The Celebration has just announced the classes it will split for the upcoming Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, which kicks off Aug. 21 and runs through Aug. 31. Ten classes have been split with A and B divisions and one class, the Two-Year-Old Walking Stallions, will have three sections. 

“Not only do we have large classes that required splits we also had quite a few right on the cusp,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman, who also announced yesterday that entry totals are up slightly from last year. “This speaks to the incredible talent we’re going to be seeing at this year’s show.” 

Serving as the headliner in the news regarding the splits of course is the breakdown of entries for the aged stallions on the first Saturday night of the show. Entries in the aged stallions preliminary, class 79 sec. A are as follows: Jose’s Power Broker and Keith Blackburn for Dan and Susan Erwin, Jose’s Thunderstruck and Scott Beaty for Barron Witherspoon, Star Of Ritz and Casey Wright for Herb Murrath, He’s Unleashed and Chad Williams for Virginia Stewart, Hey, Tomcat and Jamie Lawrence for Roy and Joan Wester, Bourban Street I and Chad Way for Duke Ingram, A Cowboy Casanova and Nick Price for Sarah Coffee Burks, Putt For Dough and Bill Cantrell for Cantrell and Powell, I’m Mayhem and Rodney Dick for JoAnn Dowell, and Jose’s Cold Chills and Jimmy McConnell for LaRue, Ann and Bart McWaters.

Sec. B for class 79 also features 10 entries, includes the following: Woodford and Justin Harris for the Andrew Family, Master’s Razzle & Jazz and Herbert Derickson for the Alan Riddley Family, The Darkest Hour and Tyler Baucom for Teresa Kincaid, The Iron Door and Alan Price for Sarah Coffee Burks, Jose’s Red Rock and Chris Helton for JimBo Conner, Gus Malzahn and Rodney Dick for JoAnn Dowell, Border Run and John Allan Callaway for Gayle Holcomb, Fly Dragonfly and Jimmy McConnell for Barnes & Farris, My Shockwave and Jimmy McConnell for Bill and Karen Bean, and I’m Lombardi and Gary Edwards for Henry and Peggy Metcalf.

The complete list of splits are as follows: 
• Class 26 — O/A Two-Year-Old Walking Stallions
• Class 30 — O/A Novice Lady Riders on Novice Walking Mares or Geldings
• Class 51 — Three-Year-Old Walking Stallions
• Class 70 — Three-Year-Old Walking Mares
• Class 73 — Two-Year-Old Walking Mares
• Class 79 — Walking Stallions, Five Years and Over (Canter)
• Class 91 — O/A Four-Year-Old Walking Mares or Geldings
• Class 109 — Two-Year-Old Walking Stallions (A,B,C)
• Class 117 — O/A Two-Year-Old Walking Mares or Geldings
• Class 122 — O/A Three-Year-Old Walking Stallions
• Class 126 — Three-Year-Old Walking Mares or Geldings

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration has selected Jamie Bradshaw, Nathan Clark, Jamie Hankins, Kenny Smith and Robbie Spiller to judge the 81^st Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.  The 81^st Celebration will be August 21^st – August 31^st on the historic show grounds in Shelbyville.

The panel once again is a blend of experienced judges with new faces to the Celebration.  Both Smith and Spiller will be making their first appearance at The Celebration.  “Last year’s panel included two new faces and we felt like the mix of three experienced judges along with two new ones was a good mix and produced great results last year.  In addition, The Celebration is committed to expanding the judging pool and giving more of our licensed judges an opportunity to work our shows,” said Celebration CEO Mike Inman.

Clark and Bradshaw will return for the fifth time to mark the cards.  Clark previously judged in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016.  Bradshaw last judged the Celebration in 2013 but also marked the cards in 2006, 2009, and 2011.

Hankins will be returning to center ring at The Celebration for the first time since 2011 and will be marking the cards for the seventh time.  Hankins judged in 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003 and 2008.  Hankins judged with Clark in 2008 and with Bradshaw in 2011.  The Celebration has been committed to diversifying its panels and this year’s panel only includes one judge who has marked the cards at The Celebration in the last five years.

“We are excited for this year’s show and appreciate these five judges for agreeing to take on one of the most prestigious jobs and responsibilities in our industry.  Judging the Celebration is the most important job our judges can accept and we expect this year’s panel to do an excellent job.  These five individuals have judged at most all of our industry’s major venues and continue to judge prestigious shows even in the time periods that they have not judged our shows.  The confidence the industry has placed in selecting these individuals for their shows was a major factor in our committee’s decision to select them for this year’s assignment,” concluded Inman.

August 21-31, 2019

Start Making Plans for the 2019 Celebration!!!