I didn't hear about anything until after the horse was withdrawn, I'm curious how this horse was chosen in the first place.
My personal guess...
...this horse represents the epitome of beauty the halter class wants to see right now. The breeders are industry famous and their daughters collect Breyer. Connections, money, exposure, more connections, more money.
The biggest hints are how Breyer's official social media talked about the horse and it's owners as well as using the term "horse industry". The latter term is frowned upon because it is connected to mass production. Mass production of sick animals so they die sooner, so a new animal has to be bought. Animals that win prices and set standards that result in more sick animals. I already talked about how Intuit has genetic defects. That's because of one foundation buck in his bloodline who was basically the originator of all that muscle and the defects that come with it.
What many fans have already pointed out is how Breyer wasn't even prepared to represent a halter class AQH or Appy because they don't have a bodytype like this in their line-up. That's another hint that money might have swayed them to celebrate Intuit instead of any other Appy. Finally, Intuit isn't even that colorful. He looks very close to another Appaloosa Breyer did not too long ago. So choosing him based on his coat to match the theme of 2021 isn't a good excuse, either.
Finally, I think it is weird that they talked about how hard it is to get a Celebration horse due to the pandemic. It really isn't. They just want the Celebration horse to be famous for some reason. But most fans don't really care. The horse is more important than its name to people who love horses, d'uh. It's the horse industry peeps and equestrians who might be more interested in who owns the horse, but not the bulk of fans (and let's not forget most of them are kids and their parents).
Edit: Sorry for making this such a soapbox post but while I am on it... wouldn't it make SO much sense for Breyer choosing a regional breeder or farm to highlight with its Celebration Horse? They talk about the pandemic giving them troubles when this could be THE reason to showcase a smaller name, to support a farm struggling? Breyer supports many charitable causes, why not make the Celebration Horse part of it?