles. 

All of this abuse, and for what? These horses suffer through unimaginable torment for the entertainment of people. This sport is so barbaric and cruel it sounds like something from the dark ages. As always the USDA is failing to protect these animals from the abuse. I am so sick and tired of animal abusers getting away with heinous crimes simply because the USDA doesn’t want to deal with them, or they are bribed to turn a blind eye. Extortion and abuse are extremely common throughout Big Lick shows, and it needs to come to an end. Help me out by signing the petition.