FREE THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE

Free The Tennessee Walking Horse believes that TWHBEA has, for the first time in a very long time, begun to fulfill its obligation to work to eliminate soring and protect not only the image and reputation of the breed but the welfare of the horse itself that makes this breed so great.

• By distancing itself from industry groups and inspection programs that have for decades been devoted to protecting the violator rather than the horse, TWHBEA has begun to restore respect and integrity to our breed and registry. 

• By establishing a template for a credible industry-wide system of self-governance, it has challenged non-compliant HIOs to clean up their act…and enforce the Horse Protection Act as they are charged by the USDA to do.

A group has established a website, “FreeTheBreeders.org” which includes as its goals
   - the defeat of all proposed by-laws changes
   - the elimination of the TWHBEA HIO and HIO Committee which are the foundation of 
    TWHBEA’s plan to  bring legitimacy to our industry’s system of self-regulation. 

This, despite the fact that the current National Board and Executive Committee have voted time and time again to uphold these programs.

The site endorses candidates for the upcoming election of TWHBEA national directors, some of whom have colorful histories of Horse Protection Act violations and represent the “Old Guard” of the industry – that small circle of non-compliant owners and trainers that has brought our breed to the brink of disaster.  The endorsed candidates in total have had 31 Horse Protection Act violations for bilateral soring, unilateral soring, scarring and illegal foreign substances.

The site also recommends a vote against all of the proposed TWHBEA by-laws changes – including one that would restrict eligibility to serve as a TWHBEA director to only those individuals who have not served an HPA suspension of 30 days or longer within the past three years.

You must ask yourself…why would any group not want to prevent HPA violators from serving on the TWHBEA BOARD?

We believe it’s time to Free The Tennessee Walking Horse from the stigma that a small minority of industry participants have brought upon our wonderful breed.  TWHBEA must stay the course that it began when it established the Sanctioning Plan, and said it would no longer be party to an inspection system that put the desire to win a blue ribbon ahead of the welfare of the horse and the reputation and future of our breed.

We cannot afford to turn back to the bad old days of the past.  We believe all of the proposed by-laws changes will enable TWHBEA to continue in its positive direction, and recommend you vote FOR them. 

1.  VOTE FOR SOUND TWHBEA CANDIDATES 
2.  VOTE FOR THE RECOMMENDED BY-LAW AMMENDMENTS