Soring involves the intentional infliction of damage to a horse's legs or hooves in order to force the horse to perform the artificial "Big Lick" gait. One method of soring is applying acidic chemicals such as mustard oil, diesel fuel, and kerosene and apply them to the horse's limbs. Their legs are then wrapped in plastic so the chemicals can "cook" into the flesh. Injections of harmful chemicals and drugs are also injected into the horse's pastern area above the hoof.

Another favored method of the torture called soring is called pressure shoeing. Pressure shoeing involves putting a foreign object, such as a screw, bolt or some other foreign object against both of the horse’s front hoof soles, and then shoeing over said object. Pressure shoeing can also involve cutting a horse's hoof wall and sole down to the area where it starts bleeding, and then nailing a shoe over that surface. Each time the horse steps down, putting weight on the hoof, causes extreme pain.

To make things worse for these beautiful animals, whenever they are ridden, whether in training or in competition, trainers put chains around the horse's sore ankles. As the horse walks or gallops, the chains slide up and down, further irritating and infecting the already sore areas. Instead of wearing regular horseshoes, they are fitted with “stacks” which is a tall, heavy stack of pads to further emphasize their gait. These stacks force the horses to stand at an unnatural angle and often times, foreign objects are inserted between the horse's hoof and the stacks causing discomfort, adding to the horse's anguish.

These sweet animals are also not allowed to go outside to graze or play with other horses. Except when being trained or shown, they spend all of their time confined to stalls, lying down, moaning in pain while their sores are “cooking” under the plastic and chemicals in which they are wrapped.

Below are a few signs that a horse that has been sored:

- The horse may resist anyone handling his hooves

- Hair loss or wavey hair patches that do not match the rest of the horses coat is visible in the pastern area

- Lesions or scar tissue are visible on the pasterns or coronet band

- The horse tends to shift weight a lot on to its hindlegs

- The hoses may have difficulty walking as his hock may tend to twist outward, causing him to fall





Please be advised, the video I've included below is very graphic and disturbing in nature.