by Sarah Smith

            LEWISBURG, Tenn. – The TWHBEA Youth Committee met at the TWHBEA National Headquarters on Thursday November 29, 2007. The meeting got underway shortly after 5:30 P.M. under the direction of Chairman, Holly Reynolds.

            Mrs. Reynolds spent a majority of the meeting talking about events and activities that the youth participated in during 2007. Some of the activities included the TWHYA Board, the Dream Factory service project where a donated horse was given to a young boy with an inoperable brain tumor. Along with the horse, all the necessities to go along with the horse was also donated. Other activities included The American Youth Horse Council Rocky Mountain Horse Exposition in Denver, Co., $20,000 in scholarships, the TWHYA Youth Camp, and All Youth Day, just to name a few. Mrs. Reynolds was proud to inform the committee that participation in the youth programs were up over 200%. The Youth Committee was under their budget by 60%, and the greatest accomplishment was that the committee completed all the events they had planned for 2007.

            Several new topics were discussed to get the youth from all over the country and in foreign lands more involved in the TWHBEA Youth Programs. The committee discussed the large need for the TWHYA Board to have a better and more detailed set of bylaws. Because of budget cuts, the committee discussed ways to raise money to keep all the great youth programs going. The TWHBEA Youth Committee is excited about 2007. They will be working hard to produce great activities for the youth in the walking horse industry, including the 2008 TWHYA Youth Camp that will take place the last week of June.