Sources:  Various

Last month, an agreement was reached between US Department of Agriculture officials and three Tennessee Walking Horse trainers who participated in a protest demonstration at the 68th Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.  

The protest took place following cancellation of the World Grand Championship class due to disqualification of most of the horses in the class when Inspectors found that they had been 'sored.'  

The three men involved, Russell Thompson, a TWH Hall of Fame inductee, Jason S. Hughes, and Kenneth L. Compton, all rode their horses into the main show arena on the Celebration grounds after those same horses had all been disqualified from the World Grand Championship, and despite the fact that the class had been cancelled.  

Check YouTube video of the  2006 Walking Horse Celebration Aftermath.

The men were found to have violated the 1970 Horse Protection Act which prohibits horses found to be sore from being shown or exhibited.  

Each man was suspended from participating directly or indirectly in any horse show, exhibition, sales, auctions for a four-month period.