FAQ

1. What is the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed?
2. Is there an official registry for Tennessee Walking Horses?
3. Do you have information regarding the colors and markings of Tennessee Walking Horses?
4. I'm interested in breeding my mare.  Are there any guidelines I should keep in mind?

1. What is the history of the Tennessee Walking Horse?

A good answer for this comes from Wikipedia:

The 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, making the breed a well-suited trail companion. The breed is rarely seen in any of the sport horse disciplines; however, they are good for trail riding because of their smooth gaits, stamina and easy temper, and are also seen in Western riding disciplines and in harness.

Breed characteristics of 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.

Although many Tennessee Walking Horses are black, other colors and patterns such as roan, chestnut or sorrel, bay, champagne and spotted are common. Recently, the breed registry began to recognize the sabino pattern, and it must be noted that many horses registered in the past as roans were, in some cases, sabinos. Tennessee Walking Horses 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 Tennessee Walking Horse 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. In the show arena, Walking horses are known for their gliding running walk and are usually shown with long manes and tails.

The history of the Tennessee Walking Horse originated from the Narragansett Pacer of Rhode Island and its descendent, 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.

In 1885, Black Allen was born. By the stallion Allendorf (from the Hambletonian family of trotters) and out of a Morgan mare named Maggie Marshall, he became the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed.

The breed became popular due to their smooth gaits and incredible stamina. It was common for farmers to hold match races with their Tennessee Walking Horses, who they also used for plowing fields. Even after the coming of the automobile, Tennessee communities kept their Tennessee Walking Horses to manage the poor roads of the area. The Tennessee Walking Horses began to gain a reputation as a showy animal, and breeders sought bloodlines to produce refined, intelligent, flashy horses.

The registry was formed in 1935. The stud book was closed in 1947 (when the breed was officially recognized by the US Department of Agriculture), so every Walker after that date has to have both parents registered to be registered themselves.

Tennessee Walking Horses are known for their gaits: the running walk, the flat walk, and their "rocking horse" canter. Although many members of the breed can perform other gaits, including the trot, fox trot, rack, stepping pace, and single foot, these gaits are typically penalized in breed shows since they are not considered "correct" gaits for a Tennessee Walking Horse. The running walk is the most famous gait, with speeds from 10-20 km/h (6-12 mph). As the speed increases, the horse's rear foot over-strides the front print 15-45 cm (6-18 in). The greater the over-stride, the better "gaited" 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 Tennessee Walking Horses even snap their teeth with the gait.

There are two main classes: performance horses and flat shod.  The flat shod horses are further divided into trail pleasure, light shod, and plantation, and are judged on way of going and animation. The trail pleasure classes have the least animation, the plantation horses the most, with the plantation horses often wearing a heavier shoe. They are not allowed to use pads, action devices, or tail braces.   Performance horses exhibit a very flashy and animated running walk, often referred to as "big lick." They appear to sit on their hind ends, lifting their front end high off the ground. Riders wear saddle seat attire, and tack. Horses are shod in double and triple-nailed pads. These pads, along with lightweight chains around the fetlock, accentuate the gaits, making them more showy.

The Tennessee Walking Horse is primarily a show and pleasure horse. It has a reputation as the most reassuring of horses for the novice or nervous rider. Its reputation has been earned on two counts: its most amiable disposition, and the famous running walk, a wonderfully soft, gliding gait that is bounce free. Both give great comfort and encouragement to reluctant or nervous riders. Tennessee Walking horses also do well in cross country competitions and believe it or not, barrel racing and roping events. They even make excellent hunter jumpers. Most people aren't aware of this fact. The Walking Horse performs every task or exercise from either the flat walk, running walk, or canter. About the only area they cannot compete in is on the race track!

The Tennessee Walking Horse is a 3 gaited horse, performing: the flat walk, the running walk, and the famous rocking horse canter. Each walking gait is a 4 beat gait with the front foot striking the ground just before the opposite diagonal hind foot and the hind feet overstepping between 6-15 inches. The result is a remarkably smooth gliding motion accompanied by lots of head nodding. The Walker uses its powerful rear end to propel itself forward while reaching well under the body with his hind legs. The gaits are inherited and cannot be taught to other breeds. In the running walk, horses can reach and maintain a speed of between 6-9 mph. On shorter distances, the Walker can approach 15 mph.

