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Plantation Walking Horses
A smooth riding gaited mount can be ridden for long distances without tiring the rider. Therefore, "plantation walkers" were prized by plantation owners because they made overseeing the land a more more pleasant experience. Their calm, easy going dispositions made them excellent family horses as well. These highly sought after horses were selectively bred to retain these characteristics. Some of the best stock could be found in Virginia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. In 1935 this type of horse became an official breed and the "Tennessee Walking Horse" was born. The official registry, The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeder's and Exhibitor's Association (TWHBEA), still exists today. As the show ring became the
focus of the breed, the Tennessee Walking Horse lost many of its original
characteristics. The heavy pads worn by "performance" show horses changed
the timing of the gait, so in order to produce a running walk while
wearing the heavy weights a "pacey" horse was needed. The pace is a
two-beat lateral gait that is no more comfortable or smooth to ride than a
trot. The performance horse was also expected to
As trail riding has gained popularity, so have easy gaited riding horses. It makes perfect sense - if you're going to be spending long hours in the saddle, why not be as comfortable as possible? The natural intelligence, surefootedness, and willing disposition of the "foundation style" walking horse make it an IDEAL candidate for trail riding. (The photo at right is of me on Golden Gambler, my buckskin stallion. He's my "perfect" trail horse!)
We are just one of an increasing number of breeders who are attempting to return to the original purpose of the walking horse. We have developed a breeding program aimed at producing naturally gaited, intelligent, walking horses with unparalleled beauty and versatility. In order to differentiate them from the show horse image of the Tennessee Walking Horse, we refer to them as "plantation walking horses."
I am
particularly fond of buckskins and palominos, so that plays heavily into
the program - though we'd NEVER sacrifice any of the traits we
desire (gait, disposition, intelligence, etc.) for color. We have quite a collection of bloodlines in our herd, from western "working" lines to old-timey eastern show lines. We tend to avoid many of the new "WGC" (World Grand Champion) bloodlines because of the traits they produce, but bloodlines alone won't make us pass up an otherwise great horse. While we enjoy researching and learning about our horses' bloodlines, we judge each horse as an individual and have chosen our foundation stock carefully. The following breeders and societies are also attempting to return to the original purpose of the walking horse. Though their methods may be different than ours, our goals are similar:
Westwood
Farms |
be
showy and hot - a far cry from the original laid-back disposition of the
walking horse. As breeders try to produce the next "World Grand Champion"
they continue to breed for these "undesirable" traits (undesirable in my
opinion, obviously not in everyone's!)
Unfortunately, many trail
riders have sought out Tennessee Walking Horses for their smooth gaits and
legendary dispositions, only to be lured into buying "padded culls" sold
as trail horses by unscrupulous sellers. The majority of these horses have
no trail experience, are high strung, and tend to pace rather than do a
smooth trail gait. These are NOT traits that make a suitable trail mount
and their riders are often disappointed and unfortunately they end up
turning to other breeds. I absolutely
abhor this practice - not only is it dishonest on the seller's
part,
but
it causes the buyer to miss out on a great breed of horse.