Horse Breeds: The Tennessee Walking Horse

One of the first things that comes to mind when you think about the wonderful state of Tennessee, besides the Smokey Mountains - of course, is the Tennessee Walking Horse. These wonderful animals offer an unmatchable smooth ride, wonderful temperament, and unlimited possibilities. Walking horses can be shown in Gaited horse shows and Walking horse shows, they make wonderful trail and pleasure horses, and can even perform in some performance sports.

So where did this wonderful, regal breed come from and where did they get their magical gait? The Tennessee Walking Horse breed was first developed in mid-Tennessee by mixing the blood-lines of Narragansett, Canadian Pacer, Standard-bred, Thoroughbred, Morgan, and American Saddle-bred horses. The unique gaits, size, and personality of the Tennessee Walking horse are the result of melding these breeds. There are three main gaits that the Tennessee Walker is famous for. They are the flat foot walk, running walk, and the canter. Many Walking horses are also able to perform many other smooth gaits as well, such as the rack, fox trot, and pace.

The flat footed walk is a gait is a long, fast, four beat gait. Walking horses can cover as much as four to eight miles an hour while performing the flat footed walk. The Walking Horse will over reach while performing the flat footed walking gait. They will also bob their heads with the motion of their feet. This is a ground covering, smooth gait.

The running walk is also a four beat gait, and is basically a faster version of the flat footed walk. The horse will also over reach while performing this gait. They can over step their front feet by a distance of six to eighteen inches; the further they over reach the better the quality of the gait. Walking horses can travel as much as 10 to 20 miles per hour at the running walk. While performing this wonderful gait, the rider is given the impression that they are simply gliding; there is no bump or bounce like their would be on a Quarter horse. The canter is simply a very collected form of a gallop, and is much smoother than it would be on a non-gaited horse.

The Tennessee Walking horse also has a wonderful, gentle personality. This seems to be a breed standard. While all horses will have an individual personality, these wonderful animals are almost always very gentle and easy going animals. They are a pleasure to ride. Walking horses tend to average between 15 and 17 hands high - so they are not small horses. This is another reason that their docile-ness is a benefit.

They are also a very versatile breed. You can rope off of them, you can use them for trail riding. Walking horses can also be shown in gaited horse shows. If you join the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitor's Association, they will send you newsletters and notices of any shows in your area, giving you a chance to either attend the show, or even enter if you like. Walking horses can also be used to run barrels or poles - believe it or not I have done so with mine. Just about anything you can do with any other breed of horse, you can do with a Tennessee Walking horse, and do so with a much smoother ride. They are definitely worth checking into.