Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration

                              The 2009 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration

The 2009 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration marks the 70^th anniversary from the first celebration held in September 1939. Strolling Jim was foaled in 1936 and was bred by Ed Gilliam near Viola, Tennessee.   He was a chestnut gelding with a near hind sock, a star and a snip.   He was a three-year-old when he won Grand Championship honors at the first Celebration in 1939. Since that time, the celebration has been held the last week in August which allows Tennessee Walking Horse breeders to show the top of the equine line and determines the World Grand Champion.

This show is a 10 day event that brings over 30,000 breeders, exhibitors, and spectators nationwide to celebrate the annual Tennessee Walking Horse exhibition every year since its inception in Shelbyville. The majestic breed has a reputation for having a very good disposition known for being a calm and easygoing breed and typically easy to train. While the horses are famous for flashy movement, they are quite hardy, popular for trail and pleasure riding as well as for show.

Tennessee Walkers, as they are commonly known, are generally black, chestnut, sorrel, bay, or champagne; Other colors patterns such as roan and pinto are also common. Walkers are generally 15 to 17 hands tall, but can range from 13.2hh to 18hh and their weight is generally between 900 and 1200 pounds. These are no tiny horses. The TWH is a tall horse with a long neck and sloping shoulder. The head is traditionally large but refined in bone, with small well-placed ears. The horse has a fairly short back, short strong coupling, and an elongated stride. In the show arena, Walking horses are known for their gliding running walk and are usually shown with long manes and tails.

Over the years, controversy has ensued regarding various practices by trainers to get the best results from the TWH to accentuate the exaggerated front legged gait so well-loved by the audience and judges. Some of the practices were painful to the horse and inspectors with the USDA cracked down heavily on individuals using these methods to enhance the horse’s gait. Many supporters of the Tennessee Walking Horse have banded together for years to oppose cruelty to these magnificent animals and the 1970 Horse Protection Act, created specifically to stop such practices and to monitor the TWH in particular, prohibits the use of these methods.

In 1948, The TWH Celebration exhibition has grown into its own 100-plus-acre equestrian complex; a complex built in its current location that now includes a 30,000 seat outdoor stadium, a 4,500 seat indoor arena, a covered outdoor practice arena, permanent stalls for more than 1,700 horses, and campgrounds featuring full hook-ups for more than 350 recreational vehicles. Over 2,000 horses compete in the 10 day event to determine the World Grand Champion on the final night.

This year, the TWH Celebration should delight and impress horse-lovers everywhere with the beautiful sight of the Tennessee Walker as the World Grand Champion is announced and awarded its place in the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame.

For more information regarding this year’s celebration, visit the website at http://www.twhnc.com/