Who else owns a Tennessee Walker!?

[Sassymygirl]

Hey yall, just wondering if I'm not the only one here who owns a Tennessee Walker? I have a black, 12yr old gelding, named Breago. He's my sweetie-pie.

So, do you have one? Or had one in the past? What do you think of them?

I cut his mane short for the summer.

Oh and one more thing, could you critique my horse?

 

[key west chick]

wow, he's pretty!

 

[texasgal]

Very nice! The TWHs I've known in my life have been the most level headed easy going horses I've known.. As my back gets worse and I get older .. I'm thinking more and more about owning one!

 

[oldchickenlady]

Well...I have to say...since you asked...I hate it when people cut their horses' manes. It just looks weird to me. Of course that is just my opinion...other than that, he is a nice looking horse to me, but I am no expert. Of course in the second picture he is faded from the sun.
I have a beautiful spotted saddle horse named Little Rock. He is my riding buddy. The very first trail ride we took together was for a Best of America By Horseback trailride in Alabama. We had a ball and he did great! We have been hitting the trails ever since with a group of my friends. We have soooo much fun! I don't have any pictures uploaded here to post, so you will just have to trust me when I say he is gorgeous! White mane, black tail, chestnut and white on his body. He is very inquisitive and a real people horse. I just love him.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Wait, I found a picture of Little Rock and I when we were riding in a Christmas parade.

 

[Orchid]

I have a TWH mare, love her to death!

Your boy is gorgeous. Very well put together.

 

[michickenwrangler]

I don't, but I board at a TWH barn so I'm around quite a few. I rode one back in October on an extended trail ride while my horse was recovering from a leg injury. It was a good experience for me, riding a green 2 yr old.

Here are some horses from the stable. Despite the fact that they are all black, they are indeed different horses!

 

[patandchickens]

Oh, I like him!

I hafta say, I am soooo not a gaited-horse person in general (h/j/eventing/dressage)... but aside from that aspect of it, I have really greatly enjoyed all the TWHs I've dealt with over the years. They all seem to have such good brains -- levelheaded but not 'dead', able to think their way out of problems yet not inclined to think their way *into* problems LOL They may not be yer first choice for a Prelim level eventer or mid-level dressage horse (not that a few may not be capable of it), but as userfriendly enjoyable horses they rank RIGHT up there in my book

I don't know enough to critique your horse (as per your request) from a TWH breed-specific standpoint; but as a horse *in general*, I would say that the body (from chest and withers on back) and upper legs are about everything you can ask for in a useful horse. Strong looking back and coupling, good haunches and pelvic structure, all the parts balanced and looking like they belong together. The shoulder and upper arm structure are like a gaited horse's rather than like (say) a TB's, but then of course he *is* a gaited horse so they *should* be LOL. He looks like his hindlegs maybe set out a little behind him, which is not unusual in his breed IME (or the other version, sickle hocks); it's "there" but not to a degree that you'd expect it to affect his general utility. Aside from that I like his hindlegs real well. Nice big correct feet!

The only two things I could really meaningfully say against him, if I had to, would be that a) he is tied-in below the knee and quite light of bone there - but if he's just supposed to be a recreational horse then I don't see as it's likely to make any practical difference; and b) his neck could use more correct muscling (make sure you are not encouraging him to take a false headset, nor letting him go around pulling). (e.t.a. - I suppose in a perfect world his neck could be a bit longer and higher-set, but, enh, it's not a problem the way it is). His head itself is really quite pretty for a TWH

Overall he looks useful and (aside from the neck thing) plenty athletic, and based on his structure I'd certainly be happy to have him in my own barn, like as a trail horse type thing. But I don't suppose you're giving away free samples <vbg>

JMHO, good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[michickenwrangler]

Sassymygirl,

Compare your horse to the middle horse in my post. He is a former Plantation shod and Halter Champion for NWHA--National Walking Horse Assoc.

The trainer at the barn has taken many halter champions into the ring. PM for her name if interested or go to www.whamonline.com

 

[welsummerchicks]

A good many horses are tied in below the knee, I don't think it's as much of an issue if the horse is not a jumper or galloper.

There is a kind of 'classic conformation' that many of our American specialty and versatility breeds don't really strictly follow, in general type, nor in a lot of the details. That 'classic conformation' ideal was designed for real fox hunters and for galloping type race horses. It's come down to the show hunter ring (with some changes) but had less influence on the sport horse market.

The horse has a very, very nice gentle eye with a lot of depth. Seems to be standing very nicely for the young person in the photo.

I think the horse is what you could call a 'family type TW'. The show horses seem to me, to be taller and this one is a little longer in the back, a little shorter in the leg than them...more a family type horse.

The faded color for summer doesn't bother me, though it's a big deal in some types of horse show classes and even would get marked down, I'm told.

As long as the horse is comfortable in the summer, that's all I care about. The type of showing I did, fading in the coat is ignored, and the horses are often clipped so wind up being a whole rainbow of intriguing colors - chestnuts look pink and bays and blacks can be mousy dunny colors, and no one cares.

The trimmed mane doesn't bother me either, again, I think it's about comfort, if it's more comfortable that way, that's good.

I think if the bugs are bad, an untrimmed mane and tail can help to shake off the flies and mosquitoes. One has to balance that against the difficulty of keeping a mane combed out, it getting snagged on things, and if it makes the animal hotter in the summer. When it gets very long and gets tangled in the reins or whips one in the face it's pretty annoying, especially on a hot day. Usually a good tail is plenty for bugs, and the mane is just a matter of preference.

It's hard to 'critique' the conformation of Tennessee Walkers as they have a different kind of hind leg than a sport horse or other type of horse that gets a more traditional kind of evaluation. The kind of conformation that is desired for Tennessee Walkers is different.

They generally have more angulation in the hocks, and a sport riding person, especially one into hunters, might say they were sickle hocked or have too much angulation, as those guys especially like a straighter hind leg. But the angulation is usually more in TW, and is supposed to help them gait.

Your horse has that type of angulation in the hocks, just what most people seem to want for Walkers. For a sport person, they might not understand the gait, and would say it's too much.

Many people in a variety of different riding sports, like to see a tiny little teacup chin and nose on all breeds and a dished foreface, preferably one that resembles an extreme Arabian horse profile, but that isn't really typical for a TW. The head is more masculine and the nose tends to have a little 'Roman' profile. This one is more typical TW in the head as well.`

The MOST important thing for a family, pleasure horse is its temperament, and how reliable, consistent and trustworthy it is. That's something you just can't quite 100% capture in a picture.