(Shelbyville, TN) – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is coming late to the game on this one.  Rather than working to reform the industry to rid it of soring trainers, the HSUS is going after the very people who have led the reform effort.
 
SHOW HIO, which does the inspections at The Celebration, has the strictest inspections and the harshest penalties in the business.  In fact our process goes above and beyond what is required by federal regulations. If the HSUS looked at The Celebration's record it would see that we are doing much of what the organization proposes, and have been for years, and the things we are not doing have nothing to do with protecting the horse but everything to do with the HSUS's sensationalistic media tactics.
 
In terms of the HSUS' requests:
 
1.            We don't allow soring horses in the ring.  We have the strictest inspection business and the harshest penalties in the business.  Already being done.
2.            Already being done.
3.            It would not make sense to do something that could harm the horse when there are a number of things we already do to ensure that the horse has not been sored.
4.            This is a ridiculous request as the USDA and The Celebration inspectors are allowed to enter anywhere at anytime.
 
The HSUS can keep talking about caring for horses but we are actually doing it.  The difference between The Celebration and the HSUS is when inspectors at The Celebration see evidence of soring they send the trainer home and punish him or her severely.  When the HSUS sees evidence of soring, they send a film crew, spend six months watching abuse, a few more editing a video and use it as a fundraising tool.
 
When the HSUS becomes more interested in stopping abuse when they see it than watching enough that they can make money off it, maybe someone will listen.

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