Rusty
~The Tennessee Walking Horse~
The Tennessee Walking Horse is considered one of the light breeds of the equine family. Horses that were originally bred by the farmers of Middle Tennessee who wanted to develop a breed of horse that could work in the fields during the day, and give the owner a comfortable saddle gait. The breed gained wide popularity for this smooth gait and it's agility in the rocky middle Tennessee terrain.
This breed is composed from Thoroughbreds, Canadian Pacer, Saddlebreds, Morgans, American Standardbreds, and Narranganett Pacers. All were fused into one animal in the middle Tennessee bluegrass region. These crosses produced a saddle gait, which eventually became the "Running Walk". The result, over countless years, was the first breed of horse to bear the state name - The Tennessee Walking Horse.
The Tennessee Walking Horse is a fine family horse due to its smooth easy ride and its calm, docile temperament. The versatile Tennessee Walking Horse is suitable for ranch work; they are excellent reining and cutting horses. Tennessee Walkers are also used for driving, jumping, and western style gaming events. And if the owner's preference is the show ring, TWH can compete in Model, English, and Western classes. Used as an English or Western pleasure mount, the breed wins the hearts those of all ages, the timid, as well as the experienced riders suits the TWH. This horse is frequently seen in programs that offer riding to the handicapped. Frequently, choosing a Tennessee Walker becomes necessary for those riders who have back problems. The Tennessee Walking Horse has stamina with many horses working long after the age of 20.
The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders & Exhibitors Association was formed in 1935, they currently have more than 20,000 members. Close to 300,000 horses have been registered since the TWHBEA was formed.
Most Walking horses are multi-gaited, but the most desirable gait is the runningwalk. TWH can flat-foot walk at speeds of four to seven miles per hour. The running walk is a very smooth ground covering eight to ten miles per hour. What exactly is a Running Walk? The running walk is a four-beat lateral gait. It is similar to a walk of any regular horse of any other breed. The difference is that it gets speeds of up to 10 miles per hour. 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 overstride. Overstride is unique to the walking horse breed. A Tennessee Walking Horse will nod its head in rhythm with the cadence of its feet. Walking Horses are born with the ability to do other gaits in addition to the running walk. Some of these gaits are the rack, pace, foxtrot, stepping pace, single-foot and other variations of the famous running walk. The Tennessee Walking Horse is also famous for their "rocking chair" 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.
The Tennessee Walking Horses generally range from 14.3 to 17 hands ( a hand being 4 inches) and weigh 900 to 1200 pounds. Color: Tennessee Walking Horses come in all colors and all patterns. Black, bay, chestnut, palomino, buckskin, roan and spotted patterns are often seen.
copyright-Pamela Church, Gaited Acres.
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