TWH Family mourns Gene Jordan

Gene D. Jordan, age 91 of Murfreesboro, Tennessee passed away peacefully, May 11, 2024 at the farm he was born and raised on. Gene graduated from Walter Hill High School and then farmed with his Father and later worked as a Master Farrier for thirty-eight years in the Tennessee Walking Horse Industry.

He was a member of the Jerusalem Cumberland Presbyterian Church and led the singing there and at Powells Chapel Baptist for fifty years. His infectious smile and sense of humor brought joy and laughter to everyone he encountered.

Gene is survived by his High School sweetheart, Lailia Nell Jones Jordan to whom he was married for 72 years; son Belvie Gene (Tamberlyn) Jordan; daughter Sheryl Lee (Dean) Pittard; sister Lanna Jordan Barrett; grandchildren Elizabeth (Josiah) Shoemaker; Ellie Jordan; and great­ grandson, Emerson James Shoemaker and Lionel Gene, due to be born November, 2024. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Short Jordan and Alberta McKee Jordan; brother, Roger Belvie Jordan; and granddaughter, Emilee Genell Jordan.

Visitation will be on Tuesday, May 14, from 4-7 PM and Wednesday May 15, 10-11 AM. Chapel Services will be Wednesday, May 15 at 11 AM with Brent Wills officiating at Jennings and Ayers Funeral Home. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery with family serving as pallbearers.

The family would like to recognize and thank Amedisys Hospice for their excellent and loving care of Gene during the last thirteen months. Along with caregivers, Carrie Grantwhite and Fred Wilder who played a vital role in enhancing Gene’s quality of life and unwavering support to family members.

Please leave online condolences for the family at www.jenningsandayers.com Jennings and Ayer Funeral Home, 820 South Church Street, Murfreesboro, TN. 37130. 615-893-2422



New APHIS Rule effective Feb 1st 2025

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2024 – In an effort to end horse soring at Tennessee Walking Horse shows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is announcing strengthened Horse Protection Act regulations. Soring is a cruel and inhumane practice where some owners and trainers chemically or physically irritate or burn horses to provide an accentuated gait that gives them an unfair advantage in walking horse competitions and fraudulent purchase prices at horse shows.

Walking horses are known for their naturally high gait, but to be more successful in competitions some owners and trainers use cruel methods to exaggerate a horse’s gait. These inhumane methods may cause the horse to suffer physical pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness while walking and moving.

“For far too long, some within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry have sored and abused their horses, despite the industry’s inspection process and our own enforcement efforts,” said Jenny Lester-Moffitt, Under Secretary for USDA Marking and Regulatory Programs. “This abuse must stop. Eliminating this cruel practice will help protect horses competing in these shows and level the playing field for the industry. The independent inspection process should strengthen the competition at these shows and benefit the many owners and trainers who do right by their animals.”

The stronger regulations include:

Eliminating industry self-regulation and the role of industry-backed Designated Qualified Persons as inspectors at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions. Only APHIS inspectors and independent non-APHIS-employed horse protection inspectors screened, trained, and authorized by APHIS will have inspection authority.
Prohibiting any device, method, practice, or substance applied to a horse that can cause or is associated with soring.
Prohibiting on Tennessee Walking or racking horses all action devices and non-therapeutic pads, artificial toe extensions, and wedges, as well as all substances on the extremities above the hoof, including lubricants.
Removing the scar rule from the regulations and replacing it with a more accurate description of visible dermatological changes indicative of soring.
Amending recordkeeping and reporting requirements for management at covered events to better enforce the HPA.
In 2017, APHIS withdrew the initial Horse Protection Act final rule from public inspection per a memorandum issued by the Executive Office of the President. Following a lawsuit based on that action, the agency withdrew the 2017 rule on October 30, 2023, and published a new proposed rule, receiving 8,787 comments. The new rule builds upon information we have learned since the 2017 rule was drafted. Notably, it incorporates lessons and science-based recommendations from the 2021 National Academies of Science review of the inspection program.

The Horse Protection Act is a Federal law that prohibits sored horses from participating in shows, exhibitions, sales or auctions. The Horse Protection Act also prohibits the transportation of sored horses to or from any of these events.

A copy of this rule may be viewed today, and the rule will be published in the Federal Register in the coming weeks. This rule will be effective February 1, 2025.



LIVE FROM RHBAA SPRING CELEBRATION SATURDAY



LIVE RHBAA SPRING CELEBRATION FRIDAY NIGHT



LIVE FROM RHBAA SPRING CELEBRATION

 



The Celebration Fun Show picks Bradshaw, Hilley and Scrivner to judge

Celebration makes plans for Spring Fun Show; Announces Judges
Thursday, April 4, 2024

 

The 54th Annual Spring Fun Show will be held May 23-25, 2024, in Cooper Steel Arena on the historic show grounds of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. Judging the Spring Fun Show will be Jamie Bradshaw, Mike Hilley and Dickie Scrivner.

Bradshaw has been a regular at Celebration events having marked the cards at The Celebration six times.  His most recent assignment was in 2022.  Bradshaw also judged the Spring Fun Show in 2022 and has judged most every major show in the industry during his career.

Hilley will be judging the Spring Fun Show for the first time however he has also previously judged The Celebration.  Hilley marked the cards at The Celebration in 2018 and 2020.  Hilley has been in center ring at some major venues since his last Celebration role.  He has judged the National Trainers’ Show, Pulaski, Columbia Spring Jubilee and Money Tree among others since 2020.

