Just before the commencement of the 2012 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tenn., the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has launched a national tip line in both English and Spanish to help crack down on the illegal practice known as "soring."

The HSUS offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides any information leading to the arrest and conviction of a violator of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) or any state law which prohibits horse soring, the deliberate infliction of pain to force horses to perform an artificially high-stepping gait for the show ring.

The tip line and reward are advertised on a new billboard that was installed across from the Celebration venue.

"It is unacceptable that the deliberate torture of Tennessee Walking Horses continues despite a decades-old federal law to stop it," said Keith Dane, director of equine protection for the HSUS. "The Humane Society of the United States urges anyone with information about this despicable cruelty to call our new tip line. With the cooperation of concerned witnesses, we can help bring violators to justice and rid the industry of the abuse that mars its reputation