The Horse Protection Act of 1970 is a United States federal law, under which the practice of soring is a crime punishable by both civil and criminal penalties. Soring is the practice of applying irritants (including objects such as nails, example pictured) or blistering agents to the front feet or forelegs of a horse, making it pick its feet up higher in an exaggerated manner that creates the "action" desired in the show ring, giving practitioners an unfair advantage over other competitors. The Act makes it illegal to show a horse or enter it at a horse show, to auction, sell, offer for sale, or transport a horse for any of these purposes if it has been sored. It is enforced by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Violations are detected by observation, palpation and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify chemicals on horses' legs. Certain training techniques and topical anesthetics can be used to avoid detection by the first two methods. In 2013, an amendment to the Act was proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives to toughen penalties and outlaw "stacks", or layers of pads attached to the front hooves.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_Protection_Act_of_1970

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1139:

Song Dynasty general Yue Fei defeated an army led by Jin dynasty general Wanyan Wuzhu at the Battle of Yancheng during the Jin–Song wars. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Yancheng

1689:

Jacobite risings: Jacobite clans supporting the deposed king James VII of Scotland clashed with a government regiment of Covenanters supporting William of Orange, in the streets around Dunkeld Cathedral, Dunkeld, Scotland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Dunkeld

1911:

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by a museum employee and was not recovered until two years later. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa

1944:

Delegations from Republic of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, met at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. to discuss the formation of the United Nations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbarton_Oaks_Conference

2007:

Hurricane Dean made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula as a Category 5 storm, causing 45 deaths and US$1.5 billion in damage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Dean

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

accismus: (rhetoric) Feigning disinterest in something while actually desiring it. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/accismus

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

 I like to play any character that allows me the freedom to explore it and teach the audience something they didn't know, and show them a journey they identify with... or be inspired, or moved. Anything that touches someone's heart is important for me.   --Alicia Witt https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Alicia_Witt