The Darrah Weanling and Yearling Classes
New Additions to the TWHBEA National Futurity

By a vote an endorsement from the TWHBEA Breeders Committee and the TWHBEA Executive Committee, two new classes have been added for the 2015 and subsequent TWHBEA National Futurities for breeders of the uniquely colored and patterned Tennessee Walking Horse. For the Weanling and Yearling division TWHBEA will add a class for each for the uniquely colored and patterned Tennessee Walking Horse.

Now TWHBEA breeders of the uniquely colored and patterned Tennessee Walking Horse will have a National showcase for the foals that result from their great efforts.

This class has been very appropriately named to memorialize TWHBEA Director Elsie Darrah of Kansas. Elsie was the “guru” of color for TWHBEA and was very instrumental in the explanation and promotion of the unique colors and patterns of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed.

Entries shown in these classes will not be eligible to also show in the open Weanling and Yearling stallion classes or the open Weanling and Yearling Filly classes at the TWHBEA National Futurity. Nor will they be eligible to show in the “Fall” Weanling class. This allows each Futurity entry one class to showcase their weanling or yearling without “double dipping” into the Futurity pot.

The Futurity nomination procedure for the Sires and Dams and resulting foals for our breeders of the uniquely colored and patterned Tennessee Walking Horse will remain the same as all other Futurity nominations. Please reference the TWHBEA website at twhbea.com or call TWHBEA at 931-359-1574 for more details.

The new Darrah Weanling and Yearling classes will be for Futurity Nominated Weanlings and Yearlings of Unique colors, dilutions, modifiers and patterns. Definition of Unique Colors is basically all TWHBEA registered foals that are not black, sorrel/chestnut, brown or bay unless those colors are registered with TWHBEA with a dilution, modifier or pattern. It would include the tobiano(spotted), all the cream dilutes i.e. Palomino, Buckskin, Perlino etc., would include the Classic Roans, Champagnes and registered Sabinos and maximal sabinos (white).

The colors and patterns and dilutions eligible for the Darrah Weanling and Yearling Class are as follows:
Colors: Foals eligible must be registered as the following colors with the exceptions of Black, Brown, Sorrel, Bay Chestnut unless foals of that color carry any eligible Dilution, Modifier or Pattern.

o Smoky Black  
o Smoky Cream  
o Palomino  
o Cremello  
o Buckskin  
o Perlino
o Classic Champagne  
o Classic Cream Champagne  
o Amber Champagne  
o Amber Cream Champagne
o Gold Champagne  
o Gold Cream Champagne
o Classic Bay Roan  
o Classic Blue Roan  
o Classic Sorrel/Strawberry Roan

Dilutions: Any Color Foal registered with the following dilutions:

o Dun    
o Silver

Modifiers: Any Color foal registered with the following Modifier:

o Grey    
o Roan

Patterns: Any Color Foal registered with the following patterns:

o Overo    
o Sabino    
o Tobiano    
o Tobiano/Sabino
o White/ Maximal Sabino

Again, Futurity weanlings and yearlings entered in the Darrah classes may not participate in any other weanling or yearling class at the TWHBEA National Futurity. As in previous years, they will qualify those entries for the Weanling and Yearling World Grand Championships held at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.

These two additions in the TWHBEA Futurity class schedule will draw entries never before associated with the TWHBEA National Futurity and create two classes that will be very entertaining as well as colorful.
Judging criteria of the weanling and yearling classes will be unchanged with the exception of the eligible colors, modifiers, dilutions or patterns.

If you are a member of TWHBEA and have weanlings or yearlings that meet the color/pattern eligibility for the Darrah classes and would like to participate in them, please call TWHBEA today at 931-359-1574 to nominate your mares and foals and stallions for these two new and exciting TWHBEA National Futurity classes.

David Williams
Vice President of Breeders/Futurity
TWHBEA