SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — The 87th Annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, set for August 20–30, 2025, in Shelbyville, will feature more than 1,300 horses comprising 2,456 entries. While this marks a slight decline of 80 entries — approximately 3% — from last year, organizers say interest remains strong.

“We are never pleased when entries are less, but we continue to see strong numbers across the board,” said Celebration CEO Warren Wells. “Over the last five years, there have been significant gains in entries, ticket sales and our corporate sponsor program.”

Wells noted that while pre-show entries are important, the true indicator of success comes during the event itself.

“We rely on pre-show entries as a measure of our success, but our ultimate test comes with how many entries we have after our three championship nights — those will be entered 24 hours before they happen,” he said. “We feel strongly that 2025 will see a higher number of total entries than we had last year.”

This year’s entry totals prompted the division of 11 classes. Nine classes were split into A and B divisions, including the Three-Year-Old Stallions and Aged Stallions on the event’s first Saturday night — both of which serve as traditional qualifiers for the World Grand Championship. Two additional classes — the Two-Year-Old Stallions on Monday night and the Owner-Amateur Three-Year-Old Mares and Geldings — were split into three sections.

For more information on the 87th Annual Celebration, visit www.TWHNC.com.