Editor's Note:  Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' & Exhibitors' Association President Loyd Black released the following statement regarding the recent mailer sent out by TWHBEA Horse Shows Vice President Pat Stout.

Dear TWHBEA Members,

You may have received recently a post card mailer asking for your opinion on some federal legislation.  This mailer bears our TWHBEA logo and apparently was calculated to arrive in your mail at the same time as this year’s TWHBEA ballots for the election of directors.  This mailer was not sent out by TWHBEA or paid for by TWHBEA. In fact, TWHBEA makes no request or requirement that you answer this mailer or do anything whatsoever with the mailer, and you can certainly throw it away if you want. 

Due to complaints from our members, within our Association’s rules and the law, TWHBEA has been investigating to find the true origin of the matter since we first learned of it. We have been thwarted to a certain extent because we are told only that it was financed by an “annonymous” (sic) source and nothing more so you can see how there would be suspicion of the motives behind it. We are looking into the legal issues of whether there has been an unauthorized use of our TWHBEA logo and whether there has been improper use of a corporate office. As well, we are studying whether someone is trying to develop a biased political issue which would threaten our Association’s tax exempt non-profit status.

As we proceed, we will do so on an orderly basis according to our bylaws and rules and law. We are searching for facts and avoiding unfounded and premature conclusions, and I urge you to do the same. As facts develop, we will report them to you. For your own reference, please review our corporate bylaws and corporate rules to see for yourselves what provisions might apply to the available facts. 

Loyd Black
President