TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE

Tennessee Walking Horse stallion with dapple-gray coat. also called Plantation Walking Horse, breed of horse that derives its name from the state of Tennessee and from its distinctive gaitthe running walk. In a broad sense, it originated from all the ancestors that could do a running walk. Allan F-I (foaled 1886), a Standardbred stallion with several crosses of Morgan breeding, had the greatest influence on the breed. The walking horse is heavier and stouter than, and lacks the refinement and style of, the American saddle horse. The head is usually carried low. Some are more sloping in the croup and more curved in the hocks than other riding horses. Tennessee walking horses average 15.2 hands (157 cm, or 62 inches) in height and weigh about 450 kg (1,000 pounds). The colours are black, chestnut, bay, brown, roan, gray, yellow, and pure white. The running walk is a natural gait that may be improved but not acquired by a horse without the natural ability. The gait is faster than a flat-footed walk, with a speed of 10 to 13 km (6 to 8 miles) per hour. The front foot strikes the ground an instant before the diagonal hind foot. The horse has a low, gliding, reaching action, the hind foot overstepping the print of the forefoot by several inches. Official recognition as a distinct breed dates from 1935. See the Table of Selected Breeds of Light Horses for further information.