It’s all about the future
Sunday, September 24, 2017
By Sadie Fowler
A staple part of the Celebration for many years, the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association All Youth Day again this year drew great participation and positive attention to the breed Saturday, Aug. 26.
The event includes a youth judging contest where teams and individuals come from many areas across the state as well as other states to watch and judge model, flat shod, and performance classes exhibiting all three gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse.
The contest is broken up into different age divisions and categories. Each participant is also in a certain division and has to give oral reasoning as to why they placed each horse in each spot. At the end of this day, each child walks away with a greater education on the Tennessee Walking Horse and also gets many TWHBEA items to take home along with their awards.
“This day is so important because not only are we educating children about our great breed but it also gives them a chance to be a part of the Celebration, which is our biggest horse show of the year,” said Allison Thorson, who serves as TWHBEA’s youth vice president and helped with the planning of this year’s event. “For those kids who may not like to compete or ride, they get a chance to judge.
“For those who win, they are awarded their scholarship money in center ring of the big oval that Saturday night and it really brings lots of credibility and excitement with it because our youth are very important to us.”
Many people contribute to the success of this tradition through both the donation of their time as well as horses used for the exhibit. Thorson expressed special thanks to the judges of the event as well as the dedicated team of TWHBEA staff who helped make Youth Day a great success.