Grandpa Oliver with Old Sam.
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Sam pulled the plow, and took the family to
church on Sunday. Everyone in the neighborhood
used old Sam to get the doctor. If you headed
old Sam up the branch he automatically went
to one doctor and if you headed Sam down
the branch he went to the other doctor. Tennessee
using horses, plantation horses, this was
the stock to eventually become the Tennessee
Walking Horse. My husband raised in Eastern
Tennessee is very proud of his roots and
his grandfather who handed down his Civil
War saddle to Al along with many stories
of old Sam. |
In 1885, a cross between a stallion called
Allendorf, from the Hamiltonian family of
trotters, and Maggie Marshall, a Morgan mare
resulted in a black colt with a white blaze,
off hind coronet and rear hind sock. Black
Allen foal of 1886. He was latter to be chosen
by the T.W.H.B.E.A. as the foundation sire
of the Tennessee Walking Horse and designated
Allen F-1. It was the cross between Allen
and the Tennessee Pacer/Plantation horse
that produced todays Tennessee Walking Horse.
Walkers have impressed the nation with their
gentle disposition and kindly manner. They
continue to prove themselves one of the most
versatile horse's. This docile temperament
,together with the smooth and easy gaits
has caused Walking Horse's to be in much
demand in all sections of the country. Its
serves nobly in English or Western Pleasure.
The Walking horse, has taken the young, the
aged, the timid, as well as the experienced
riders over the miles of pleasure through
paths and trails.
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Resting place of Midnight Sun
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GAITS OF PLEASURE
The flat foot walk, running walk and canter
are natural, inherited gaits and can be easily
recognized from the time a young foal starts
to amble beside it's mother. With the rhythmic
coordination of legs, head and body movement
. The flat walk and the famed running walk
are both basic, loose, four-cornered gaits.
That is to say the running walk is nothing
more than an extension in stride and speed
over the flat walk. A 1-2-3-4 beat with each
of the horse's hooves hitting the ground
separately at regular intervals. As he moves,
his head will nod in rhythm with the regular
rise and fall of his hooves, overstriding
with his hind foot the track left by his
front foot-left rear over left front, right
rear over right front. In general he should
travel in a straight direct motion, never
winging, crossing, or swinging. The flat
walk should be loose, bold and square with
plenty of motion. The running walk should
be executed with loose ease of movement,
pulling with the fore, pushing with the rear.
There should be a noticeable difference in
speed between the running walk and the flat
walk. The running walk speed may be 6-8 mph,
but a good running walk should never allow
proper form to be sacrificed for excessive
speed. The rocking chair canter is a high
rolling collected gallop with distinct head
motion, chin tucked and smooth collected
movement. The rise and fall of the canter
gives notation to the term "rocking
chair".
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| Offering participation in halter, harness,
English and Western pleasure, jumping, dressage
and western events, the Versatility Program
provides progressive achievement levels for
it's participants. The T.W.H.B.E.A. Distance
Award Program recognizes those who spend
many hours in the saddle on organized trail
rides. With dressage being instituted the
association rewards all levels of equine
accomplishment. With over 500,000 horse's
registered the Tennessee Walking Horse has
firmly established itself as one of the top
ten recognized horse breeds in the U.S.,
and has earned the distinction as the fastest
growing breed !!! With their endearing nature
and that smooth ride those of us who are
privileged to have them are not surprised! |