by Linda Scrivner

TAZEWELL, Va. - The 33rd annual Tazewell County Walking Horse Classic was held in Tazewell, Va., July 25, at the fairgrounds. This show is always one of the highlights of the show circuit in Virginia and neighboring states.

Ronnie Vincent of Lexington, Ky., judged the 176 entries in the 36-class show. There were 172 entries in 2008 and 192 entries in 2007. J.E. Brown, show manager, was hard at work as usual to make sure everything ran smoothly and on time.

This show was sponsored by the Tazewell-Russell Shrine Club. On the Friday evening before the show, the Shriners fed several hundred people, presented awards and provided music and dancing under the stars. President Michael Taylor stated, “Welcome to the 33rd annual Tazewell Walking Horse Classic. The 2008 horse show was rated the best one-night show in Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. All proceeds from this event, as well as the Sam McCall Memorial Gold Tournament will go directly to support Shriners’ hospitals.” The Iron Titans Motorcycle club presented the Shriners with a check of $16,000 for their charity. The tournament raised an additional $10,000.

Moab and Steve Hankins made an outstanding show to win the $2,400 Walking Stake out of five entries. Della Compton was the happy and proud owner. Johnny Orlando, another consistent winner, claimed the reserve position with Mike Oney up for owner Linda Patton. It was an exciting class with cheers from the audience for their favorites, especially when the judge called for a second running walk the second way.

Complete results may be viewed by clicking here.