
Wisconsin Walking Horse Association
The Tennessee Walking Horse, also known as a Tennessee Walker, is an easy-going, gentle, and very comfortable riding horse. They were originally bred for plantation owners who covered many miles while riding around their land. Bred mainly from Standardbred, Morgan, Thoroughbred, and American Saddlebred bloodlines, the Tennessee Walking Horse has developed, after years of refinement, into one of the smoothest riding horses in the world.
Their unique four-beat "running walk" is especially comfortable to ride, making this breed an ideal trail horse. The running walk is their most famous gait, with speeds from six to twelve miles per hour. As the speed of this gait increases, the horse's rear foot overstrides the front print. The greater the overstride, the better a "walker" the horse is said to be.
The flashy gaits of the Tennessee Walker make them popular show horses, competing in classes such as pleasure driving, country pleasure, halter, trail, and western. Horses of this breed come in the common colors of black, chestnut, and bay, and include some roans and pinto markings. They average 15 to 17 hands in height and weigh between 900 to 1,200 pounds.
Famous Tennessee Walkers include the Lone Ranger's horse Silver, “who at times was played by a Walker and Roy Rogers' Trigger Jr.,” who was a registered as a Tennessee Walking Horse.
For more information visit the Wisconsin Walking Horse Association or the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association