The Tennessee Walker or Tennessee Walking Horse is a gentle and comfortable riding horse. It has a unique gait, the “running walk.” The smooth and gliding gait retains the 4-beat cadence of a normal walk, but the hind foot overreaches teh track left by the front foot by as much as 24 inches. The breed was originally bred in the Southern United States to carry the owners of plantations around their lands. Their unique four-beat “running walk” is especially comfortable to ride, making the breed a well-suited trail companion. The breed is rarely seen in any of the sport horse disciplines; however, they are good for trail riding because of their smooth gaits, stamina and easy temper, and are also seen in Western riding disciplines and in harness.
