by Jeffrey Howard

The championship nights of The Celebration are upon us. The excitement is growing and for those that leave under that spotlight a dream will become a reality and the tears of joy will be flowing from friends and family.  It is truly what this is all about.  

If you ever want to see why people do this and why it means so much, come to the Celebration plaza at the conclusion of the show, where photos are taken capturing that Celebration moment. When you see that pure joy on the faces of family and friends, you will no doubt know the attraction of the Tennessee Walking Horse.  It makes it so evident how much people love their horses.

Unfortunately, the week also brings about frustration, disappointment and angst. That is not something new this year and has been the case for far too long. I get asked repeatedly, “what are we going to do,” or even “why are we not doing something to correct this.” Those questions are the ones we all ask and have for years not had very good answers to.

But I am surprised at that question this year. The industry and the leadership within this industry is doing everything it can to alleviate this problem. You might not think it is the right strategy or you may even think it should be done differently but the one thing people can’t say is that the industry isn’t defending its owners, trainers, exhibitors, HIOs, horse shows, breeders and fans.  

The industry, through multiple plaintiffs, has filed two lawsuits challenging the USDA’s position on the enforcement of the Horse Protection Act.  One of those lawsuits challenges the due process, scar rule and post-show inflammation violation under the current HPA. The second lawsuit is challenging the USDA’s final rule that it set to go into effect February 1 of next year without a successful challenge.  The amount of work that has gone into these lawsuits is staggering.

Those lawsuits are in process and unfortunately haven’t brought the relief in time for this year’s Celebration.  I know that is frustrating for everyone but it doesn’t change the fact that yes, we are standing up for what we believe is right and we are standing up for you as owners, trainers and exhibitors to protect your right to show your compliant horse.  The unbelievable frustration that I have seen so much this week with post-show disqualifications is directly addressed in these lawsuits.

I want to be clear, we understand the frustration and agree with you that things must change and more fair outcomes have to be achieved.  Let’s also be clear, the welfare of the horse and the respect for compliance with the HPA still has to remain at the forefront of every decision made.  Our challenges in court are not to allow anything other than a compliant horse the ability to show. The day of a resolution to this is coming and most likely before February 1, 2025.

But the work to ensure fairness hasn’t stopped with just those two lawsuits.  A contingent of Congressmen from Tennessee and Kentucky, including two members of the House Agriculture Committee sent letters to the Secretary expressing concerns and seeking a resolution to those VMOs whose percentage of violations found far exceed the average.  The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Kentucky Congressman James Comer has also sent a letter to the Secretary and Inspector General seeking documentation from the USDA and asking questions of them around the industry’s concerns.  

Representatives from the industry also met with the Commissioner of Agriculture in Tennessee and Kentucky, with both being understanding of the industry’s concerns.  Both commissioners have expressed their concerns with the USDA.  We have met with the Tennessee Farm Bureau as well as the American Farm Bureau and they both stand firmly behind us and are supportive of the industry in the two federal lawsuits.

The work has and will continue and not all that has been done or is being done can be shared at this time.  The Tennessee Walking Horse will survive and the best days for the industry lie ahead, not behind.  I know the timing isn’t as quick as any of us wants but the finish line is near and we will give this everything we have.

In the meantime, The Celebration will crown its World Grand Champions this weekend.  I am not asking you to ignore the pain, frustration and disappointment from the challenges this week but I do think we need to celebrate the accomplishments of those who compete this weekend.  The Celebration is a time-honored tradition and one that will continue for years to come so let’s do our best to spend time with those Celebration friends we have and not allow outside factors to dampen our enthusiasm.