Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum, Horse breed museum in Wartrace, United States.
The Tennessee Walking Horse National Museum occupies an old store in downtown Wartrace, Tennessee, and is the only museum devoted entirely to the breed. Its rooms cover all sides of the Walking Horse industry, with an exhibit on the current World Grand Champion updated each year, saddles and tack of past winners, and sections on breeders and trainers that change periodically.
The museum opened in Shelbyville in a room next to the Cooper Steel Arena, moved to Lynchburg in the 1990s, and closed there in 2005. It reopened in 2011 in an old store in Wartrace, a town nicknamed "The cradle of the Tennessee Walking Horse." In 2016, state grants of over $3,000 funded the restoration of old Celebration films.
The museum holds an exhibit on Betty Sain, who in 1966 rode Shaker's Shocker to become the first female rider to win a World Grand Championship. Saddles and tack of past winners sit alongside displays on breeders and trainers, changed periodically.
The small institution sits in an easy-to-find building on Main Street, allowing visitors to explore the rooms at their own pace. It helps to check the schedule beforehand since the museum only opens on certain days of the week.
The saddle of Strolling Jim, the first National Champion, is displayed alongside a 1940 color portrait of the horse painted by artist Bill Humphreys. The museum also keeps a hands-on section where visitors can leaf through old show bills and industry magazines.
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