(Editor's Note: The following article appeared in the Jan. 19, 2004, issue of The Report. At press time, The Report had not received a response from Toby Scarbrough or his attorney, however, Jan. 16, 2004, Scarbrough's attorney Chuck Cheek faxed a statement from his client, which was posted on our web site the same day. The statement also ran in the Feb. 16, 2004, print edition of The Report.)

The Report contacted Jerrold Pedigo, president of the TWHBEA, David Landrum, president of the WHTA, and Frank Neal, chairman of the NHSC, to get their reaction to the outcome of the Toby Scarbrough’s final appeal hearing. They had no official comment on the situation.

Ron Thomas, CEO of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, said, “I’m delighted that the issue has been resolved. At The Celebration we do not condone nor tolerate bribery of a show official. Almost all exhibitors work hard in order to compete in an impartial and fair show ring environment. They deserve this.

Some people say this situation is a black eye for our industry. I totally disagree. We do not live in a perfect world. There are some people who will always try to gain an advantage, even at the expense of violating ethical and legal guidelines. In this case, rules were broken and the penalty was harsh and severe. I’m proud of our industry leaders. Even through many delays these issues were handled in a very thorough and deliberate manner. Our standards have been upheld and other people will be discouraged from talking to an official in an inappropriate way.”

The Report also contacted Toby Scarbrough to give him the opportunity to respond, but our repeated calls went unreturned. Scarbrough’s attorney Chuck Cheek declined to comment without his client’s permission.