How To Choose a Tennessee Walker Horse

The Tennessee Walking Horse is also commonly referred to as the Tennessee Walker. The Tennessee Walker was originally started by cross breeding a Narragansett Pacer and a Canadian Pacer. Breeding first commenced in the early 1800s by farmers from the state of Tennessee who were desperately trying to develop a breed that had the stamina and the ability to withstand the rugged Tennessee mountain terrain.

During the Civil War era, these bloodlines were further mixed with those of the Union Trotter and the Confederate Pacer. This crossing produced a breed that was known as the Southern Plantation Horse or the Tennessee Pacer. To refine the breed further they were later bred with the American Saddle, the Thoroughbred, the Standard and the Morgan to produce the breed we now know as the Tennessee Walker.

Black Allen was sired by Allendorf of the Standard line and a Morgan mare called Maggie Marshall to become the foundation sire to the breed.

The Walkers are known for their wonderful calm temperament, ease in training, stamina and their magnificent gait. Here are some things to look for when you considering acquiring one of these fine animals:

The Tennessee Walkers present powerful conformation and are known to posses tremendous stamina, versatility and can run as fast as fourteen miles an hour.

The average Tennessee Walker will stand approximately 14.7 to 17 hands tall and average between 900-1200 pounds. Though they come in a variety of colors, the most common colors are black, sorrel and chestnut.

The Tennessee Walker will possess medium to small ears, a high neck with a strong, powerful and broad chest and a long underline. His hips will be long and sloping and they tend to have a short back. The Walkers make great walking and are known for being able to withstand long rides that other breeds would not be able to. That combined with their easy disposition; make the Walker a wonderful addition to any stable.

The Tennessee Walker have been abused for generations and have suffered at the hands of abusive trainers that use barbaric techniques to achieve the classic high gait often associated with the walkers. These horrendous techniques often include the applying of burning agents and harmful solvents to the bottom of a horse’s foot that result in sores and cause the horse to raise legs higher because of the pain. There is also the technique of shoeing the horse too tightly to achieve the same results.