The Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) National Celebration Veterinary Advisory Committee (VAC) said none of the horses examined by digital X ray at the event showed signs of improper pressure shoeing or the use of foreign objects in shoeing devices as banned by the Horse Protection Act (HPA).

In August Celebration administration announced the formation of a three-member VAC, which would establish new rules and testing protocols and supervise on-site blood draws and X rays of horses participating in the event.

On Sept. 8, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (https://thehorse.com/articles/34553/aphis-twh-celebration-soring-violations-rise) reported results of its inspections during the event, noting that the number of violations increased from the 2013 event.

In its Sept. 23 preliminary report, the VAC said that 131 digital X rays were performed on 131 horses, and that at least three veterinarians—including VAC Chairman Jerry H. Johnson, DVM, and Celebration veterinarian John O'Brien, DVM—reviewed those radiographs and found no use of foreign objects that would cause the horse pain

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