CRG, I understand not wanting to clutter up your computer. If you can open the document but not save it, that would be a way I think to keep it off your machine.   I don't think I could summarize it so I am pasting the following which is the press release from FOSH:  (and again I make no judgment and no, I am not a member of FOSH nor do I support all their ideas)

Animal Protection, Horse Industry Groups File Petition
Seeking New USDA Rules For Horses

WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, American Horse Protection Association, Friends of Sound Horses and former U.S. Sen. Joseph Tydings filed a legal petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture' s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeking new regulations to strengthen its enforcement of the federal Horse Protection Act. Tydings was the original sponsor.

The Horse Protection Act was passed in 1970 to safeguard horses from the cruel practice of soring — the intentional infliction of pain to the limbs and hooves of Tennessee Walking show horses to create an artificial, animated show-ring gait known as the "big lick."

The petition asks APHIS to permanently disqualify from competition chronic, repeat violators of the law as well as horses scarred by soring. It further calls for the implementation of certain mandatory enforcement protocols — including minimum penalties for HPA violations — and the decertification of non-compliant industry groups certified by USDA to conduct inspections of show horses.

"Forty years after passage of the Horse Protection Act, soring is still a widespread problem in the performance Tennessee Walking horse show industry," said Keith Dane, director of Equine Protection for The Humane Society of the United States. "Federal law requires USDA to protect horses from the intentional cruelty inflicted by the practice of soring. This broad coalition of horse advocates has come together to help USDA in bringing a prompt end to this egregious and blatant abuse."

Facts

• The most common form of soring is performed by applying caustic chemicals to the pasterns (ankles) of show horses — sensitizing the area and forcing the horse to lift his front legs high off the ground in an attempt to avoid pain.  The horses are then ridden and shown with metal chains around their ankles, which further accentuate the high-stepping action with each painful stride. Soring often leaves telltale scars — including tissue change, calluses, bleeding, inflammation, and skin and hair loss  —all of which are evidence of this cruel and illegal practice.
• For decades, horses found by federal and industry inspectors to have been sored (and scarred) in order to achieve the artificial "big lick" show-ring gait, have been allowed to continue to compete—forced to endure painful abuse for years throughout their show careers.
• Many winning trainers in the Walking horse industry have repeatedly been found in violation of the HPA, yet these individuals continue to train — and sore — horses for customers while on suspension from showing. There is little concern for being caught soring, as the consequences are mild, and there are far greater monetary incentives to sore horses rather than abide by federal law and train horses naturally.
• Several horse industry organizations that have been certified by USDA to conduct HPA inspections have consistently failed to detect and disqualify non-compliant horses at a rate comparable to that of the agency's own veterinary medical officers. Yet no such organization has ever been decertified for non-compliance, as authorized by the HPA and regulations.
  
  The HSUS is represented in this matter pro bono by Latham & Watkins.

Didn't the USDA recently cave in to tremendous pressure by the HSUS and pass laws that will affect livestock and poultry farmers in a huge manner? I think the laws went in to effect for California,I may be wrong,but,specified the size of cages,among a LOT of other mandates?

My grandfather bred some outstanding tennessee walkers and was active in the show ring.  He was always disgusted by the lengths that some of his competitors would go to to win in the ring, and even more disgusted with the judges who rewarded such behaviors with ribbons.  You are so right, there are some real idiots out there.  But they are far outnumbered by the real horse people like most of those on this forum.

Marla

Saddlebred and Arab showers used to put musterd oil in the horses rectum so they would hold their tail's high  I could write pages ... every breed out there has it's IDIOTS  I haven't showed in 30 years I love to trail ride now. 

That is still going on,it isn't past tense.The foxtrotter show ring is  known  for using ginger for the same effect.It goes on in all breeds,all kinds of artificiality and forced gaits,tactics that are pretty hard on the horse and some downright cruel.