09/03/2026
Buckle up this will be long!
Edit #2- THANK YOU to everyone who believed in us, let me love on your kids and told us how much you appreciated TNLBRA! This is not good bye, I will see you all down the road!
Much love Whitney
EDIT- we heard today 9/3/2026 that we are
still on probabtion but the board is now going to put policy's in place! You make
The call if they should have put us in probabtion or not! A letter to the board with our franchise resignation is in the commentsđź’”
FOLLOW-UP REGARDING TNLBRA PROBATION & APPEAL
I want to provide a follow-up regarding the probation notice TNLBRA received and the appeal we submitted. I will put the email in the comments that was sent to the NLBRA Board requesting an appeal so that our members and families can read it for themselves.
Our goal in sharing this information is transparency. We believe our members deserve to understand what has occurred and why TNLBRA has raised concerns regarding this process.
After submitting our appeal, we specifically requested written acknowledgment that it had been received so there would be a clear record of when the appeal process began. We never received that acknowledgment by email.
I did receive a phone call from Board Secretary, Matt Foster, regarding the matter. Unfortunately, the conversation became tense very quickly. During the call, I was told that the Board was following PRCA rules. I asked which specific rule was being referenced so that I could review it myself, because different violations can have different requirements and consequences. I was told to find the rule myself.
I was also told that the matter had been discussed in executive session and that minutes or notes were not kept from that discussion. This raised additional concerns for me regarding what documentation exists showing what information was presented, discussed, and relied upon when this decision was made.
At National Finals, there was considerable discussion about this Board being transparent. That makes these questions even more important.
Transparency should not apply only when it is convenient. Members should be able to ask reasonable questions about Board actions, financial information, policies, and decisions affecting franchises without those questions being viewed as attacks.
Now, back to the circumstances surrounding our probation.
While completing associate membership renewals on Sunday following our rodeo, we learned that Blayne had never received his associate card from the previous year. Em Cragar contacted Shaun Loehr regarding the matter on Sunday evening. During that conversation, Em also asked a question about the rule concerning the drawing of stock for back-to-back rodeos. It was simply a question seeking clarification.
The following morning, Em received a call from Scott Estep regarding the judge’s decision involving back-to-back stock. During that conversation, Scott explained that the rule had not been officially changed, but that a former Board member involved with judges had apparently been communicating that interpretation during judges’ meetings even though it had not been voted on.
In other words, the judge at our rodeo made the decision he believed was correct based upon the information he had been given.
During either of these conversations, no concern was raised with us regarding our bullfighters.
Then, on Tuesday night at approximately 9:30 p.m., I received the probation notice stating that TNLBRA had failed to have the appropriate number of bullfighters.This will
Also be in the comments.
At that point, the National Office had not yet received our rodeo paperwork.
No one contacted TNLBRA before issuing the probation notice to ask who our bullfighters were, verify their status, request clarification, or discuss what actually occurred in the arena.
That is one of our biggest concerns.
No rodeo is perfect. Mistakes happen. Rules sometimes require judgment calls, and officials make decisions based upon the information available to them at the time.
We have personally witnessed situations at other rodeos that could potentially raise rule questions. For example, we have seen a contestant used as a pickup man who was certainly capable of doing the job, but whose approved associate-member status was unclear to us.
The rules also address arena personnel being in proper western attire. I will place a photograph in the comments showing an example involving what appears to be a National Board member wearing a ball cap with his shirt untucked. The rulebook specifically addresses shirts being tucked in. A franchised used a pickup man after his card was denied. They just didn't turn in his name- but national board members were apart of that rodeo as well and knew he was not approved.
We have seen trail courses that were not reversed for the second rodeo.
We have attended rodeos where junior bulls were steers and questions were raised regarding whether the stock met the required weight. Yet the rodeo continued, the situation was addressed, and those involved were instructed to correct it going forward. In the goat tying Billy's were used. None of these received probation letter.
That is exactly the point.
We are not asking for other franchises, volunteers, judges, or Board members to be punished. We are asking why TNLBRA appears to have been treated differently.
There is a significant difference between correcting an honest mistake and immediately placing a franchise on probation—especially without first contacting that franchise, asking questions, or allowing it an opportunity to explain.
Rules should be applied consistently and fairly to everyone. Enforcement should not depend upon who the franchise is, who is involved, or whether someone has previously questioned a Board decision.
TNLBRA has never claimed to run a perfect rodeo. We make mistakes. When we do, we want someone to tell us so we can correct them. What we were asking for was fairness, consistency, documentation, communication, and due process.
Please read our appeal letter in the comments and see for yourself what we asked.
Read what we asked the Board to review. Read the questions we asked. Read the explanation we provided.
Then you can decide for yourself whether TNLBRA’s request for an appeal and clarification was unreasonable.
We are not asking anyone to post hateful or disrespectful comments toward Board members or anyone else involved. Please keep any discussion respectful and focused on the facts.
TNLBRA will continue to stand for our contestants, our families, our volunteers, and the people who have supported this franchise.
Transparency should mean transparency—even when the questions are difficulties board.
