This is a pretty horse but the way she is moving is not natural. She is in pain. Some of the techniques (certainly not all that is out there) I have heard of used for soring (which is what is done to the horse to make them gait this way) :application of mustard oil or croton oil to the pasterns, which causes burning and ulcerations -- then they put the leg chains over them, when the horse moves the leg chains hit the raw wounds, hurts and causes the horse to snap his front foot up high.
Some of the chemicals they apply to the legs are so toxic that the stable hands are at high risk for contracting cancer.
Pressure shoeing (this is even more fun because it is a lot easier to hide, can't see the abuse under those pads) -- trim down to live sole so horse is in pain when he puts foot down. Sometimes stones or nails are put under the pads. Sometimes liquid mercury is put inbetween pads, flows to toe as horse picks up foot forcing him to lift foot even higher.
The horses are supposedly checked for such abuse at the Big Lick shows. Checking can involve feeling the pasterns for scar tissue and assessing the horse for a pain response. many trainers "train" their horses not to react even when the painful area is palpated, by punishing them if they flinch, or by surreptiously lip/tongue twitching them as they are palpated.
Even more incredible, many of the "inspectors" are directly associated with the walking horse breeders and showers associations!
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