Lifetime Dedication Award
Bess Neil and Blythewood Farm have been producing outstanding Saddlebreds since the 1940s. The farm has supported the American Saddlebred Horse Association with its breeding operation; Mrs. Neil has been the manager since the death of her husband in 1965. The farm has bred many famous Hall of Fame horses. Blythewood Farms has won over 20 World Champion and Reserve World Champion classes in the Futurity, in-hand division at the breed’s World Championship Horse Show. Mrs. Neil has been awarded Breeder of the Year by USEF and ASHA, Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Saddlebred Horse Association, and received the Audrey Pugh Gutridge Award at the World’s Championship Horse Show. For many years, Mrs. Neil has worked tirelessly on her vision for a thriving equine facility in Cleveland, TN. In 2000, her dream became a reality when the facility opened and the primary arena was named in her honor. The facility currently holds many equine events including the Chattanooga/Cleveland Horse Show and is the home of the Reinbow Riders, one of the top therapeutic equine programs in the State of Tennessee.