Animal rights groups expose Tennessee Walking Horse cruelty

Tennessee Walking Horses are known for their high steps, but animal rights groups say cruelty is being used to make them perform.

(Screenshot: SBS Dateline)

• The full story on the Tennessee Walking Horse will air tonight on Dateline at 9:30PM on SBS ONE. 

The United States state of Tennessee has a number of claims to fame.

It's the home of American country music, it's where rock-and-roll began in the 1950s, and it's also the birthplace of what's known as the Tennessee Walking Horse.

The horse's distinctive attribute is its gait - it lifts its front legs high in what's often described as a running walk, and the best horses compete at an exaggerated motion known as the Big Lick.

But that comes at a cost, reports Dateline's Maryann Jolley.

She talked with Ron Sutton about the Walking Horse and the controversy surrounding it.