Tensions continue at walking horse inspection area

Some visitors to the Trainers' Show Friday night saw what is becoming an all-too familiar sight in the walking horse world -- classes with only one or two horses competing. It is a trend owner Ira Kilbern of Kentucky is afraid will destroy the industry.

"We are three generations who have centered our families around horses and it breaks my heart to see the government doing this to our families," he said. "It's a sad change."

He pointed to a young woman with her horse, leaving the practice barn, where the inspections are held, in tears.

"There's a teenage girl who's had her heart broken," he said. "She works her own horse at home, makes no money off of it."

The teenager, who has no trailer of her own, had friendly neighbors, also showing, who gave her horse a ride to the show. It was a generous act that backfired. After designated qualified persons who were inspecting in the barns decided to get a closer look at the girl's horse, they then said they needed to look at all the horses in that trailer.

The owner of two of those horses, Holly Puckett, was not pleased.

"We took my daughter's horse up there. She's never, ever been turned down. Ever," she said. "The DQPs passed her. The vets passed her, The VMO (veterinary medical officer) said she moved (during the examination) so she turned her down. I never saw her move, but the VMO said she did."

Puckett said she decided then not to show the second horse.

"I'd had enough."

She put her daughters, including the 12-year-old who was supposed to ride that night, into the family vehicle and left to attend her son's out-of-town baseball game. But before she got there, she was called back. The DQPs were insisting on inspecting the second horse.

When Puckett first arrived, she was met, not only by Dr. Rachel Cezar, the horse protection coordinator for the USDA, and DQPs, but security officers, Celebration CEO Doyle Meadows, Celebration board chairman Charles McDonald, as well as a crowd of other owners and trainers.

At first, Puckett refused to have the second horse inspected.

"We'll take the horse back," she said. "I think it's being abusive, the way they're doing this. My daughter is up crying, She's scared to come back here.

"Why are you singling us out -- everyone in our trailer and no one else's? It's not fair."

"I think that's a good question,' said Meadows.

Previously, Benny Johnson, chairman of the show, told one group of owners that the teenager's horse was looked at because "there was plastic on its legs," but groom Lester Fulton said that wasn't true.

"They lied," he said. "They must think we're stupid, bringing a horse to the show with plastic on its feet."

Cezar said the DQPs and other inspectors look at the horses and consider them for closer inspection "when they look uncomfortable."

When her second horse was checked, said Puckett, "they X-rayed her and said everything was fine. Then they said there was an inflammation in one foot in the X-ray."

She then said she was "done."

"People are going to stop doing this," said Puckett. "I'm done. I'll never bring a horse back here."

Despite his worries about the current environment, Kilbern has hope for the industry.

"I think it will all work out," he said. "I'm an attorney and I can read -- they're way over-interpreting the law. They're enforcing things that don't exist. It's messing with a lot of trainers' livelihoods, but look around -- it's families, too."

Results from Friday's and Saturday's classes will be included in Tuesday's Times-Gazette.