By Sadie Fowler

The Walking Horse Report is pleased to announce that veteran advertising sales representative Chrystal Abernathy has moved up in the ranks at the Walking Horse Report. Abernathy, who first joined the team in 2010, will continue to serve in the advertising department yet will also take on more leadership duties to assist the current staff and publisher Jeffrey Howard.

Abernathy, a lifelong supporter of the breed who is married to trainer Edgar Abernathy, will continue to work
out of her Mississippi home. Her new title will be managing editor and her duties will include assisting Howard in his oversight of the advertising aspects of the Walking Horse Report as well as covering horse shows as she has in the past.

Abernathy, a graduate of UNC Charlotte with a degree in education, has two children, Claudia Gribble, age 17 and Ella, age 11. Abernathy has always fit in well with the current team and brings a wealth of walking horse experience and knowledge to the weekly publication.

She will continue to cover the West Tennessee and Mississippi show circuit but will also be utilized in all areas that the Walking Horse Report provides coverage as she leads the Report’s advertising staff .

Abernathy was born and raised in North Carolina and started riding Tennessee Walking Horses at age 6 at Chad Baucom Stables in Monroe, North Carolina. She has served on the North Carolina Walking Horse Association Board of Directors and served as President for the North Carolina Walking Horse Ladies Auxiliary.

She has also served on the Mid-South Walking Horse Association Board of Directors. Abernathy, who is also known for her familiar face on the many ReporTV program shows during the Celebration, says horses have been a major part of her life and she’s thrilled with the news of the promotion. “You dream of advancing in the work place and I am thrilled that the Howards have entrusted me with this new responsibility,” said Abernathy, who first won at the Celebration in 1987 and has loved every bit of it ever since. 

We work in a day and age where every person on our team is well-qualifi ed and capable of going above and beyond by performing more than one skill,” Howard said. “Chrystal will still be doing what she’s great at in addition to making other decisions on our team’s behalf in order to become better-serving to our clients and maintain our position of strength as we provide content desired by our many readers.”

Abernathy’s vision includes continuing to push the Report staff in a forward-moving direction.

“We have an amazing staff that prides itself in bringing the best news and advertising to our customers,” she said. “I am vested in the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry more than most. My family makes their living off of the horse. I have a horse trainer husband, two brothers-in-law who are farriers in the industry and two children that eat, sleep and breathe the walking horse.

“I want to do my very best to see that we have a performance and pleasure industry for many years to come.”