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July 18, 2003

Tennessee Walking Horses

Tennessee Walking Horses, unlike France, are very very cool.

I've gotten to learn a bit about them since April got her new job at Walnut Creek Stables. They're a unique breed and style, presenting unique to the breed three unique gaits: the flatfoot walk, the running walk, and the Tennessee canter. Go here for videos of each unique gait. The flat-shod horses are more for utility purposes (yet do have their own divisions for competition), and come from the old Tennessee Plantation style horse. The performance horses though are really incredible. Make sure to check out the videos. They're amazing.

So what's particular about their gait is the movement of their legs. Horses move their legs when walking like a dog does: right front leg forward with the left back leg forward, then left front leg forward with the back right leg forward. Tennesse Walking Horses do the opposite. They move the sides together: right front leg forward with right back leg foward and then right left leg forward with left back leg foward.

While there is a great deal of training involved with these horses, their style of walking is genetic, that is its inherited from a horses parents and is only found in the Tennessee Walking Horse breed.

April has been bringing home all these newspapers and magazines about the horses and they've provided ample and welcome reading material, for, ah, events like smoking a cig outside when I'm working at home alone.

Well, that's all. I'm sure I reported some things about the horses that were incorrect. April will probably have corrections up here later tonight.