According to New York’s Olean Times Herald newspaper, three equine-crazy Girl Scouts have helped raise awareness about cruelty to horses and along the way have earned top praises. Ashley Schichtel, and Holly and April Zendarski, all of Girl Scout Troop 44 in Franklinville, New York, recently completed an anti-soring DVD, “See It Through My Eyes,” for which they earned the scouts’ highest honor, the Gold Award.
The girls said they made the DVD to increase public awareness about the abusive practice of soring, which continues to plague the gaited horse industry, particularly the Tennessee Walking Horse segment.
“It is something that everyone needs to know about, even those who are not horse owners,” April told the Olean Times Herald.
Holly told the newspaper, “It’s all about greed really. It’s to get an exaggerated gait [from the horses] so they can get into shows and win more. What they do is they usually put chemicals – diesel oil or mustard oil – [on a horse’s hooves] to make it painful so horses step higher.”
According to the news report, none of the girls had prior DVD-making experience. In addition to learning the technical aspects of the project, they also worked with Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) to get information about soring practices. The DVD took two years to complete.
The view the eight-minute long DVD, “See It Through My Eyes,” visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqFeYu1CrjU.
That is very cool. Good for them.
Good for them. That is so wonderful. I’m on my way to watch it.
Wonderful job. I will definitely take this to heart.
Again, great job. =)
How neat to see this go this far to HorseChannel.com! Hopefully it will go farther! Thanks!
(H.Z. From the troop who did the project).
The humans involved in the horse showing and racing industry need to be given the same treatment as they give to the horses. This nonsense must stop NOW. It makes most horse and animal lovers sick to know this treatment of horses, dogs or any other animal is tolerated. I have ZERO tolerance for any of it. This is my comment.
Remember the song we learned in Juniors.. ‘Change the World’….? The three of you are in the process of making a great change. Keep up the good work. You have made your Girl Scout leader VERY proud!
Love and Hugs,
Your Mom/Leader
xoxox
Soring of Tennessee walkers is still common, these horses suffer pain because their owners wish for nothing more than money and fame in the showring. Worse yet, horses, unless at very high level show rings are rarely checked for this abuse! But keep up the good work – someday soring will be completely gone!
Congradulations, Girls, CONGRADULATIONS!!!
Soring is cruel – like those who perpetrate this hideous practice. I’d like to watch the video, but the link doesn’t work. Can you help me find it?
Here is a link to the DVD on Youtube. I think its the same link though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqFeYu1CrjU
What a horrific reality! This is truely criminal , we humans are capable of such cruelity just for their own benifit.
I applaud the Girl Scouts for the making of this DVD.
What we need is enforcement of the laws against these practices.