1969 Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1969 December Voice | Page 43

a genuine service to the entire horse industry by hold­
ing this meeting. Their primary purpose was to pre­
sent the two bills and allow those present to express
their views regarding the bills. William C. Tune, Jr.,
president of the sponsoring organization, called the
meeting to order and introduced William Jennings,
Assistant Attorney General of the State of Tennessee.
Mr. Jennings read and explained the bills and answer­
ed questions as to content and meaning. After this
part of the program, which took almost an hour and
a half, the floor was opened to the public for questions
and discussion.
There were very few questions and a lot of opinions
expressed by those in attendance. On the platform
along with Mr. Tune and Mr. Jennings were Sam Gib­
bons, Manager of the Celebration; Vic Thompson,
President of the Trainers Association; and Senator
J. T. Kelley, President of the Tennessee Walking
Horse Breeders’ Association.
Senator Kelley went on record as opposing the state
bill in its present form. Mr. Thompson stated that the
Trainers Association would have their annual winter
meeting early in December and would discuss the bill
at that time. He pointed out that he could not, at this
time, comment on the bills on behalf of the Trainers
Association. Mr. Gibbons did not comment.
One of the most interesting phases of the meeting
came when a Mr. Ricards of Memphis asked to be
heard. He spoke on behalf on the American Quarter
Horse Association and other horse organizations. He
stated that they were adamant in their opposition to
the proposed bill. In effect, he stated that the other
breeds would not submit to legislation that would be
detrimental to their activity just because the Walking
Horse business could not govern their own affairs. It
was a very effective presentation.
Mr. Tune, in his opening remarks, stated that the
Tydings Bill S2543 will be presented to the Commerce
Committee soon and it should be ready for presenta­
tion to the Senate shortly thereafter. In effect, he said
that passage of the Tydings Bill is virtually assured.
He also said that his most recent correspondence from
Senator Tydings’ office indicated the senator would be
favorable to a proposition whereby the Federal gov­
ernment would permit a strong state bill to supercede
any Federal action in those states that would pass
and enforce such a bill.
An interesting and most helpful prelude to the meet­
ing was the presentation of a questionnaire by the
Celebration officials. This questionnaire was designed
to get the opinions of those in attendance regarding
the Celebration and any changes or improvements
that might help the show. The results of this question­
naire will be published as soon as the results are
tabulated.
It was a fine meeting, a meeting which will perhaps
be beneficial to the Celebration in getting some ideas
regarding their show. As far as any real progress be­
ing made regarding a REAL solution to our problems
in the Walking Horse business . . . none was made.
Junior gelding for
sale. Winner at Mobile
and Montgomery.
Good juvenile or ama­
teur prospect.
December, 1969
Groover-Spears
Stables
Etowah, Tennessee
Phone [phone]
REACTION TO STATE BILL SUMMED UP
BY QUARTER HORSE ENTHUSIAST
Mr. H. A. Ricards, Jr., representing a host of horse
organizations, took the podium at the recent open
meeting in Shelbyville and presented strong arguments
against the proposed TennesseeState Horse Protective
Bill. From Memphis, Mr. Ricards represented the Ten­
nessee Quarter Horse Association, the Bluff City Cut­
ting Horse Association, the West Tennessee Appaloo-
sa Association, the Southern Amateur Saddle Club,
the Germantown Hunter & Jumper Association, and
the American Quarter Horse Association.
In his statement regarding the proposed bill, Mr.
Ricards pointed out that all of the organizations he
represented and the members were completely against
the cruel act of soring horses in order to artificially
improve their gait and competitiveness in exhibition.
He further stated that the various horse organizations
he represented had not take an official position for or
against the Tydings Bill. He personally felt that this
was more specific to the need and more desirable if
legislation is required than the proposed Tennessee
bill. He stated that it was his hope that the Tennes­
see Walking Horse people would have or could still
set their house in order and take official action to
control and prevent the soring practice without the
need of punitive legislation that could be in hibitive
to horse activity and particularly to the youth parti
cipating in the horse activity here in our state.
Mr. Ricards quoted from Sections 39-420, 421 and
422 of the Tennessee Code in which cruelty to ani­
mals and the act of soring horses is a misdemeanor
punishable by fine and imprisonment. He stated that
the current law or amendments thereto could be the
answer as opposed to establishing the Horse Protec­
tion Commission as now drafted for consideration as
State legislation early in 1970.
Mr. Ricards stated that the establishment of the
Commission provided for an unwanted bureau in the
State covernment to establish regulations regarding
the training, exhibiting, breeding and sale of horses.
Recognizing that "class legislation” could not be en-
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