Tennessee Walking Horses Tortured, Undercover ABC News Video Reveals (GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Graphic undercover video shot by investigators from the Humane Society of the United States and obtained by ABC News has revealed shocking alleged torture of horses under the supervision of renowned Tennessee Walking Horse trainer Jackie McConnell.

According to ABC News, the alleged abuse was intended to force the horses to produce the "high-stepping gait" on which they are evaluated in competition.

In the video, McConnell presides over the stable hands as they allegedly use electric cattle prods to force the horses to lift their feet in a special way.

McConnell also supervises as hands allegedly apply corrosive chemicals to the animals' ankles, allegedly so the mixture will eat into their skin and prompt them to lift their legs high.

"That creates intense pain and then the ankles are wrapped with large metal chains so the horses flinch, or raise their feet even higher," the Human Society's Keith Dane told ABC News.

In light of the footage, McConnell was indicted by a federal grand jury and is expected to plead guilty to the charges.

Despite safety measures like steroid bans, the horse competition industry continues to yield startling casualties, according to The New York Times:

"On average, 24 horses die each week at racetracks across America. Many are inexpensive horses racing with little regulatory protection in pursuit of bigger and bigger prizes. These deaths often go unexamined, the bodies shipped to rendering plants and landfills rather than to pathologists who might have discovered why the horses broke down."

Back in January, undercover video obtained by the Humane Society led to legal action after the footage revealed alleged inhumane treatment at Seaboard Foods, a pig breeding facility tied to Wal-Mart.

The video showed the pigs crammed into crates with torn noses, ears, and other wounds.

The facility is one of the country's largest producers -- processing around 4 million hogs each year, or about 18,500 every day.

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Comments

[Panda Bear]

12:23 PM on 06/04/2012

Excuse me for sounding dumb. I don't know a thing about horses. What is the reason for wanting a horse to walk with such an unnatural gait?

[Leilani Jones]

05:14 PM on 03/03/2013

To show the elite how they can make horses do unnatural things. It is about controlling an animal they same way the elite of the world want to control you.

[daksmom]

04:50 PM on 06/02/2012

Shame on that trainer. But, what about the guys at the end of the video who are hitting the horse while it is laying down, and then they grab its rein and try to turn it around? Isn't that abuse, too? What happened to those guys? They all should be tied up like that horse was, and be beaten EXACTLY the way that poor horse was.

[Sue Emanovsky]

09:21 AM on 05/27/2012

WALKING HORSE TRAINER’S ASSOCIATION BOD
President Jamie Hankins, Paris, Ky. – 1 Violation
1st Vice President Mickey McCormick, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 12 Violations
2nd Vice President David Landrum, Fraklin, Tenn. – 4 Violations
Directors:
Jamie Bradshaw, Franklin, Tenn. – 2 Violations
Wayne Dean, Lewisburg, Tenn. – 5 Violations
Philip Trimble, Pulaski, Tenn. -- 3 Violations
Dale Watts, Summit, Miss. – 5 Violations
Billy Gray, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 10 Violations
Brock Tillman, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 4 Violations
Link Webb, Lewisburg, Tenn. – 6 Violations
Larry Wheelon, Maryville, Tenn. – 12 Violations
Chris Bobo, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 0 Violations
Derek B. Bonner, Mooreboro, N.C. – 5 Violations
John Allen Callaway III, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 5 Violations
Bill Cantrell, Phenix, City, Ala. (Ex-Officio) – 2 Violations
Total– 76 Violations

WALKING HORSE OWNER’S ASSOCIATION BOD
Vice President Tam Brogdon, Panama City, Fla. – 1 Violation
Treasurer Richard Greer, Lenoir, N.C. – 2 Violations
Jean Baum, Ixonia, Wisc. – 1 Violation
Betty Denton, Estill Springs, Tenn. – 2 Violations
Sally Fleck, Shelbyville, Tenn. -- 5 Violations
Darden Gladney, Homer, La. – 3 Violations
Don Hancock, Princeton, Ky. – 10 Violations
Phyllis Langley, Sandpoint, Idaho – 3 Violations
Peggy Moore, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 1 Violation
Andy Rippy, Greenbrier, Tenn. – 1 Violation
Iris Schuman, Shelbyville, Tenn. – 1 Violation
Beth Sims, Bell Buckle, Tenn. – 2 Violations
Gail Walling, Wartrace, Tenn. – 1 Violation
Total 33 Violations

[Lily P]

06:02 PM on 05/20/2012

TWH's are the most well mannered horses around. People like this make me physically ill. I want to beat them with a cattle prod.