Scrivner will be considered the rookie of the panel as he will be the only one that has not previously judged The Celebration.  But Scrivner is no rookie and has worked for The Celebration previously at the 2020 Spring Fun Show.  His resume includes judging the National Trainers’ Show, North Carolina Championships, Columbia Spring Jubilee and Alabama Jubilee.

The Spring Fun Show will feature 72 classes across the three evening performances with an addition of two crowd favorite Pick Your Partner classes to help raise money for the legal fun.  Each performance starts at 6:00PM, and the class sheet can be found here.

The Celebration will also have a sponsor party in center ring of Celebration Arena on Wednesday night.  Information on sponsorship opportunities can be found here. For more information visit www.TWHNC.com or call The Celebration office at 931-684-5915.



Christmas In July selects Byard, Bobo and Zahnd to judge

Judges For Christmas In July
Thursday, April 11, 2024

 

The Christmas In July Show will be held July 2-4, 2024 at the Bedford County Agricultural Center in Shelbyville, TN.

This year the show is pleased to announce they have selected Chris Bobo of Shelbyville; Dean Byard of Nashville and Chris Zahnd of Jonesborough, Tennessee to handle marking the cards for the three day show. This year’s show will also be affiliated with S.H.O.W. HIO with a class sheet containing 65 classes of both walking, racking, performance and pleasure.

One special addition to this year’s event is that $500 will go to the trainer who shows the most horses.
Guests at this event will be able to enter online at www.entermywalkinghorse.com.

For more details on exciting upcoming event please contact Carol Missildine at 919-437-6597.



TWH Family mourns Kerry Huckaby

Kerry Blaine Huckaby, 57, died Monday, April 8, 2024 in Columbia.

Funeral services will be conducted Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 11:00 AM at First United Methodist Church with Reverend Jeff Jacob and Reverend Dan Camp officiating.  Burial will follow at Polk Memorial Gardens.  The family will visit with friends Friday, April 19, 2024 from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Oakes & Nichols Funeral Home and Saturday from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM in the Atrium at First United Methodist Church.  Online condolences may be extended at www.oakesandnichols.com.

Kerry was born in Columbia on October 8, 1966 to Elaine Green Huckaby and the late Loyd Huckaby, Jr. He was always an avid reader and excelled academically.  He graduated from Columbia Academy in 1985 and earned his Associate’s degree with honors from Columbia State Community College.  In 1990, he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University.

He was a kind and thoughtful person with many loves and passions. From childhood, he loved John Wayne movies and Tennessee Walking horses.  All his life, he and his father spent countless hours raising and showing yearling colts and attending walking horse shows.  The Walking Horse Celebration was his favorite time of year.   He loved professional and college football. He enjoyed tail gaiting and attended many Titans games with friends.   Even though he was a University of Tennessee fan for many years, his number one team became the University of Alabama when his son started college in 2016.   He loved music of all genres.  He especially loved Elvis, Eric Clapton, George Strait, and the classics of Frank Sinatra and The Rat Pack.  His love of movies and novels included anything James Bond, Lewis Grizzard, and other southern fiction.  His love of cars spanned from old cars, old Dodge trucks, jeeps, muscle cars, and mustangs.   Car shows of any kind were a favorite pastime.  He enjoyed being with friends to share a good bourbon or his homemade ice cream.  Tennessee Coffee Co. was his favorite coffee shop and he visited them almost daily.  His greatest love and pride were his two children.  He was a member of First United Methodist Church of Columbia.

Survivors include his son, Jackson Loyd Huckaby of Columbia; daughter, Linton Blaine Huckaby (Dillon Ocaña) of Frankin; mother, Elaine Green Huckaby of Columbia; aunt, Emily Mabry (Glenn) of Columbia; and the mother of his children, Kara Williams of Columbia.

 

Pallbearers will be Jackson Huckaby, Linton Huckaby, Dillon Ocaña, Patrick Harlan, Tracy Boyd, Paul Watson, and Jeff Green.  Honorary Pallbearers will be the Columbia Academy Class of 1985.



Ocoee Spring Fling adds class. We have the Class Sheet!

Ocoee Spring Fling adds class
Monday, April 8, 2024

 

The Ocoee Spring Fling, scheduled for April 19-20, 2024, at the Tri-State Exhibition Center in McDonald, Tennessee, is adding a class on Friday night. Class 14a will be the Youth Auxiliary Performance Riders 17 and Under. They are also making the Model class a Riders’ Cup class. Judging the show will be Chad Adams, Keith Blackburn and Claire Hankins. A complete class schedule can be found by clicking here.

OcoeeSpringFling



Amended Complaint Filed in Wrights v. USDA Thursday, April 4, 2024

Amended Complaint Filed in Wrights v. USDA
Thursday, April 4, 2024

 

Torridon Law PLLC filed an amended complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee on Wednesday April 3, 2024.  The original complaint was filed on March 11, 2024.  The USDA has 60 days to respond to the complaint filed by Torridon Law PLLC.

The amendments to the original complaint are due to an email from USDA-APHIS during the middle of the 2024 National Trainers’ Show that changed the application of the scar rule effective immediately, reversing seven years of training and application in the field of the highly subjective Scar Rule.  No reason was given by USDA-APHIS nor was any comment or notice period given to the industry.

USDA Veterinary Medical Officers had already been in attendance at two shows in 2024 applying the Scar Rule as it had been for the last seven years and the change came before the third night of the four-night National Trainers’ Show.

The amended complaint just further emphasizes the arbitrary nature of the scar rule, which was included in the original complaint.  The complaint still includes the lack of due process claims in the original complaint as well as the disqualification of horses for post-show inflammation.

CLICK HERE  to read the amended complaint.