Features Editor
Senior Jordan Dean competed in The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee, where 250,000 people gather for the annual horse show.
Dean began riding horses at age five. “My grandma showed horses and I guess she wanted me to carry the tradition,” she says. Dean first attended the celebration when she was two years old to see her grandmother perform. Every year since then, Dean attends the show to compete, watch, and reconnect with friends.
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| Jordan Dean at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. |
The celebration is a huge event, not only for competitors to showcase their skills, but for Tennessee citizens as well. Students in Bedford County, Tennessee are excused from school each year to watch and compete in the show. From August 22 to September 1, students run concession stands outside the stadium to raise money for their schools.
Dean competed in one of the 177 classes, which comprise all age-ranges. “During the first week, there were trials; I had to compete in the preliminary class. I made the top ten, so I got to show in the champion class the next week,” says Dean. Out of 22 teens, she placed third. “I was kind of disappointed, because I did well in my other shows, which prepare you for the championship.”
