The Tennessee Walking Horse
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It’s been a long battle as the problem of soring continues. Most recently, a Republican and a Democrat member of congress, both of whom are veterinarians, are sponsoring the Prevent All Soring Tactics Act. The bill is aimed at bolstering the existing act, the Horse Protection Act. Soring has been illegal for over thirty years but so far, efforts to bring it to a complete end have been unsuccessful. It’s a sad fact that the beauty of this breed seems lost in the ugly controversy that surrounds it. So many people enjoy their Tennessee Walking Horses without the dubious benefit of weighted shoes, ankle chains, overgrown hooves, and painful chemical burns.
Tennessee Walking horses are either three, or four gaited. Beyond the normal walk, trot, canter they can do a running walk with variations at different speeds and action. Like many gaited horses they are smooth and comfortable to ride.
Tennessee Walking Horses are descended from the now extinct Narragansett Pacers and Canadian Pacers, and may have Morgan, Mustang, American Saddlebred, and Standardbred in the mix. They’re not quite as tall or their showy as their cousins the American Saddlebreds, that were bred as stylish riding horses for the local aristocracy, although horses within 14.3 to 17 hands are within the breed standards. Tennessee Walking Horses were bred to carry agriculturists over their vast acreages and for working stock. The terrain was often rough, and the horse had to be surefooted.
Related: New Efforts Make Soring A Felony
Related: The Inhumane Practice of Soring Continues
Originally known as Tennessee Pacers, the breed was developed in the late 1700s, but it wasn’t until 1935 that a registry was formed. It was officially recognized as a distinct breed in 1950, after the studbook was closed to anything but horses recognized exclusively as Tennessee Walking Horses.
While they are well known as show horses, they are also used as trail and pleasure horses, for working stock, as driving horses and are shown in dressage and over jumps. Many people take great pride in showing their bare foot, or flat shod horses in a variety of show classes English and western. They also make very flashy parade horses.
These horses come in almost every coat color and pattern, a result of their varied early pedigree. They only pattern you might not find them in is spotted. They have flowing manes and tails that in the show ring are sometimes enhanced with extensions. They have a naturally high tail set, and this too may be enhanced with either a harness like contraption to hold it up, or by nicking the muscles underneath so the tail springs up. Nicking was a common practice in bygone days, and is slowly going by the wayside. Their necks are long and elegant, their shoulders well sloped. Their hocks may have slightly more angle than is generally looked for in a riding horse, but that is distinctive to the breed.
Most distinctive however are the flat and running walks. Both have the footfall pattern of a walk, but the running walk is more rapid. As the horse travels, its head nods in rhythm to its stride. Its hind legs reach well underneath it as it goes, making for a smooth, bounce-free ride. They are also said to have a smooth rocking-horse canter. It is these gaits that owners of natural or flat shod Walkers prize, along with their tractable and willing nature. |
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