The Tennessee Walking Horse

The essential joy of being with horses is that it
brings us in contact with the rare elements of
grace, beauty, spirit, and fire.
~Sharon Ralls Lemon

The Tennessee Walker or Tennessee Walking Horse is a gentle and comfortable riding horse. The breed was originally bred in the Southern United States to carry the owners of plantations around their lands. Their unique four-beat "running walk" is especially comfortable to ride.

The Tennessee Walking Horse 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. 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.

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.

The Tennessee Walker is used for horse show events, particularly under saddle seat style English riding equipment, but is also a very popular trail riding horse, both in western riding equipment as well as English. The breed is a popular parade horse, and has been used in television, movies and other performing events. For example, the Lone Ranger's horse "Silver" was at times played by a Tennessee Walker, "Trigger, Jr." the successor to the original Trigger made famous by Roy Rogers was also a Walker as was "Tony", Tom Mix's horse, and the position of mascot of the University of Southern California Trojans, "Traveler", was once held by a Walker.

Tennessee Walking Horses are known for their ambling gaits: the running walk, the flat walk, and for their gentle, "rocking horse" canter. Although many members of the breed can perform other gaits, they are not considered "correct" gaits for competition. The running walk is the most famous gait, with speeds from 6 to 12 mph. As the speed increases, the horse's rear foot over strides the front print 6 to 18 inches. The greater the over stride, the better a "walker" the horse is said to be. The horse nods its head in both the running and the flat walk, the ears swinging with the gait. Some Walkers even click their teeth with the gait.