Breed Characteristics

The Tennessee Walker has a reputation for having a very good disposition. It is a calm and easygoing breed, typically easy to train. While the horses are famous for flashy movement, they are quite hardy, popular for trail and pleasure riding as well as show.

Although many Tennessee Walkers are black, other colors and patterns such as roan, chestnut or sorrel, bay, champagne and pinto are common. Recently, the breed registry began to recognize the sabino pattern, and it must be noted that many horses registered in the past as roans were, in some cases, sabinos. Walkers are generally 15 to 17 hands tall, but can range from 13.2hh to 18hh. Weight is generally between 900 and 1200 pounds.

In conformation, the Walker is a tall horse with a long neck and sloping shoulder. The head is traditionally large but refined in bone, with small well-placed ears. The horse has a fairly short back, short strong coupling, and an elongated stride. In the show arena, Walking horses are known for their gliding running walk and are usually shown with long manes and tails.

History

The Tennessee Walker originated from the Narragansett Pacer and the Canadian Pacer. In the early 1800s, these two breeds were blended by Tennessee breeders who were looking for a horse that could handle the mountainous terrain of the area. Confederate Pacer and Union Trotter blood was added during the Civil War, creating the sturdy Southern Plantation Horse (aka the Tennessee Pacer). Breeders later added Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Morgan, and American Saddlebred blood to refine and add stamina to their gaited horse.

In 1885, Black Allen was born. By the stallion Allendorf (from the Hambletonian family of trotters) and out of a Morgan mare named Maggie Marshall, he became the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed.

The breed became popular due to their smooth gaits and incredible stamina. It was common for farmers to hold match races with their Walkers, who they also used for plowing fields. Even after the coming of the automobile, Tennessee communities kept their Walkers to manage the poor roads of the area. The Walkers began to gain a reputation as a showy animal, and breeders sought bloodlines to produce refined, intelligent, flashy horses.

The registry was formed in 1935. The stud book was closed in 1947, so every Walker after that date has to have both parents registered to be registered themselves.

Conformation

Tennessee Walking Horses generally range from 14.3 to 17 hands and weigh 900 to 1200 pounds. The modern Tennessee Walking Horse possesses a definitive 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.

Kentucky Mountain Saddle Horse

For over 200 years, the saddle horse has lived in the hills and valleys of many parts of Kentucky. Originally bred by the mountain people for the demanding needs of farm life, the horse which had been secluded for many years became noticed and domesticated in the late 1980’s.

Over the last 20 some years these horses have become a highly sought after “pleasure horse” in all of Kentucky as well as around the world, for their easy going temperament, intelligence, versatility, willingness, and most notably, a smooth, natural 4-beat gait.

The Flatfoot Walk:

Is a bold, elaborate walk where the Tennessee Walking Horse use their huge stride to cover the ground on average of 3 - 5 mph. It is carried with level posture that enables each hoof to lift and place independently in even, 4-beat cadence producing a smooth weight transfer where hooves land flat giving this gait its name. This creates a smooth and energy efficient gait to ride.

Watch as the front hooves reach and pull at the ground. The shoulder roll is what gives the impression of climbing a ladder with those front feet.
Note the famous Tennessee Walking horse headnod. The headnod provides counterbalanced weight and power to the driving backend, much as we swing our arms to power our own walk. It should always originate from the shoulder, never the poll.
See how the back feet drive far under the horse with very little hock action, the hooves barely clearing the ground, and overstriding the hoofprints of the front feet anywhere from 6 to 18 inches in a correctly timed flatwalk. (All of these parts work together elegantly and the complete picture of the correctly moving Tennessee Walking horse should always appear flowing and graceful; coming together with ease and as much a pleasure for the horse as for the rider. The flatwalk is an energy efficient gait that can be maintained for many miles in the well conditioned walking horse. Many walkers remain so relaxed in their topline and jaw muscles, they will actually flop their ears or snap their teeth in rhythm to their walks.

The Runwalk

Tennessee Walking Horses have the inherent ability to carry their walking posture to greater stride and speed than any other breed of horse.

The overall form of the running walk remains the same as that of the flatfoot walk, but the reach and tempo extends to intermediate speeds of 8 – 10 mph. NOTE: the runwalk is not a speed gait, but an intermediate gait. This gait should always remain fluid with all energy forward moving, and proper form should never be sacrificed for excessive speed. The hooves should continue to lift and place independently, while the weight transfer becomes more rolling with the increased tempo and stride.
Overstride will increase as well, averaging from 10 to 24 inches while remaining in that correct and even timing. Total stride lengths often range anywhere from 6 to as much as 10 feet depending on the size and abilities of the horse. It is this monster stride with its driving propulsion that creates a feeling of acceleration and gliding across the ground.
The Tennessee Walking horse was bred to carry this gait with fluidity and lightness, and by keeping all energy forward moving, they are able maintain the running walk to cover great distances.
Because it is still a walking gait, the distinctive headnod should always remain evident, even though it will become a bit more shallow at the increased tempo.
Like the flatwalk, the running walk should remain a relaxed and easy gait for both horse and rider

The Rocking Chair Canter

The canter is performed much as with other breeds, but the walking horses use their huge stride to carry this relaxed gait to new, ground-covering speeds. Always three-beat, the canter must remain forward moving and performed in a diagonal manner on the right or left leads. The Walking horse engages their deep backend reach to elegantly lift and gracefully flow forward and down in a controlled and collected manor. Thus, the canter gives us an easy rise and falling motion of the rocking chair from which the gait takes its name.

The western horse performs a comparable three beat lope with the same ground covering smoothness, but with slightly less elevation. It should remain economical, straight and efficient on both leads.