[jacqulines]

08:50 PM on 05/19/2012

Disgusting..No explanation needed

[Deborah Ann Halliwell]

05:55 PM on 05/19/2012

I am so outraged over this horse tortured,WHY???? that SOB had better get the same treatments just so he know how those horses feel, I am sick over this that I just brust in tears, I want to put that man in prison, we have got to stop this abuses

[Ukiahaiku]

06:26 PM on 05/18/2012

I took a class on Horse Husbandry at a Junior college about 30 years ago. We took a field trip to a classmate's ranch where her family was raising T. Walking horses. Their shoer explained to us how he builds up the shoe at such an angle over time to get more of extension on the horses' gates.
On the bus ride back to school (minus the classmate), we all sat there quiet and horrified.
The instructor tried to explain to us how the owners look at their horses as being athletes and this is the price that any athlete would willingly pay to be their best. I don't think any of us bought into his explanation. Horrible.
That doesn't even come close to what Mr. McConnell did to those horses under his care.
And what about those people helping him?
Unbelievable!

[ClevelandLib]

10:57 PM on 05/18/2012

A human being chooses to be an athlete and makes the choice to endure pain, an animal cannot.

[SarTecSC]

04:10 PM on 05/18/2012

my husband was a rancher and is a huge animal lover. when he was younger there was a man who lived close by who was a"horse person" he had an Arabian. my husband was visiting a friend of his when he heard this awful screaming coming from one of the stables where this guy was boarding his horse, when he walked over to see what was wrong this man had this big beautiful horse down on its knees all bloodied up. He had been beating it with a split hose, upon see this my husband grabbed the hose and beat the tar out of this guy with it. it went to trial of course and they never charged my hubby but the did charge the horse beater with animal cruelty and he had to do 1yr in jail and then community service

[kareemachan]

02:21 PM on 05/18/2012

I remember reading a book when I was young on how TWH are trained. It said something to the effect that the young horses are gently reminded to lift their feet higher, conjuring up images of nice people lifting the foals' feet to train them. I thought then that this sounded suspect, and would not be surprised to hear that this is more the norm.

[huffpost052012]

01:42 PM on 05/18/2012

When people still pay to see this inhumane and cruel 'sport' this cruelty will still go on. Only when these people stop paying for it then this sport will die. Another way to make this cruelty go away is to TAX them so high that it is no longer profitable to do this business anymore. Social and peer strong disapproval (widely regard these people as low class, for example) may also work to discourage them from going to these horse torture shows. It's the same way we will do away with cigarette smoking (hopefully some day).

[Doubble K Stables]

12:24 PM on 07/21/2012

As a horse and farm owner, your saying i should be taxed higher?? Lets get something straight first, this is a case in people incorrectly treating horses. This is a incorrect way to train them. When TWH horses are properly trained, NOTHING like this is used. NOTHING like this is used to train in ANY deciplin of riding. What they are really supposed to do is put tiny chanes above the horses hooves, making them lift their legs higher. They are trained as foals to do this in shows. These shows are not "torture shows" most horses are treated better then most people. You woldn't believe the money, care, and time most people give into their horses. We pay 15,000 a year for just ONE of our horses to have acupunture by a professional so that our horses have no stress and have the best muscle tone possible. Please dont take ofence to this, i am just trying to set the facts straight. I really appreacite you caring about the topic. I would have to agree that what that man did to those horses is very wrong. I have a few rescue horses and i dont think we can even imagin the hell they go through. Thank you for your time and reading this.

[Talab]

11:18 AM on 05/18/2012

I had a Walker for about 5 years , Flat shod ( no pads, chains, chemicals, ect ) it was still the most comfortable ride i ever had on a horse . The regular running walk can be enhanced through saddle placement , rider posture good contact with the horses mouth and lots of riding
( enhancing fitness ) If you like trail riding i can' recomend Walkers as simply the best Horse you will find for it . As for all that "Big Lick " competition in Walkers it should be outlawed ,cause you'll never get the cheating element out of it

[jadedat51]

11:09 AM on 05/18/2012

All I can say is that any "trainer" I ever caught doing this to my horse would be done, as I would be relentless in litigation (yes, I am a horse owner, and yes, my horse is in training). This sad excuse for a human needs to be forced out of the equine world immediately.

[Stefanie Livonia]

09:33 AM on 05/18/2012

I don't like this at all, those horses dont deserve this kind of treatment, what did he do wrong, nothing just being an animal who loves unconditionally. The humanes need to be treated the same way if not worse.

[Santijose]

07:43 AM on 05/18/2012

It's all about money on everything and in every level of our society.

[scubagirl2]

08:27 PM on 05/17/2012

Give me a moment with that piece of you-know-what and I will show him what a prod up his hiney feels like!