Mission Statement
The Tennessee Stock Horse Association is committed to promoting the versatility of stock horses by offering educational clinics and competitive shows. Our mission is to create an affordable and family-friendly atmosphere where education meets competition.
Vision Statement
To be the leading force in the ranch and stock horse industry, empowering riders through educational clinics, fostering a family-friendly environment, and hosting events that champion the heritage, versatility, and excellence of stock horses.
History & Overview
The Tennessee Stock Horse Association (TNSHA) was founded in 2012 and began by putting on clinics and shows in the Middle Tennessee area. Beginning in 2025 TNSHA, became member of the National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance allowing our members to qualify for the NRSHA National Show. Currently we have extended to hosting 3-day clinics and shows across the state of Tennessee and the southeastern United States. Clinicians are industry professionals from across the country. We are an established 501(c)3, and pride ourselves on creating a versatile, affordable, and fun family atmosphere. Whether this is your first show or you are a veteran exhibitor, we welcome you to join us where education meets competition!
Where education meets competition - TNSHA puts on clinics prior to all of our shows. This opportunity gives riders the chance to refine their skills working live cattle, tuning up maneuvers, nailing those transitions, and mastering the obstacles prior to the day of showing - all with the help of an experienced professional. Clinicing also helps riders better understand the scoring system and show format.
NIRSHA Alliance Member
Beginning in 2025, TNSHA is proud to be part of the National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance. The National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance (NRSHA) works together with like-minded ranch and stock horse groups across the country. NRSHA was developed to preserve and promote ranching traditions and heritage through competitive ranch and stock horse events on a national level. TNSHA members can qualify for the NRSHA national show by attending 3 TNSHA shows, or a combination of TNSHA and other alliance member shows. To learn more about NRSHA, visit their website.
Heads up! Our clinics fill quickly! Become a TNSHA member to get first dibs to sign up for clinics.
The Tennessee Stock Horse Association is committed to promoting the versatility of stock horses by offering educational clinics and competitive shows. Our mission is to create an affordable and family-friendly atmosphere where education meets competition.
Vision Statement
To be the leading force in the ranch and stock horse industry, empowering riders through educational clinics, fostering a family-friendly environment, and hosting events that champion the heritage, versatility, and excellence of stock horses.
History & Overview
The Tennessee Stock Horse Association (TNSHA) was founded in 2012 and began by putting on clinics and shows in the Middle Tennessee area. Beginning in 2025 TNSHA, became member of the National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance allowing our members to qualify for the NRSHA National Show. Currently we have extended to hosting 3-day clinics and shows across the state of Tennessee and the southeastern United States. Clinicians are industry professionals from across the country. We are an established 501(c)3, and pride ourselves on creating a versatile, affordable, and fun family atmosphere. Whether this is your first show or you are a veteran exhibitor, we welcome you to join us where education meets competition!
Where education meets competition - TNSHA puts on clinics prior to all of our shows. This opportunity gives riders the chance to refine their skills working live cattle, tuning up maneuvers, nailing those transitions, and mastering the obstacles prior to the day of showing - all with the help of an experienced professional. Clinicing also helps riders better understand the scoring system and show format.
NIRSHA Alliance Member
Beginning in 2025, TNSHA is proud to be part of the National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance. The National Ranch and Stock Horse Alliance (NRSHA) works together with like-minded ranch and stock horse groups across the country. NRSHA was developed to preserve and promote ranching traditions and heritage through competitive ranch and stock horse events on a national level. TNSHA members can qualify for the NRSHA national show by attending 3 TNSHA shows, or a combination of TNSHA and other alliance member shows. To learn more about NRSHA, visit their website.
Heads up! Our clinics fill quickly! Become a TNSHA member to get first dibs to sign up for clinics.
CLASSES OFFERED
All TNSHA events offer 5 core ranch classes: working cow horse, working western rail, ranch trail, ranch reining, and ranch riding. Riders must compete in all 5 classes within the same division to qualify for a highpoint all-around award. Divisions offered are: Open, Limited Open, Junior Horse, Amateur, Limited Amateur, Collegiate Limited, Collegiate Novice, Novice Amateur, Advanced Youth, Limited Youth, Novice Youth, Adult Walk Trot, Youth Walk Trot. For more information on division eligibility, please refer to the handbook, or membership form.

