TENNESSEE WALKER

Also known as the Tennessee walking horse, breed of riding horse developed in Tennessee in the late 19th century to provide wealthy plantation owners a comfortable mount while overseeing work on their land. The Tennessee walker has a deep, barrel-shaped body. It stands about 153 to 163 cm (about 60 to 64 in, or 15 to 16 hands) high at the withers. (the high part of the back, located between the shoulder blades). The short back is straight, and the muscular chest wide and deep. The sturdy legs are muscular with well-defined tendons. An arched, muscular neck supports the large, straight head. The Tennessee walker has gentle eyes, pointed ears, and flared nostrils. It usually is colored black, chestnut (gold), or bay (reddish). There are two classes of Tennessee walker, which are determined by training. One is for pleasure riding, in which the natural movement of the horse is emphasized. The second class is for show only. A Tennessee walker in this group is trained with ankle chains and heavy shoes to encourage the high step. The tail often is 'nicked'. Some tendons are cut and reset to give the tail an upright carriage. The Tennessee walker was developed from crosses between Narragansett pacer, American saddlebred, Thoroughbred, standardbred, and Morgan horses. The most influential stallion in the development of the Tennessee walker was a harness racer named Black Allan that failed as a race horse because its natural pace was a running walk. This famous, bounce-free, running walk is what gives the Tennessee walker its name. The running walk is an inherited, four-beat lateral gait in which the hind foot on each side hits the ground just before the forefoot, overstepping its track by 15 to 30 cm (6 to 15 in). The horse's head nods, the ears flop, and the teeth click in time while it walks. The Tennessee walker can maintain a speed of 10 km/h (6 mph) over long distances and 24 km/h (15 mph) over short distances. This horse also has a normal walk and a rocking-horse-like canter.

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