page_title: Horse industry in Tennessee
section_title: Tennessee Walking Horse
hierarchical_section_title: Horse industry in Tennessee / Tennessee Walking Horse
caption_attribution_description: English: Allan F-1, also known as Black Allan, a foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Image taken c.1905
context_page_description: The horse industry in Tennessee is the 6th largest in the United States, and over three million acres of Tennessee farmland are used for horse raising or horse-related activities. The most popular breed in the state is the eponymous Tennessee Walking Horse, and it became an official state symbol in 2000.
context_section_description: The Tennessee Walking Horse, the first horse breed to be named for an American state, was developed in the Middle Basin of Tennessee. Horse breeder James Brantley began his breeding program in the early 1900s using the foundation stallion Black Allan, who had a smooth running walk and a calm disposition which he passed on to his offspring. Though Black Allan died in 1910, shortly after being sold to another breeder named Albert Dement, he sired 40 known foals whose bloodline became well known in the region. One of his sons, Roan Allen, carried on his bloodline and is estimated by horse breeding experts to be the ancestor of 100% of living Tennessee Walking Horses.
  Brantley's and Dement's farms were both located just outside Wartrace, and the town is known as "The cradle of the Tennessee Walking Horse". The breed's main registry, the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association (TWHBEA), was founded in 1935 in Lewisburg and is still located downtown. In 1939 Henry Davis and a group of fellow horsemen held the inaugural Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration; it lasted three days and ended with Strolling Jim, trained by Floyd Carothers, being crowned as the first World Grand Champion. After the founding of the TWHBEA and then Celebration, the Walking Horse jumped in popularity and many notable breeding farms were established, including Harlinsdale Farm, and horse trainers began to focus on training Tennessee Walkers specifically for show competition. Trainers who became notable during this period include Winston Wiser, Fred Walker and Steve Hill.
  Today the Tennessee Walking Horse continues to be highly important to the Middle Basin. The town of Shelbyville is called the Tennessee Walking Horse Capital of the World, and has hosted the Celebration for most of its history; the first few Celebrations were held in Wartrace, but the move was made due to space issues. The Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum was founded in the 1980s and was hosted in several locations before moving to its permanent location in Wartrace. The Middle Basin is home to many farms and training stables which specialize in the breed, with Bedford, Rutherford, Coffee and Cannon counties having the largest populations. The breed also brings in large amounts of revenue to the state; the Celebration annually generates $41 million in income to Shelbyville alone, and individual horses can sell in excess of  $100,000.
  There are multiple institutions and landmarks in the area named after the Walking Horse, including the Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad, which runs between Shelbyville and Wartrace, and the Walking Horse Hotel in Wartrace, which was the home of Strolling Jim.
  The Tennessee Walking Horse was officially named the state horse by the General Assembly of Tennessee in 2000.
caption: Black Allan on the Brantley farm in 1905
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