The WEG committee has gone back on its decision to allow the exhibition of the Tennessee Walking Horse by TWHBEA at WEG in Kentucky later this year. Instead, the WEG is choosing to showcase the beauty and versatility of the Southern walking horse with representatives of the National Walking Horse Association (NWHA), which has a zero tolerance policy for violations of the federal Horse Protection Act, which continues to plague the TWHBEA. Contrary to the TWHBEA, the NWHA
prohibits devices and practices that exaggerate the horse's natural gait.

Tennessee Walking Horses are often trained using large heavy pads on their front feet along with chains or other irritants to cause the horse's feet to become sore and to make it step higher with its forelegs. The TWHBEA had already agreed that there would be no horses displayed at the WEG in pads or chains, otherwise known as "action devices", but the WEG committee decided against showcasing the controversial association and refunded their $20,000 deposit.

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