Tennessee Walking Horse (Tennessee Walker)

The Tennessee Walking Horse(Tennessee Walker) development runs parallel to that of the American Saddlebred. The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' Association was formed in 1935 at Lewisburg, Tennessee, and the breed was officially recognised in 1947 by the US Department of Agriculture. Such is the enthusiasm for this remarkable horse that classes at the annual Walking Horse Show held at Shelbyville, Tennessee, attract more entries than any other American horse show.

HISTORY
The Tennessee Walking Horse evolved in the state of Tennessee in the mid-19th century, after the first pioneers had crossed the Appalachian Mountains to establish outposts in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri. In time, the richest of those early settlers set about breeding a stylish horse that would complement their lifestyle as well as serving a practical purpose.

The settlers aimed to create a horse of endurance and stamina, which would be able to carry its owner for long hours while he was overseeing work on the land. Although great speed was not required, the horse did need to be able to cover long distances reasonably fast. In the early days the horses were known as Southern Plantation Walking Horses or Tennessee Pacers, or more familiarly as Walkers or "Turn-Row" horses; they earned this last name because they could turn easily between plantation rows without damaging young plants.

Like all the American gaited breeds, the Walking Horse is descended from the old Narragansett Pacer with additional input from the Thoroughbred Standardbred Morgan and Saddle bred the Standardbred stallion Black Allan,and his son Roan Allan, are recognized as the breed's foundation sires. Black Allan, by Allendorf, was descended from a line of Standardbred trotters (not pacers), and was out of a Morgan mare named Maggie Marshall.

He was a failure as a harness racer because of his peculiar walking pace, but he transmitted this feature faithfully to his descendants, and it became their most prized characteristic. In 1903, when he was brought to Tennessee, he was crossed with the existing Tennessee Pacers to create the foundation stock for the modern Walker. Subsequently, refinement and quality were provided largely by a Saddlebred stallion called Giovanni. This horse was brought from Kentucky in 1914 to stand at Wartrace, Tennessee, the town that is regarded as the birthplace of the Walking Horse.

THE MODERN WALKER
The Tennessee Walking Horse is a larger-boned horse than the Saddlebred. It is deep-bodied and short-coupled, with a head that tends to be rather plain. It carries its head
much lower than does the Saddlebred, and he horse moves with a far less elevated .ction. The breed stands between 1.52 m nd 1.63 m (15-16 hh). Predominant colours are black and all shades of chestnut, sometimes with prominent white markings.

Today, the Tennessee Walking Horse is primarily a show and pleasure horse. It also has a reputation as the most reassuring of horses for the novice or nervous rider. Its actions are highlighted by the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' Association, an organization that was formed in Lewisburg, Tennessee in 1935, and promotes the breed with the sales pitch "Ride one today and you'll own one tomorrow". The Tennessee Walker's reputation has been earned on two counts: its most amiable disposition, and the famous running walk, a wonderfully soft, gliding gait that is described as being "bounce-free" and entirely relaxing. Both give great comfort and encouragement to reluctant or nervous riders.

CHARACTERISTIC GAIT
The Tennessee Walking Horse has three gaits: the flat walk, the running walk, which is the predominant feature, and the rolling, "rocking-chair" canter, a smooth, collected movement in which the head nods in a distinctive fashion. Both of the walks are in four-time, with the horse's head nodding conspicuously in time with the movement and the hind legs over-tracking the imprints of the forefeet. They are described in the breed standard as being "a basic, loose, four-cornered lick", a 1-2-3-4 beat with the horse's feet hitting the ground separately at regular intervals (left fore, right rear, right front, and then left rear). The gaits are believed to be inherited, and it is certain that they cannot be taught successfully to any other breed.

In the running walk, horses can maintain a speed of between 9-14 km/h (6-9 mph) for a considerable time, while over short distances the Walker can approach 24 km/h (15 mph). However, speed is not an important criterion; the Breed Association states that "a good running walk should never allow proper form to be sacrificed for excessive speed". In this gait, the front foot strikes the ground just before the opposite diagonal hind foot, and the hind feet overstep by anything between 15 and 38 cm (6-15 in). The result is a remarkably smooth gliding motion, which is accompanied by swinging ears as well as the characteristic nodding head movement, and, at top speed, they sometime click their teeth(?)