To: Walking Horse Trainers Association, Inc. Members
From:  Bill Cantrell, President

HAPPY NEW YEAR & HAPPY 50TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY
Hope all is well for each of you. Looking forward to the new year. I am humbled and appreciative to serve as your President. This will be my 40th consecutive year to serve on the WHTA Board and I am honored to fulfill this position. This year (2018) is a special one and represents a milestone that few associations ever get to achieve. Our 50th Anniversary gives us a “Golden” opportunity to continue to build on our long foundation and legacy, and we need everyone to be a part of this journey.

It is no secret that we face many issues. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Time has come for us to unite as one…overlooking our own personal agenda and joining forces with all concerned groups…especially each other…to move this industry forward.  It is important that we continue to improve communication within our own Association…and with other organizations.  It is vital that we stay informed about our business….not only within the Board of Directors…but to the General Membership at large. Every member needs to know what is going on and be informed. We can achieve more with every member contributing to these efforts.
Beginning this month (Jan, 2018) each WHTA member will receive a quarterly “WHTA NEWS” newsletter…keeping everyone informed of current and future news items.  Please take time to read it and let me know if you have any questions. We encourage each of you to take an active role in your Association.

We need to continue to improve relationships with all organizations that are involved in our industry. The time has come for our Association to step up to the plate and take a giant leap forward to make this happen. We need to lead and lead positively. It is critical that we continue to maintain our transparency in all things that we do. Our Association will be addressing several important issues this year and we will need to develop a plan of action so that we can hopefully be successful in our endeavors.

In addition, we need to reaffirm our commitment to show compliant horses. We have improved in this area…and we need to be rewarded for all of our hard work and dedication in giving quality care to the animal we all love. Our relationship with the USDA has improved greatly due to the openness and willingness on both sides to work together to accomplish and overcome some serious barriers. This is a work in progress and one that we can be proud of as we move forward.  We must continue to erase any barriers and replace them with positive avenues. We will continue to work closely with the USDA officials in hopes of developing a trust level that we can all be proud of.

We need to carefully review our finances and develop a budget plan for the year to help secure the sustainability of our Association. We have a solid funding base going into the new year thanks to our previous leadership. We should applaud ourselves for this achievement because it took hard work, dedication and a close watch on our funding sources to make this happen. 

The time for change is now. We can’t answer today’s and especially tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. That shoe no longer fits. We must continue to work together to revive our industry so that once again we can enjoy and succeed in the business that we all love.

I promise that I will do the following:
a. I will listen to you.
b. I will take you seriously.
c. I will treat you with respect.
d. I will give you straight information.
e. I will do what I say I will do.
f. I will treat you like I want to be treated.

Again, it is an honor to serve as your President. My job is to lead, but it will take each one of us to move forward. I NEED your help and involvement to make this journey a success.