Tennessee Walking Horse Facts

THE ORIGIN OF THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE

The Tennessee Walking horse can trace its roots back to the time when there was a great need for a smooth-going, even-tempered mount to carry riders over the plantations of the South. Breeders crossed the best of the Narragansett Pacers, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, and Morgans, added the Saddlebred for refinement, and came up with what we call the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Originally bred as a utility horse, the Tennessee Walking Horse was used for farm work, transportation, and recreation. They are a hardy breed with great stamina, often living and working into their twenties.


A WELL KEPT SECRET

In the past, the Tennessee Walking Horse has been one of the equine world's best kept secrets. Many people associate the breed with the padded show horse, but the vast majority of horses registered each year are flat-shod and used primarily for pleasure. As more and more people discover what a pleasure the breed is, the popularity grows by leaps and bounds all over the United States and even in foreign countries.


THE GAITS

The three gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse are inborn and can be seen even in young foals. The flat walk is a loose, four-beat gait, about five to seven miles per hour, with each foot striking the ground separately and regularly. The horse's head nods in cadence with each footfall. The overstride of the hind feet gives the gait its smoothness. The running-walk is a faster version of the flat walk, about eight to ten miles per hour, still with the same head shaking looseness and overstride. The canter is just as distinctive as the other two gaits, a collected gallop with a "rocking chair" motion.


WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Some people call them flat-shod Walking Horses, and some people say pleasure Walking Horses, but they all refer to an animal which can be used in just about any way that any other breed of horse can be used. The gentle disposition and intelligence of the Tennessee Walking Horse, along with the smooth natural gait, quickly wins over even the most skeptical of riders.


VERSATILITY

With the growing popularity of the versatility programs set up by various Tennessee Walking Horse organizations, more and more of the breed are competing in jumping, trail, barrel racing, pole bending, reining, western riding, driving, and dressage.

THE ULTIMATE PLEASURE HORSE

The pleasure Tennessee Walking Horse is an ideal mount for riders of all ages, as well as for handicapped riders. Just as important as the comfort of their ride is their gentle willingness to perform any task. Riders can trail ride on Saturday morning, show in plantation pleasure classes on Saturday night, and hitch their Tennessee Walking Horse to a buggy for a Sunday afternoon ride through the countryside. If family members have different tastes in competition, it's no problem. English Pleasure, Western Pleasure, speed events, jumping, driving, trail, or water glass - there's something for everyone to enjoy!