Tennessee walking horse

[rianne21]

I would like to know more about this breed please...

the gaits etc...

i know some people disagree, and some agree.. with the ways they are trained etc....

i am neither here nor there.. i would like to hear some facts and things about how these beautiful horses are treated and so forth..

From the look of the video i watched it didn't look too "comfortable" for the horse.. but i don't know enough about this sport and breed to judge in all honesty.
Has any1 any pictures of these horses, in their natural ways in fields and untacked etc.. and then with them in work??

why do they have them weights on their feet?

why do they bleed sometimes??
does it hurt them?

 

[Katie_85]

*I know I'm going to regret getting involved on this thread even to answer questions because TWH threads always seem to get taken over by something else entirely. Le sigh*

the gaits etc...

Flat walk, running walk, canter. TWH's should not trot. Or pace. (Most do anyway) But basically, instead of doing either, the horse should move its' feet evenly in a lateral pattern with one foot always remaning on the ground. The flat walk is the slowest, running walk is faster. The canter is more collected than a normal canter, although these horses are capable of cantering either way.

i know some people disagree, and some agree.. with the ways they are trained etc....

Yep. And some people know just enough about them to be dangerous and then go about shouting that all TWH's are sored, fixed, abused, etc...

i am neither here nor there.. i would like to hear some facts and things about how these beautiful horses are treated and so forth..

These horses are treated differently depending on their owners, just like non-gaited horses are. The big controversy in the TWH world is among the show circuit. TWHs that compete in major shows are often encouraged via any means available to perform a very distorted gait called the "Big Lick." This is mostly amongst the padded horses, but there have been several flat shod owners who have used unscrupulous practices to get a win. The majority of TWH owners, however, utilize the horse's smooth gaits for trail riding and the occasional fun show. By and large, these horses are not abused. But within the competitive community, the majority are.

From the look of the video i watched it didn't look too "comfortable" for the horse.. but i don't know enough about this sport and breed to judge in all honesty.

You probably saw a padded horse- one with built up front shoes. Depending on a lot of factors, such as how high the pads are, etc... it may or may not have been comforable for the horse. It is entriely possible to pad humanely, but it is entirely impossible to win that way. The need to win and the oh-so-tempting rewards are what have driven many owners and trainers to abuse their horses. (Much like in any other discipline)

Has any1 any pictures of these horses, in their natural ways in fields and untacked etc.. and then with them in work??

Flat shod TWH- moving exactly as God intended him to. -See attachment-

why do they have them weights on their feet?

They aren't weights, per se. They are a combination of wedges, pads, and a light shoe designed to create the "Big Lick."

why do they bleed sometimes??

Not sure what you're asking, exactly.

does it hurt them?

Padding? Not unless it's done wrong. It was never deisgned to hurt the horse; quite the contrary. However, padding has taken on a whole new meaning in the show ring, sadly.

 

[Wally]

http://www.walkinonranch.com/

http://www.walkinonranch.com/2007WGC.html

http://www.walkinonranch.com/1000Words.html

The second link says it all for me,

Reading the links on the first link will tell you a great deal about both sides of the TWH world.

The third link shows the extremes they wil go to to get the "big Lick"

 

[rianne21]

Wow thanks you guys for replying!!!

ok i am not liking this "sport" at all if i am honest. What a beautiful horse, the tail is so full and beautiful!!

It just all seems so unnatural

The bleeding bit i was referring to, was about a mth ago a picture of a horses heel with cuts etc from the padding, apparantly

Thanks for helping me with this enquiry and i loved that photo.. they really are a stunning breed. x

 

[Spoof]

i am neither here nor there.. i would like to hear some facts and things about how these beautiful horses are treated and so forth..
In the non-show world, just like everyone else. Usually ridden in a shank style western bit, with a western saddle. They tend to group on rides since a TWH's normal walk is quite a bit faster than a non-gaited breed.

If you look at the footprints at a normal walk the hinds will land in front of the front. Kermit's is 8" at a relaxed walk. Makes for a very swingy ride - some people do not like the movement.

From the look of the video i watched it didn't look too "comfortable" for the horse..
I don't imagine it is, when the show horses are retired, they lose that big movement.

Has any1 any pictures of these horses, in their natural ways in fields and untacked etc.. and then with them in work??
They look and just like normal horses, except for the overstride. Some have slightly more leg elevation in their natural gaits, similar to a morgan or saddlebred in the field.

why do they have them weights on their feet?
Some use it to encourage height, or a steady cadence. You generally won't get the high step without weight. It forces the front to snap up more quickly causing more 'hang time' giving the back legs a chance to stride way under the front. I've ridden two big lick show horses; one was pretty smooth, the other I had to have help getting off because he threw my back out.


why do they bleed sometimes??
Anything left on a horse's leg is going to rub and make it sore. Metal + flesh = ouch.

does it hurt them?
I'm sure it does. I've been to a lot of barns, and all big-money pursuits have dark sides. A jumper barn is just as bad as the TWH barn, is just as bad as the western barn. Horror and hero stories for all.


