Copyright WHR 2007

By Christy Howard Parsons

As the debate over the National Futurity continues to wage on, the Report has followed up on the comments made by Holly Reynolds at a recent Executive Committee meeting of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association. Reynolds expressed outrage that TWHBEA had paid $15,000 to the Celebration for the National Futurity. At the time, TWHBEA Executive Director Chuck Cadle did clarify that the amount was not $15,000.

In fact, TWHBEA does not pay the Celebration anything for rental of the Calsonic Arena in order to hold their National Futurity. In 2006, the total amount paid was $9,290 that was specifically to pay the personnel who worked the show. That figure includes the cost of the judges, organist, announcer, farrier, ring staff, ticket takers and the ambulance service.

The Celebration nor horse show manager Ron Thomas was compensated in any way.