Weather, politics affect horse show season

Historically, the first weekend in April is sunny and warm. Historically, the first weekend in April, at least for nearly two decades, has played host in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry to the Walking Horse Owners' Association (WHOA) Kiwanis Spring Horse Show in Murfreesboro.

This year neither the weather nor the show cooperated with history.

The show, held at the Miller Coliseum, ended early after only a few classes of competition due to the sparse number of entries willing to participate with officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) present in the inspection area. The problem was not the condition of the horses but the condition of politics that kept the horses on the trailers or the trainers at their home facilities.

Wink Groover, chairman of the National Horse Show Commission (NHSC), the regulatory enforcement agency of the walking horse breed, conferenced with top USDA officials on Friday in Washington, D.C., regarding the signing of the Operating Plan 2007-2009. The Plan, the governing body of the industry in alliance with the Horse Protection Act (HPA), remains unsigned by the NHSC representing the Walking Horse Trainers Association (WHTA) and the Walking Horse Owners' Association (WHOA) membership nationwide. Due to several sub-sections of the Operating Plan, industry representatives were advised against signing until the wording was changed, amended or deleted.

Bill Hawkes and Dr. Valerie Reagan of AgWorks Solutions, a liaison group hired by the NHSC to negotiate the Plan with the USDA, accompanied Groover. Both Hawkes and Reagan were formerly employed by the USDA and Hawkes was formerly part of the enforcement team for the HPA. West Tennessee trainer Ray Gilmer was also in the group.

"I was in meetings in Washington," said Groover, "to ensure consistent application of the Scar Rule and to express our desire to help move the industry forward. We are continuing to work with the USDA to resolve our concerns."

However, in mid-afternoon, one USDA official announced to the group that any violation ticket written by a Designated Qualified Person (DQP) would automatically become a federal violation ticket as well.

"I felt it was important that everyone be fully aware of this intended action if they planned to show," said Groover. "We want to move forward with protecting the horse while preserving our industry."

With the announcement by Groover, phone calls to trainers and judges spread like wildfire across the South.

"We made the decision," said Tommy Hall, show chairman of the WHOA Kiwanis Show, "that for the protection of the trainers and for the show we needed to stay the course. We decided to continue the show and receive entries as they came through just like any other event. The number of entries determined the number of classes at the show. When the entries stopped, so did the show."

Hall remained staunch that the show was not canceled because the USDA was inspecting horses, but the turn out was low because of the awareness that any violation ticket written from a DQP or the Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO,) for whatever reason, would automatically receive a federal disqualification and monetary fines.

"This is the livelihood of these people," he said. "The object is to protect the horse and to promote the breed. If the horse has any type of reaction to an inspector, he could be considered in violation. With the way the definition of a scar reads (in the Horse Protection Act), any callous could be considered a scar that is a federal violation.

"The penalties are severe in many cases even when there isn't even a real cause. The show can also receive a stiff fine and for people just trying to raise money for charity, that's a big risk to take."

The show is affiliated with the NHSC that provides protection and inspection under the DQP program. Should violations be found by a DQP, the horse, trainer and owner are ticketed and a suspension and monetary fine issued. With the USDA present, these fines now fall under the judgment of the USDA.

"While the negotiating process (for the Operating Plan) is proceeding," said Hall, "it is going to be hard to for the walking horse industry to continue as it normally would. There will be some disappointments along the way and some of those disappointments will come from the decisions of people who sponsor horse shows but aren't involved in the walking horse industry in any other way."

Though he admits the conditions are frustrating, Hall was quick to point out that the trainers are following the rules outlined for them at the beginning of the year.

"We can work out the wording of the Operating Plan in time," he said. "The trainers showed at the Trainers Show (held in March at Calsonic Arena) that they are responsive to the needed changes in training and showing techniques. We are all here for a better industry. Sometimes politics just slows down the process."

Several shows across the mid-South canceled events due to bitterly cold temperatures. Many of these will be rescheduled in the near future.