Tennessee Walking Horse

The Tennessee Walking Horse Breed
The Tennessee Walking Horse came into being because plantation owners of the early settling days of the United States needed a type of horse that was useful for farm work, transportation and recreation.

Plantation owners and overseers needed a horse to tour their large estates and inspect the fields. So it was desirable to develop a horse that possessed a splendidly smooth ride, and the agility to wind through the rows of crops without injuring plants.

Developed in the 18th century, the main foundation stock used to develop the Tennessee Walking Horse were the Narraganset Pacers and Canadian Pacers, which were popular, lateral-gaited horses. Thoroughbred, Morgan, Saddlebred and Standardbred horses were also thrown into the mix.

Originally bred as utility horse, the Tennessee Walking Horse is best suited for a recreational mount due to its smooth, easy ride and its gentle disposition. A calm, docile temperament, combined with naturally smooth and easy gaits insure the popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse.

It is the the Tennessee Walking Horse three distinct natural gaits, which makes it famous.

• the flat walk,
• the running walk and;
• the rocking chair canter.

These gaits are inherited, and the natural gait unique to this breed.

Because of these easy gaits, and docile temperament, a rider can stay comfortably in the saddle for long stretches of time.

The flat walk is a brisk, long-reaching walk that can cover from four to eight miles an hour.

This is a four beat gait, with each of the horse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals. The horse will glide over the track left by the front foot with his hind foot: right rear over right front, left rear over left front.

The action of the back foot slipping over the front track is known as over stride. Over stride is unique to the walking horse breed.

A Tennessee Walking Horse will nod its head in rhythm with the cadence of its feet. This nodding head motion, along with overstride, are two features that are unique to the Tennessee Walking Horse.

The running walk is the gait for which the walking horse is most noted. This extra-smooth, gliding gait is basically the same as the flat walk with a noticeable difference in the rate of speed between the two gaits. The breed can travel 10 to 20 miles per hour at this gait.

As the speed is increased, the horse over-steps the front track with the back by a distance of six to eighteen inches. The more "stride" the horse has, the better "walker" it is considered to be. It is this motion that gives the rider a feeling of gliding through the air as if propelled by some powerful but smooth-running machine.

The third gait is the canter, which is a collected gallop. The canter is performed in much the same way as other breeds, but the walking horse seems to have a more relaxed way of performing this gait.

In the canter, the horse gives one the feeling of lots of spring and rhythm. The Tennessee Walking Horse canter lifts the front end giving an easy rise and fall motion much like rocking chair. This is often referred to as the "rocking-chair" gait.

The Tennessee Walking Horse Look
Tennessee Walking Horses generally range from 15 to 17 hands.

The modern Tennessee Walking Horse possesses The Tennessee Walking Horse has a large head with straight profile, a long powerful neck, sloping shoulders, broad chest, short back and strong hindquarters. The hocks are set well away from the body.

Tennessee Walking Horses come in all colors and a variety of patterns. The diverse color choices are sure to please any horse enthusiast. Different colors should not be discriminated against.


Sources of Information
Equine-World

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association