2. Is there an official registry for Tennessee Walking Horses?

Yes.  The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association (also known as TWHBEA - pronounced TWEE-bee) is the official registration body for the Tennessee Walker.  All of the Tennessee Walking Horses at Honey Creek  Ranch are registered with TWHBEA. 

3. Where can I get information about the markings and coloring of TWH's?

We have made available for download the Colors and Markings document (PDF document 744 kb) for the Tennessee Walking Horse courtesy of the The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Exhibitors Association (TWHBEA) website.

4.  I'm interested in breeding my mare.  Are there any guidelines I should keep in mind?

Most definitely.  The best answer for this question comes from our friends at Adventures in Owning a Tennessee Walking Horse:

Sooner or later, you are going to decide it is time to breed your mare. With the acceptance of artificially inseminated foal into the registry of the TWHBEA, and the availability of shipped semen, it has become possible to breed to stallions from all over the world. The selection is literally endless. How do you choose the right one for your mare? The temptation is to consider the current World Grand Champion as the natural choice for your special lady. While this may well be an excellent cross, the fact that the stallion is a World Grand Champion should not be the most significant reason for choosing him.

Below are some pointers to help you make your decision wisely.

1. Ask yourself what you want to be using your foal for, once it is a grown animal. If you want a show horse or an athlete for a specific event, consider breeding to one of the Adult Supreme Versatility champions. If you are looking primarily for a hacking horse, look at the stallions with Plantation Pleasure Class credentials.
    

2. Study your mare to see what you would change about her if you could. Try to choose a stallion that throws these qualities in his foals. Prioritize your requirements such as size, conformation, temperament, gait, and then try to balance the possible cross between the stallion you are considering, and your mare's strong points.
    

3. Remember that gait should always be your primary goal. Breed for a genetic Walker at all times, and NEVER breed for something like a specific color or SPOTS!
    

4. Study your mare's pedigree, and then try to match the pedigree of the stallion so that you are not crossing bloodlines that are too close. Tennessee Walking Horses are more closely bred than most other breeds, but that is no excuse for inbreeding (brother to sister) or line-breeding (father to daughter, mother to son). The results are always going to be unpredictable, and the chance of producing an unwanted recessive gene are much greater.
    

5. Contact stallion owners and ask for information about their horse. Ask for videos showing their gait, and for photos of their offspring. The proof is in the pudding, and stallion owners are very willing to provide positive evidence of their horse's ability to produce great offspring.

6. Don't select a stallion based on his breeding fees. Many very GOOD stallions are available at low fees, and conversely, a high price tag does not guarantee a good foal.
    

7. Ask for and then study breeding contracts. Look for things like LFG (live foal guarantee), and additional costs like container fees, and shipping expenses, and nomination or booking fees.
    

8. Never breed to a stallion that is not blood-typed.
    

9. Even if you never intend to sell your foal, always consider what a stallion will add to the price you would get if you DO have to sell the foal. Ask the stallion owners for information on what prices the foals of their horse are fetching on the market. Things like the show records of other progeny by the horse will affect the price you can ask for your foal.
    

10. Contact the owners of other foals by stallions you are interested in. Find out what the babies are like - gait, conformation, size, health, and disposition. Some foals can be very talented, but also what is called 'game', or difficult to manage.
     

11. Once you have chosen your stallion, stay in contact with the owner.
    They should be willing to offer tips and follow-up advice on the care and training of progeny from their stallion.
     

12. Consider this - if you CAN'T find a Tennessee Walking Horse stallion to breed to, for whatever reason, you can breed your TWH mare to something like an Arabian, or Thoroughbred, or American Saddlebred, and STILL stand a pretty good chance of getting a gaited foal. Even if it is NOT gaited, it will still be a VERY smooth saddle horse, and there are Part-bred registries for Tennessee Walking Horses that will even let you raise a set of papers on your baby.