Tennessee Walker

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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, 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 long-distance riding because of their stamina and easy temper, and are also seen in Western riding disciplines and under harness.

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[edit] Breed characteristics

The Tennessee Walker is exemplary in its 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 Walkers are black, other colors and patterns such as roan, chestnut or sorrel, bay, champagne and pinto 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. 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. In the show arena, Walking horse are known for their gliding running walk and are usually shown with long manes and tails. [1]

[edit] History

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.

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 Walkers, who they also used for plowing fields. Even after the coming of the automobile, Tennessee communities kept their Walkers to manage the poor roads of the area. The Walkers 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, so every Walker after that date has to have both parents registered to be registered themselves.

[edit] Showing

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 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 overstrides the front print 15-45 cm (6-18 in). The greater the overstride, 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 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.

[edit] History of the "Big Lick"

During the late 1940s and early 1950s, when Walking Horses enjoyed a surge of widespread popularity with the general public, exaggerated front leg action, especially at the running walk, drew spectators to horse shows and helped further increase the popularity of the breed. This action was also was rewarded by judges. Thus began the rage for "big lick" movement. While "flat shod" horses with naturally good movement could comfortably perform this crowd-pleasing gait at the time, it took both natural ability and considerable time to properly train and condition the horse.

Some individuals, wishing to produce similar movement in less-talented horses or in less time, borrowed practices used by other breeds to enhance movement. This included action devices such as weighted shoes, "stacks," and the use of weighted chains around the pasterns, all of which, within certain limits, were allowed.

As these methods produced horses that won in the show ring, and as ever-higher and more dramatic action was rewarded by the judges, some trainers turned to less savory methods to produce high action in a hurry. These methods including excessively heavy weighted chains, use of tacks deliberately placed under the shoe into the "white line" or quick, of the hoof, and the controversial practice of "soring," the application of a caustic chemical agent to the front legs to make it painful for the horse to put its feet down.

[edit] Action Devices

There are two common action devices that are permitted on the show grounds, and are used for training and show to enhance the horse's gait.

  • Chains: bracelet-like chains are attached around the front pasterns of the horse, and may be no more than 6 ounces in weight. They are used with a lubricant to allow them to slide easily along the pastern.
  • "Stacks": Added under a horse's natural hoof, stacks can vary in height. They are usually made of plastic, although some may be made of leather. Stacks have a metal band that runs across the hoof to help keep them on the horse's foot. Stacks may be up to 4" thick in the heel and no more than 2" in the toe.

Users of chains do not believe they cause the horse pain, stating that it creates a similar feeling as a loose bracelet would around the wrist of a person. However, some trainers and veterinarians believe that they may be harmful. The well-known "Auburn Study," conducted from September 1978 to December of 1982 at Auburn University, examined the "Thermography in diagnosis of inflammatory processes in horses in response to various chemical and physical factors." Using thermography, the researchers found that chains "altered thermal patterns as early as day 2 of exercise with chains. These altered thermal patterns persisted as long as chains were used," with normal thermal patterns seen after 20 days recovery. A stallion in the study also developed lesions from his 8 ounce chains, after wearing them in nine 15-minute exercise periods (scattered from September 22 to October 3). The Auburn study also showed that 2,4, and 6 ounce chains produced no adverse effects in the horses being studied. A 6 ounce chain is the legal weight of chain allowed in NHSC horse shows.

Stacks are also controversial. Some are also critical of the band that holds the stack on, which they believe cuts into the hoof and may wear a slot into it. However, it is a common pratice for a trainer to loosen the band when the horse is not being exercised, thus eliminating this problem. It is also dangerous if a horse wearing stacks tears off a shoe, as the stack will come off and the band may rip into the hoof and tear off a good part of the hoof wall. Therefore, horses wearing stacks should not be turned out.

