The American Tobiano Horse Association
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114 – January/February, 2023
By Susan Winslow
Amazing things can happen when dedicated horsemen come together to support a new initiative. This past year, five well-respected professionals in the industry–Craig Burkhard, Larry Chastain, Jim Isley, Cathy Sasser, and Brent Harnish were brought together as founding members of the American Tobiano Horse Association (ATHA). This group of dedicated horsemen took a hard look at the future of the equine industry with the goal of developing a roadmap geared toward maintaining the integrity and viability of the Tobiano horse while supporting and sustaining the equine industry.
Founding member Brent Harnish has been involved in the equine industry for over fifty years. He is a well-respected breeder of World Champion Paint and Pinto horses and a seasoned horseman who has won World Championships and served as an APHA judge for twenty years. Harnish knows the industry from every side: breeder, competitor, and accredited judge.
Brent is thoughtful as he considers the future of the equine industry, saying, “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I believe we have to look to the future to encourage more people to enter the sport or in ten years, there might not even be any national competition. I’ve been a Tobiano breeder and competitor for a long time and I got a call one day from people who had an idea to start this organization. When they told me what their plans and goals were for The American Tobiano Horse Association, I thought it was something I could support. We’ve seen a decline in the loud coat patterns in the Paint and Pinto shows, and now here was a group that wanted to find a way to preserve the heritage, coat patterns and integrity of the Tobiano along with supporting Youth and Amateur exhibitors.”
The goal, he explains, is to develop programs to maintain and grow participation to these areas of the industry. “I firmly believe that this is a movement that needs to happen to sustain the business long-term, and it made it really easy for me to agree to become involved.”
Click here to read the complete article
114 – January/February, 2023