David Lichman has a good video showing a gaited horse doing his thing naturally.

When I buy a gaited horse I prefer mine to be 5+ gaited on the diagonal legs; walk, runwalk/singlefoot, trot, rack, canter. The other option is lateral movement; (tend to use legs on the same side in unison) is walk, runwalk/stepping pace, pace, rack/something messy, and maybe a canter. Not all gaited horses can canter, odd as it sounds. The worse they pace, the higher the chance they will have difficulty achieving a true canter.

 

[rianne21]

i am neither here nor there.. i would like to hear some facts and things about how these beautiful horses are treated and so forth..
In the non-show world, just like everyone else. Usually ridden in a shank style western bit, with a western saddle. They tend to group on rides since a TWH's normal walk is quite a bit faster than a non-gaited breed.

If you look at the footprints at a normal walk the hinds will land in front of the front. Kermit's is 8" at a relaxed walk. Makes for a very swingy ride - some people do not like the movement.

From the look of the video i watched it didn't look too "comfortable" for the horse..
I don't imagine it is, when the show horses are retired, they lose that big movement.

Has any1 any pictures of these horses, in their natural ways in fields and untacked etc.. and then with them in work??
They look and just like normal horses, except for the overstride. Some have slightly more leg elevation in their natural gaits, similar to a morgan or saddlebred in the field.

why do they have them weights on their feet?
Some use it to encourage height, or a steady cadence. You generally won't get the high step without weight. It forces the front to snap up more quickly causing more 'hang time' giving the back legs a chance to stride way under the front. I've ridden two big lick show horses; one was pretty smooth, the other I had to have help getting off because he threw my back out.


why do they bleed sometimes??
Anything left on a horse's leg is going to rub and make it sore. Metal + flesh = ouch.

does it hurt them?
I'm sure it does. I've been to a lot of barns, and all big-money pursuits have dark sides. A jumper barn is just as bad as the TWH barn, is just as bad as the western barn. Horror and hero stories for all.


David Lichman has a good video showing a gaited horse doing his thing naturally.

When I buy a gaited horse I prefer mine to be 5+ gaited on the diagonal legs; walk, runwalk/singlefoot, trot, rack, canter. The other option is lateral movement; (tend to use legs on the same side in unison) is walk, runwalk/stepping pace, pace, rack/something messy, and maybe a canter. Not all gaited horses can canter, odd as it sounds. The worse they pace, the higher the chance they will have difficulty achieving a true canter.

wow THANKYOU for taking the time to answer my questions

 

[Jen_e_Jen]

I have only ridden one or two Walkers, but I have heard a lot about the soreing. It seems very inhumane to me, and all for a high step. The Mountain Horses are checked twice before they enter the ring to look for any evidence of padding or soreing. Unnatural methods to get the high step are strictly prohibited. Katie is right though, the majority of TWH owners use them while hunting, and for trails, and they live happy healthy lives.

 

[Katie_85]

Ooooh do you ride Mountain Horses?!?! Kentucky, Rocky, Spotted? We did a lot with those as well; I really enjoyed their gait. It was a nice break from the swingy TWH.

 

[pagan]

My son lives in kentucky and on my tube you can see a video of the shelbyville show and the twh .

 

[Spoof]

The three spotted's I've ridden had the same gait as the TWH. Some TWH's have less of an overstride and are less swingy, the old working cow ones have a really cool singlefoot thing they do.

I was hoping with Kermit being 15'1 and 1/4 QH he would have nice gaits and be less swingy. Nope! He has a bigger stride than the 17-18 hh warmbloods here. His gaits are smooth and a lot of fun, but you could successfully hula-hoop at his fast walk. Not for the feint of back. He is very springy and elevated in his gaits and would do well in dressage if I ever got the time to take him there.

I owned a foxtrotter mare that was a lot of fun and very smooth at the foxtrot but her pace could knock teeth out.

Would love to try a Rocky Mountain horse and someday hope to own an Icelandic. Need to wait until I move to a cooler climate though!

 

[Spoof]

Read this today, and wow. That's only 8% remaining. That means 92% of the horses at that TWH show had something unscrupulous enough done that they needed to pull out. Sad.

On the other hand, I'm glad they are seriously cracking down on them.

 

[Katie_85]

That means 92% of the horses at that TWH show had something unscrupulous enough done that they needed to pull out.

Not necessarily. I would bet that the majority of horses at that show were fixed in some way, but I also have a feeling that more than a few trainers pulled out on principle, even if they were competing sound. A lot of trainers have a real problem with what they see as the federal government meddling in their affairs, even if they have nothing to hide.