[edit] Soring

Soring is an abusive practice that is associated in part with the production of a "big lick" Walker. It involves using chemical agents such as mustard oil, diesel fuel, kerosene, salicylic acid, and others, on the pasterns, bulbs of heel, or coronary band of the horses, burning or blistering the horse's legs so that it will accentuate its gait. These chemicals are harmful, usually quite toxic and sometimes carcinogenic, and trainers must use a brush and wear gloves when applying them. The area may then be wrapped in plastic while the chemicals are absorbed. The chemical agents cause extreme pain, and usually lead to scarring. A distinctive scarring pattern is a tell-tale signs of soring, and therefore may be covered up by a dye, or the horse's legs may be soaked in salicylic acid before the animal is stalled (as many can not stand up after the treatment) while the skin of the scars slough off. Other signs that a horse has been sored include:

  • The horse stands with his feet close together, shifting his weight to his hind legs
  • Granulation or scars on the pasterns or coronet
  • Wavy hair growth or hair loss in the pastern area
  • Pastern has darker hairs than the rest of the horse's coat
  • Hocks are carried low and may twist outward when moving
  • Horse lies down for extended periods of time, and is resistant to standing up
  • Horse resists handling of feet
  • Horse has difficulty walking, and may fall; falls can cause severe shoulder disfigurement

Other methods of soring include pressure shoes, where the hoof is trimmed to the quick so that the sole is in direct contact with the metal shoe. The horse may then be "road foundered," ridden up and down hard surfaces on the over-trimmed hooves, until they are very sore. Trainers sometimes place objects, such as metal beads, nails, or screws, under the pad causing intense pressure, although this practice has begun to decrease with the advent of fluoroscope to detect such methods. Abusive use of chains (such as using them with chemical soring agents) is also a common practices by sorers.

Measures have for many years been taken to stop the practice, and many supporters of the Tennessee Walking Horse Association have banded together against such cruelty. The 1970 Horse Protection Act [2], created specifically to stop such practices and to monitor the TWH in particular, prohibits the use of soring agents. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is working with the industry to enforce the law; Walking Horse organizations send DQP's (Designated Qualified Persons) to shows to inspect the horses alongside the federal Vetrinary Medical Officers. According to the APHIS, less than 1% of horses inspected were cited for any violation, including technical violations such as use of hair dyes and shoeing measurements.

Soring is prohibited at sales and shows, and is detected by observing the horse for lameness and assessing his stance and palpating the lower legs. Some trainers can bypass inspectors by "stewarding," or teaching the horses not to react to the pain that palpation may cause, by severely punishing the horse for flinching after the sored area is palpated. Trainers may also time the use of the agents so that it will not be detected when the horse is examined, but will be in effect when the rider goes into the ring. Others use topical anesthetics, which are timed to wear off before the horse goes into the show ring. Many trainers that sore will also leave the show grounds when they find that DQPs are present. Although soring is not as prevalent as it was in earlier years, and while the vast majority of Walkers are not sored, the problem still exists.

In 2006, however, due to new techniques in both soring and detection, the USDA has begun a larger crackdown on soring within the TWH industry. A new device known as a sniffer (also used to detect the chemical presence of bombs in airport security) is now being employed where swabbed samples are taken from the horse and then "sniffed."

At the 2006 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration [3], the dispute between trainers and USDA inspectors came to a head. The inspectors disqualified 6 of 10 horses from showing on the night of Friday, August 25. The trainers denied soring and challenged the monitoring methods. The result was that the celebration classes were canceled that evening and the following morning, Saturday, August 26. At that point, the monitors and trainers reached a temporary agreement, allowing the celebration to continue Saturday evening. Canceled classes were rescheduled. However, a more permanent agreement on monitoring methods still needs to be negotiated, and trainers and inspectors continue to meet.

Trainers who oppose this practice have formed and joined alternative breed organizations, including the National Walking Horse Association (NWHA) or Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH). Both of these organizations promote the sound Tenneessee Walker.

[edit] Cultural references

  • The Tennessee Walking Horse is the official state horse of the U.S. State of Tennessee.
  • The town of Shelbyville, Tennessee promotes itself as the "Walking Horse Capital of the World."
  • Driving through Tennessee, one is bound to see one or more billboards advertising nearby TWH exhibitions or pleasure riding areas.

[edit] External links

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