Dr. Steve Mullins has accepted the position as President of the SHOW HIO effective Monday, November 23, 2009. Dr. Mullins will lead and direct all SHOW activities, including the current staff. Dr. Mullins has served as Co-Compliance Coordinator of SHOW since June 15, 2009, along with Dr. John Bennett, who will remain an active advisor and supporter of SHOW.
Dr. Mullins will report to the SHOW Executive Committee and ultimately the SHOW Board of Directors. He will close his private practice, Mullins Equine Veterinary Services in Shelbyville, Tennessee, which he has owned and operated since 2000.
“I am excited to be a permanent part of SHOW. There is a tremendous amount of work that is ahead for all of us but I also know that we can reach extraordinary heights by the entire industry pulling together. I want our industry not to just survive but thrive as we move forward in the coming years”, said Dr. Mullins.
Dr. Mullins graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1976 and is a 1980 graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University. He is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and has owned and operated his own practice for 27 years. He opened his first veterinary clinic in Kentucky in 1982 and sold it in 1999, moving to Shelbyville, TN and opening Mullins Equine Veterinary Services.
“I think Dr. Mullins is a great choice for SHOW and the obvious person to lead our HIO,” said Dr. Doyle Meadows, CEO of the Celebration. “He has done an outstanding job, along with Dr. John Bennett, in the last five months and we would not have made the progress we have without the efforts of these two dedicated veterinarians.”
“Dr. Mullins has been an industry leader and outspoken advocate for Walking Horses for many years and we are extremely pleased that we finally have his services full time. Among the attributes he brings to SHOW are his knowledge of the Walking Horse Industry, total understanding of the inspection process and a desire to move the industry forward” said Charles McDonald, Chairman of the SHOW Board of Directors. “It is a great day for SHOW and with this appointment it allows Dr. Meadows to return to his primary job of being the CEO of the Celebration.”
Dr. Mullins is the son of a Church of Christ Minister and missionary and has spent a portion of his life in Russia, the Ukraine and Guatemala. Dr. Mullins and his wife Carrell have four children, Woody, Carrie, Daniel and Lark. Carrell has worked with Dr. Mullins, serving as office manager. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hunting, hiking and trail riding.