NASHVILLE (AP) — Former state Rep. Eric Swafford has been hired by the Humane Society of the United States as an outreach director.

Swafford, an award-winning member of the Tennessee Walking Horse Owners Association, said he will try to persuade former colleagues not to pursue legislation to make undercover investigations more difficult to conduct.

The national animal protection group last year released secretly recorded video showing caustic substances being applied to horses' legs and hooves and the animals being beaten to make them stand.

The process called soring is used to enhance horses' high-stepping gait.

A bill sponsored by Republican Sen. Dolores Gresham of Somerville would require any video of horse abuse be submitted to prosecutors within 24 hours, making long-term undercover investigations more difficult to conduct.