Encouraged by a great deal of activity from the Youth Committee and Tennessee Walking Horse Youth Association (TWHYA,) the Executive Committee of TWHBEA has voted to proclaim 2022 as its“Year of the Youth.” The suggestion was made by Youth Vice-President Dee Cantrell and was met with the enthusiastic support of the Executive Committee at their most recent meeting. Cantrell pointed out that much of the momentum comes from her 20-member committee, which hails from seven states and the Netherlands and has been very engaged this year. So far this year, this dynamic committee has revamped the Youth Judging Contest, Creative Contest and Member of the Year competition. They’ve also engaged youth members as volunteers at several horse shows and raised money to fund over 100 youth memberships for 4-H’ers who show Tennessee Walking Horses as part of the 4-H Horse Program.
“Our future depends on our ability to attract and engage youth members,” remarked TWHBEA President Jack Heffington. “Finding ways for them to get involved, make friends, and have fun is the most important thing we can do now to assure our long-term success and viability.”
