The Shelbyville Horse Show, a 4-day celebration of the American Saddlebred taking place July 30 through Aug. 2, will celebrate its 25th year this August.

 

"We are looking forward to hosting the 25th anniversary of the Shelbyville Horse Show at the Shelby County Fairgrounds," said Beth Snider, Horse Show secretary. "Over the past 25 years, this show has grown into a national event with riders and horses coming from all over the United States and many preparing to attend the World's Championship Horse Show at the Kentucky State Fair."

 

Snider notes that a few special events have been planned to celebrate this quarter-century milestone, including a T-Shirt Launch. There will also be commemorative hats and fans plus a poster design exclusively for this year's show.

Premiums and trophies for the Shelbyville Horse Show are over $16,000. New this year is a $100 Trainers Purse added to every class, with the trainer of the winning entry in each class eligible to win the additional $100 by signing the entry blank as trainer. Deadline to enter: July 14.

 

The anniversary of the Shelbyville Horse Show coincides with that of the opening of ShelbyKY's tourism office.

 

"The Tourism Office opened its doors 25 years ago in March of 1989 and with that came a very small budget to complete a brochure fulfillment piece and a couple of ads," said Katie Fussenegger, executive director of the ShelbyKY Visitors Bureau. "The office slowly evolved from running the Kentucky Dairy Festival and assisting visitors to helping Shelbyville become the American Saddlebred Capital of the World."

 

Fussenegger noted that, these days, the tourism office stays busy conducting tours and marketing on behalf of a greatly expanded hospitality infrastructure, including hotels, restaurants, attractions and more.

 

"Today, we have about 11 different lodging facilities and will soon open Kentucky's only outlet mall of its size," she said. "We'll also finally be part of the coveted Kentucky Bourbon Trail� with the new Rut N' Strut Craft Distillery, opening in 2015-16, and the large Diageo Distillery, opening in 2016.

 

"We really are a blessed community and I'm privileged to be a part of the tourism industry in ShelbyKY," Fussenegger added. "This has been an interesting 25 years - especially the last two to three years - and it is so exciting to think about what the next 25 years will hold!"

 

If You Go

Shelbyville Horse Show, www.ShelbyvilleHorseShow.com, July 30-Aug. 2. The Show starts at 7 p.m. each evening and ends at 9 p.m. The Horseman's Club opens at 6 p.m. Tickets are $45. Main Gate tickets are $5/night or $15/pin admittance all four nights. Jubilee events, including the immensely popular Jubilee Breakfast, are scheduled from July 24 through Aug. 3. Questions? Contact ShelbyKY Visitors Bureau at 502-633-6388.