Copyright WHR 2008

By Jeffrey Howard

The Walking Horse Owners Association appointed Mark Farrar and Dee Dee Sale as their representatives to the National Horse Show Commission at their meeting today, August 28, 2008. The two WHOA alternates were appointed to replace Frank Neal and David Pruett who had resigned from the NHSC on Monday, August 18, 2008.

Mark Farrar will assume Frank Neal’s position as Chairman of the NHSC. When contacted by The Report at the time of his resignation, Neal said "There have been several instances that I don't agree with at the NHSC. I keep trying to point the industry in the right direction and when that isn't happening in my opinion, it is time for me to resign."

Neal is also the President of the Walking Horse Owners' Association, which in 2008 assumed the Chairman of the NHSC position. Neal did not want to give any specifics on the instances he referred to and summed up his resignation as, "the NHSC and I have differences of opinions on how the industry is moving forward."

Pruett issued the following statement following his resignation:

“On Monday, August 18, I resigned as a director of the National Horse Show Commission. I intended to do this quietly and not distract from the upcoming National Celebration. The NHSC has been a large part of my life the past several years and I’m proud of the accomplishments we have made, therefore my decision to resign is not one that I have taken lightly. The last couple of years we have had the opportunity to be proactive and “do the right thing” willingly and not because we were forced to do so by outside groups or the media. In my opinion, as of late, the NHSC has not taken this opportunity. Decisions by the NHSC board and statements made in executive session have become public knowledge. This may be common practice in the industry but not by me.

“The NHSC faces important decisions at every meeting and needs people who have the time to give it the attention it deserves. Right now my time is best spent in my efforts at TWHBEA. I hope that my replacement at the NHSC will continue to give owners, and all of our disciplines, a strong voice and will be effective on their behalf. I can assure you my love and devotion to this breed has not changed and I will always be a strong proponent of anything that protects our horse and moves our industry forward.”

Complete details from today’s WHOA meeting will follow.