Working Cow Horse: The ideal stock horse must also be a cow horse and this class demonstrates and measures the horse’s ability to do cow work. There is a time limit per horse/rider team to perform the work depending on the division and the time begins when the cow is turned into the arena. The open, amateur, and advanced youth divisions box, perform at least two fence turns, and circle the cow both ways or have the option to rope instead of circle. The limited open, junior horse, limited amateur, and limited youth divisions box the cow, drive dow the fence, box on the other end, and drive back. No circling or fence turns are in these divisions. All novice classes will only box the cattle for 50 seconds. Walk trot classes will not work a live cow, they will perform a dry work pattern or work a flag. In any of the classes, if the time has not elapsed and the judge is satisfied that all requirements of the class have been met, the Judge should blow the whistle for the exhibitor to cease work. The Judge may blow a whistle at any time for the Exhibitor to cease work for safety reasons as well. Judges will score what they have seen, but the horse/ rider team will be judged accordingly for not completing the class. Only the Judge may award a new cow by two whistle blows to a contestant to replace a cow that will not honor a horse. If the Judge awards a new cow, the exhibitor has the option to refuse the new cow by continuing to work. If the exhibitor accepts the new cow, the time for working the cow will start over.

Working Western Rail: The working western rail class measures the ability of the horse to be a pleasure to ride and should reflect the versatility, attitude, and movement of a working horse. The horse should be well-broke, relaxed, quiet, soft and cadenced at all gaits. The movement of the working western rail horse should simulate a horse needing to cover long distances, softly and quietly. The overall manners and responsiveness of the horse and the horse’s quality of movement are the primary considerations. Maximum credit should be given to the horse that has a natural flowing stride and consistent, ground covering gaits. Transitions should be performed when requested, with smoothness and responsiveness. This class should show the horse’s ability to work at a forward, working pace while under control by the rider. The horse shall be balanced and appear willing and a pleasure to ride in a group situation. Judges must call for a walk, trot, and lope both directions. Extended gaits must be called at least one direction of the pen. Walk-trot classes will not call for any lope gaits. *Collegiate divisions will not hold working rail classes.

Ranch Trail: The ranch trail class should test the horse’s ability to cope with situations encountered while being ridden through a pattern of obstacles generally found during the course of everyday ranch work. The horse/ rider team is judged on the correctness, efficiency and pattern accuracy with which the obstacles are negotiated and the attitude and mannerisms exhibited by the horse. Judging emphasis is on identifying the well-broke, responsive and well mannered horse which can correctly navigate and negotiate the course. Show management has the discretion to eliminate or modify obstacles, including mandatory obstacles, in order to run an efficient and safe horse show.

Ranch Reining:The ranch reining class measures the ability of the ranch horse to perform basic handling maneuvers with a natural head carriage in a forward looking manner. The ideal ranch reining horse should have a natural ranch horse appearance from head to tail in each maneuver. Patterns may be chosen from any of the ranch reining patterns or approved by the show management and judge. To rein a horse is not only to guide him but also to control his movement. The best reined horse should be willingly guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance. All deviations from the exact written pattern must be considered a lack of or temporary loss of control and therefore a fault that must be marked down according to severity of deviation. The horse/rider team’s overall performance should be credited for smoothness, finesse, attitude, quickness and authority of performing various maneuvers while using controlled speed which raises the degree of difficulty and makes the horse/rider team more exciting and pleasing to watch.

Ranch Riding: The purpose of the ranch riding class is to measure the ability of the horse to be a pleasure to ride while being used as a means of conveyance from performing one ranch task to another. The horse should reflect the versatility, attitude and movement of a working ranch horse riding outside the confines of an arena. The horse should be well-trained, relaxed, quiet, soft and cadenced at all gaits. The ideal ranch horse will travel with forward movement and demonstrate an obvious lengthening of stride at extended gaits. The horse can be ridden with light contact or on a relatively loose rein without requiring undue restraint, but not shown on a full drape of reins. The overall manners and responsiveness of the ranch riding horse to make timely transitions in a smooth and correct manner, as well as the quality of the movement are of primary considerations. The ideal ranch riding horse should have a natural ranch horse appearance from head to tail in each maneuver.
TENNESSEE STOCK HORSE ASSOCIATION
Copyright 2023