Soring is the practice of deliberately causing pain to a horse’s front legs so it lifts them higher and faster when it moves. Chemical irritants, sharp objects, or pressure devices are applied to the lower legs, making ground contact so painful that the horse snaps its forelegs up in an exaggerated, high-stepping gait. This gait, known as the “big lick,” is prized in certain show ring competitions, particularly for Tennessee Walking Horses.
The practice is both illegal under federal law and condemned by veterinary organizations. Despite decades of regulation, it persists in parts of the gaited horse industry.
How Soring Produces the “Big Lick”
Gaited horse breeds like the Tennessee Walking Horse are naturally smooth-moving animals with a distinctive running walk. In competition, judges reward horses that display a dramatically exaggerated version of this gait: front legs lifting high, snapping forward, then striking the ground with flashy precision. That movement is the “big lick,” and it draws crowds and wins ribbons.
A horse that has been sored is in pain every time its front hooves hit the ground. To minimize that contact, it reflexively yanks its forelegs up faster and higher than it would naturally. The result looks impressive to spectators, but it is driven entirely by the horse trying to escape pain. Weighted shoes and artificially long hooves are often used alongside soring to amplify the effect, adding more force to each painful step and making the exaggerated lift even more pronounced.
Methods Used to Sore a Horse
Chemical Soring
The most common approach involves applying caustic substances to the pasterns (the area just above the hoof, equivalent to an ankle) or the cannon bone (the shin). Substances used include mustard oil, croton oil, kerosene, lighter fluid, diesel fuel, salicylic acid, WD-40, and even dish soap or industrial hand cleaners. After application, the legs are wrapped tightly in plastic and left for 24 to 48 hours. The chemicals blister and inflame the skin, creating intense, lasting sensitivity.
During this wrapping period, the pain can be so severe that horses are unable to stand in their stalls. If not tied to a wall, they may lie down or try to chew the wraps off their legs. Some trainers make small cuts in the coronet band (the tissue where the hoof meets the leg) with a razor blade, then apply lemon juice or other caustic liquids to deepen the irritation.
Mechanical Soring
Physical methods include inserting nails, screws, or sharp objects into the hoof or shoe so they press into sensitive tissue with each step. Federal law specifically prohibits any tack, nail, screw, or device used on a horse’s limb to cause pain. Excessive trimming of the sole of the hoof, which removes the protective layer and exposes sensitive tissue underneath, is another documented technique.
Concealing the Evidence
Because soring is illegal, trainers go to considerable lengths to hide it. Numbing agents like lidocaine or benzocaine are applied before inspections to temporarily mask the pain so the horse won’t flinch when its legs are touched. Shoe polish or other cosmetic substances are used to cover visible lesions and scars. The goal is to pass a pre-show inspection, then have the numbing wear off by show time so the pain-driven gait returns.
Which Breeds Are Affected
Soring overwhelmingly targets gaited breeds shown in “big lick” style competitions. Tennessee Walking Horses are the primary victims, but Spotted Saddle Horses and Racking Horses are also affected. These breeds are selected because their natural gait can be manipulated into the exaggerated movement judges reward. The practice is concentrated in a specific segment of the show industry, not among trail riders or casual owners of these breeds.
It is worth noting that many Tennessee Walking Horse owners, trainers, and breed enthusiasts actively oppose soring. “Flat shod” divisions, where horses compete in normal shoes and display their natural gait, exist as an alternative and have grown in popularity.
The Horse Protection Act
Congress passed the Horse Protection Act in 1970, making it a federal offense to show, sell, auction, or transport a sored horse. Under the law, a horse is considered “sore” if it suffers, or can reasonably be expected to suffer, physical pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness as a result of any substance, device, or practice applied to its limbs by a person.
Enforcement falls to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). For decades, the system relied on Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs), inspectors trained and licensed by horse industry organizations themselves. Critics argued this created a conflict of interest, with the industry essentially policing itself.
In May 2024, APHIS published a major overhaul of the regulations. The new rules eliminate the DQP system entirely and replace it with Horse Protection Inspectors (HPIs), who are screened for conflicts of interest and trained directly by APHIS, with preference given to licensed veterinarians. The updated rules also expand coverage beyond Tennessee Walking Horses and Racking Horses to include shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions of all horse breeds. Event managers who fail to ensure compliance can be held liable for any sored horse shown at their events. These provisions are set to take effect on December 31, 2026.
How Inspectors Detect Soring
The traditional inspection method is palpation: an inspector presses and squeezes the horse’s lower legs and pasterns while watching for flinching, pulling away, or other pain responses. A sored horse will react when its inflamed tissue is touched. But because trainers use numbing agents to suppress these reactions, inspectors have added more objective tools.
Thermal imaging (thermography) uses infrared cameras to detect heat patterns on a horse’s legs. Inflamed tissue from soring produces warmer temperatures due to increased blood flow. Between 2009 and 2016, thermography revealed patterns consistent with chemical irritants, chronic inflammatory conditions in the pastern, and the application of numbing agents. Digital radiography (X-ray) is used to examine hoof packages for hidden weights, nails, or prohibited objects, and has revealed cases of excessive sole trimming and laminitis, a painful hoof condition. Chemical swabs analyzed through gas chromatography can identify prohibited substances on the skin, including topical anesthetics and irritants.
Long-Term Harm to the Horse
Soring is not a one-time event for most affected horses. The practice is typically repeated over the course of a show career, creating cumulative damage. Chronic inflammation of the pastern and coronet band can lead to permanent scarring, thickened tissue, and ongoing sensitivity. Excessive hoof trimming weakens the structural integrity of the hoof capsule and can cause laminitis, a condition where the tissue connecting the hoof wall to the bone breaks down, resulting in persistent lameness.
Horses subjected to repeated soring also develop behavioral changes associated with chronic pain: reluctance to move, difficulty standing, and heightened anxiety around handling. The American Veterinary Medical Association describes soring as both unethical and illegal, calling it a deliberate infliction of pain for competitive advantage.