Tennessee Walking Horse event will boost economy
Almost 250,000 daily tickets for 11 days of events beginning Wednesday have been bought by horse owners and enthusiasts from some 40 states and several other countries, the Times-Gazette of Shelbyville reported Tuesday. Its 166 competitive events have more than 4,620 entries.
The $38 million economic impact was calculated by Sport Insight Group, a marketing consultant in Murfreesboro. The study found that the horse show has the impact of a NASCAR race and is bigger than the Music City Bowl and the Country Music Marathon, both in Nashville.
It’s definitely enough to close down Bedford County schools from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2.
The global character of the modern event might surprise its original organizer, Wartrace horse owner Henry Davis, who held the first Shelbyville gathering in 1939 in an open field in town. His inspiration was the Crimson Clover Festival in Winchester, which celebrates the town’s unique vegetation.
He organized the first celebration in honor of the Tennessee Walking Horse, a big, gentle and smooth-riding breed that was once used by plantation owners to roam their property.
These days, the event is held on a 105-acre complex with an outdoor stadium, indoor arena and vast complex of stables and training rings. A pay-per-view webcast is available on the event’s Web site, and military jets will fly over at the closing ceremony on Sept. 3.
“When you sell nearly a quarter million tickets and people are coming from over 40 states, you are going to have a major effect on the economy,” said John T. Bobo, chairman of the celebration’s board.