SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - (September 23, 2014) - The Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC) to the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration (TWHNC) has issued its preliminary report and findings for the 2014 Celebration and found no violations of improper shoeing or the use of foreign objects that would cause the horse to suffer pain.

The VAC performed 131 digital x-rays that were reviewed by at least three veterinarians, including chairman of the VAC Dr. Jerry H. Johnson and horse show veterinarian Dr. John O’Brien.  Additionally, there was no evidence of any pressure shoeing of horses examined utilizing objective testing procedures and additionally confirmed by removal of shoes of various participants.

During the championship weekend of the show, all first and second place finishers had digital x-rays performed after their performance.  In addition, shoes were removed and horses examined in various divisions over the course of the championship weekend.  This included the World Grand Champion I Am Jose as well as the two-year-old, three-year-old and four-year-old World Grand Champions.

In addition to the digital x-rays, blood was drawn on 407 horses and 230 samples are being tested and will be made public when the VAC receives laboratory findings.   “Our goal was for the newly formed VAC to perform an objective, science-based round of testing to enhance the current subjective-based inspection being conducted by the HIO and USDA.  We are confident from this report that we achieved this goal,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.

Attached is a full signed copy of the preliminary report, which contains more detailed explanations of the activities and observations of the VAC.