The 2013 Germantown Charity Horse Show will offer only pleasure Tennessee Walking Horse classes in June.  Although the Germantown Charity board of directors was in favor of offering the performance classes, a recent United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) rule will prohibit the performance classes from being offered.  The Germantown Charity Horse Show relies on the multi-breed aspect of the show and can't afford to lose its USEF rating for those other divisions.

The USEF rule reads as follows:

GR839.4n
n. Soreing and/or the use of an action device on any limb of a Tennessee Walking Horse, Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by the Federation) in any class at a Federation Licensed Competition is prohibited.  An action device is defined by the USDA as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse in such a manner that it can rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg so as to cause friction or strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint or pastern of the horse. (Protective bell boots or heel boots are specifically excluded from this definition).  The use of a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, in conjunction with a hoof band or other device or material (commonly referred to as a performance package) placed on, inserted in, or attached to any limb of a Tennessee Walking Horse, a Racking Horse, or Spotted Saddle Horse (each a breed not recognized by the Federation) constructed to artificially alter the gait of such a horse, and which are not protective or therapeutic in nature, in classes at a Federation Licensed Competition is prohibited. EC 12/17/12 Effective Immediately.

The 2013 Germantown Charity Horse Show will be held June 4-8, 2013 at the show grounds in Germantown, Tenn.