Rep. Scott DesJarlais was honored with a fundraising reception at the National Walking Horse Celebration hosted by industry insiders. The setting of the gala is interesting, according to this opinion piece, because DesJarlais has not been an advocate for animal welfare. The gala comes after DesJarlais raised concerns in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack over steps the agency took amid increasing efforts to stem abuse of Tennessee Walking Horses and follows his vote against a bill that would make attending a chicken fight or a dogfight a crime.