Compiled by Mrs. Sis Osborne
COURTESY TWHBEA tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walker

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 as the "World's Greatest Show, Trail, and Pleasure Horse."tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walker
A light horse breed founded in middle Tennessee, this breed is a composition of Standardbred, Thoroughbred, Morgan, and American Saddlebred stock.
Tennessee Walking Horses generally range from 14.3 to 17 hands and weigh 900 to 1200 pounds. The modern Tennessee Walking Horse possesses a pretty head with small, well placed ears. The horse has a long sloping shoulder, a long sloping hip, a fairly short back and short, strong coupling. The bottom line is longer than the top line, allowing for a long stride.
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.

GAITS tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walker
The Tennessee Walking Horse performs three distinct gaits: the flat foot walk, running walk, and canter. These three are the gaits for which the Tennessee Walking Horse is famous, with the running walk being an inherited, natural gait unique to this breed. Many Tennessee Walking Horses are able to perform the rack, stepping pace, fox-trot, single-foot and other variations of the famous running walk. While not desirable in the show ring, the above mentioned gaits are smooth, easy, trail riding gaits.
The flat walk is a brisk, long-reaching walk that can cover from four to eight miles an hour. This is a four cornered gait with each of the horse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals.  A Tennessee Walking Horse will nod it's head in rhythm with the cadence of it's 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. Since their gaits are easy for them to perform, some walking horses relax certain muscles while executing the running-walk; they may flop their ears in rhythm; some may even snap their teeth. The running walk is a smooth, easy gait for both horse and rider.
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 abundance of ease with lots of spring and rhythm, with proper rise and fall to afford a thrill from sitting in the saddle. Thus, the 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.

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Unique Among Breeds!tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walker

The gracefulness and pure pleasure of riding a Tennessee Walking Horse was the distinct purpose in the creation of such a tremendous breed.
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Plantation owners used horses to travel fields, observe crops, and supervise the working of vast acreage. The long days of riding on an average horse, with its "up and down" movement, caused a great deal of discomfort. Because of this, riders of that era wanted a horse that not only possessed endurance, but also the smoothest of rides.

Bred mainly from Standardbred, Morgan, and Thoroughbred stock, the Tennessee Walking Horse has developed, after years of refinement, into one of the smoothest riding horses in the world. The three, easy-riding gaits of this breed: the flat-foot walk, the running walk, and the canter, are all natural, inherited characteristics, easily recognized even in a young foal as it walks alongside its mother.

The gliding sensation of the Tennessee Walking Horse is not it's only benefit. In the beginning, this breed was a utility horse, used for plowing fields and to ride on hunts. Hooked to buggies, it took families to church and the county fair. It was practical. Today, the horse is no longer a necessity, but a source of pleasure, providing the same gentle ride as it did to owners of long ago. And the same sense of pride.Smooth riding. Versatile. Both combined with a gentle disposition that makes the Tennessee Walking Horse a favorite among people around the world. This breed's gentleness puts the most timid rider at ease, gives the small child comfort. A horse of good nature, of loyal companionship and portraying in all ways, gentleness.

The Tennessee Walking Horse. An affordable breed. An enjoyable ride. A loyal companion. Qualities that place this breed in a class of its own. Its gentle disposition, its dependability, its intelligence. Characteristics that make your Tennessee Walker a life-time friend.

Trigger, Jr., probably Roy Roger's best friend, was a Tennessee Walking Horse. Gene Autry, Darrell Waltrip, and Olivia Newton-John have also found companionship with a Tennessee Walking Horse.More than anything else, these companions are a pleasure to ride. Owners enjoy keeping them in their back yard, riding them in their fields, and otherwise enjoying their horses. tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walkertennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walking horse, tennessee walker

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