The nation's largest Tennessee walking horse group is in an uproar after an executive committee member went rogue on the issue of using padded shoes and ankle chains on the breed - sponsoring her own poll to see how 6,945 members feel about it.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association's executive committee voted in May to support a bill that would remove the much-debated equipment, but the association's full board of directors voted not to ratify that action.
Supporters of the federal bill say the equipment encourages and is used to hide soring, intentionally injuring walking horses to encourage their higher, longer gait. Detractors say pads and chains are harmless, and removing them will turn away fans from horse shows.