RALEIGH – State Agricultural officials have confirmed the Tennessee Walking Horse breed show will not be on the roster at the North Carolina State Fair this fall. The move comes after criticism of how the horses are treated.

Last year, some Tennessee Walking Horse advocates launched a Change.org online petition asking the North Carolina State Fair and the state's agriculture commissioner to cancel Tennessee Walking Horse performance classes at that state's annual state fair on grounds that some of the exhibited horses could wear performance packages and might have been sored to produce an exaggerated, high-steeping gait. The Humane Society of the United States has been critical of the use of some methods that are used on the feet and legs of horses.

According to TheHorse.com, On March 11, Heather Overton, NCDACS spokeswoman, said that after a review of participation and revenue from the 2014 event, the North Carolina State Fair administration decided to eliminate the Tennessee Walking Horse breed show at the 2015 event.

Overton told the website that, so far, there has been little reaction to the change. The show has been part of the fair for some 30 years.

The 2015 North Carolina State Fair Open Horse Show is slated to take place Oct. 16-18 in Raleigh. The State Fair Youth Day Show is slated for Oct. 17-18.