BREED PROFILE
TENNESSEE WALKING HORSES Rhythm N’ Blues. B Y MON I QU E N OB L E
Gorgeous and gracious, TWH stud FF-16 He’za Cruzin’ Legacy is the resident stallion at Freedom Farms located in Linden, Alberta.
It’s only fitting that a breed of horse born in the same U.S. state that has given us some of the best musicians in North America moves to its own rhythm. The Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH), also known as Tennessee Walkers, are famous for their exceptionally smooth four-beat gait. This unique movement has been carefully nurtured by combining various breeds available to horsemen in the Deep South. Smooth-gaited horses were greatly 20
ALBERTA BITS I WINTER 2022/23
desired by land and plantation owners who rode frequently to survey their holdings. In the late 1700s, the now extinct Narragansett pacers and Canadian pacers (now known as Canadians) were bred to gaited Spanish horses from Texas. The resulting hardy and sure-footed gaited horses were versatile enough to be used for both farm work and pleasure riding. Further crossing with popular breeds of the times, including Thoroughbred,
Saddlebreds, and Standardbreds, led to a smooth-gaited and easygoing type of horse. The providential crossing of the trotting stallion Allendorf with another classic American breed, the Morgan, led to what is now considered the foundation sire of the modern-day Tennessee Walker. In 1886 a Morgan mare named Maggie Marshall produced a foal by Allendorf, named Black Allen. This horse was later designated Allen F-1 when the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ and Exhibitors’ Association (TWHBEA) chose him as their foundation sire. Allen F-1 was bred to Tennessee pacers and the resulting progeny were the first TWHs. Allen F-1 was a black stallion with a striking white blaze, but his descendants now come in all colours, including double dilutes like champagne and perlino. The TWH not only comes in a variety of colours, but also a variety of body types as they are still a relatively young breed, having only been recognized as a distinct breed since 1950. There are, however, certain characteristics typical of the breed. Ranging in height from 14.2-17 hands high, TWHs are noble looking animals with glistening, short haired coats accompanied by luxurious manes and tails. Regal heads feature active ears, kind, intelligent eyes, and tapered muzzles with large, well-shaped nostrils. Their long necks are set into