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My new Tennessee walker

Off Course
#1

Hello all,
New to this group and new to horse owning. I have ridden for years doing eventing then barrel racing. Finally decided to buy a trail horse and bought a Tennessee Walker, I haven’t met her in person yet as she is still in quarantine, we are picking her up in two weeks. I have no experience with gaited horses. I am very excited. Although I have ridden for years I never really learned things like how to fit saddles and picking bits. I have been searching for gaited horse threads but haven’t found any that answer my questions. I have been looking for a trainer that can help me with her gaites but have really been struggling.
Do I need a special gaited saddle?
Is there any type of bit that works well?
Do all TWH gait?
The lady who is taking care of her says she gaits but wont stay in it.
Do I need a trainer to help work with her gaits or would I be okay just watching youtube videos?
I cant think of my other questions but hopefully, those are enough to get started

TIA

1 Like
#2

You don’t need a special saddle just one that fits the horse and you. You don’t need a special bit. Many people use a simple snaffle bit. A TWH will probably have several gaits that it can do but you want smooth and one that won’t promote a hollow back. And, yes, they can canter. Many have a wonderful rocking chair canter while some can be confused when asking for a canter. As to a trainer-I would say it would be good for you to use a trainer for both the horse to learn to stay in gait and for you to learn the different gaits. I do recommend an online source. It is Ivy Schexnayder. She has quite a few free videos that might help you a lot. Web site is ivyshorses.com and she can be found on Facebook also.

3 Likes
#3

I trail rode a friend’s TWH gelding for a few years in college, he was a dream!! So comfy especially his canter! Rode him western and bareback, he was comfy as a couch (perhaps a bit too wide lol). He was flat shod or barefoot, can’t remember, but he was wonderful. Enjoy your new horse!!!

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#4

I really liked Lee Ziegler’s book “Easy Gaited Horses” when we bought a TWH for my husband.

It’s very practical with tons of good advice on getting and maintaining the gait.

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#5

Congratsulations on your new horse! Saddle fit is not something you will be able to learn entirely online so I’d urge you to recruit an experienced person to fit a saddle for your new horse, or hiring a professional saddle fitter if you can.

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#6

TWH “should” do a running walk and flat walk and canter. Many don’t do any pure 4 beat gait other than a dog walk (think QH) and will amble or pace or trot. A lot can and will rack.

I’ve got a grade walker that has a nice flat walk. He can flat walk faster than my racking horse can but her running walk is faster than his. She can do any four beat gait except a fox trot but will mosey all day unless she’s encouraged because she’s lazy.

The gelding has a nice canter but when he wants to get somewhere in a hurry he’d rather trot. He cannot rack or pace. When he’s pleased with himself he’ll do a very nice passage down the trail.

The mare has a nice canter but she falls into a “wickywack” or mixed gait, canters behind and racks in front. Comfortable enough to ride but disconcerting the first time you experience it.

Depending on what gaits your new horse is capable of you might find one you want her to stay in, but she may well have a different idea of what’s fitting and proper.

I second the Ziegler book and Ivy on YouTube. Both wonderful resources.

FWIW, both my gaited nags are barefoot and have not been “trained” to gait in the 13 and 14 years I’ve owned them and probably not before that.

The gelding is a very sensitive soul who’s former owner wanted him to be a parade horse primarily. He was so anxious when I got him that he simply had to trot for miles before he could settle down and get his walk on. Now that he’s in his 20s he is still very energetic, always eager to explore any new trail, but is content to walk a good bit.

Gaited horses are strange and wonderful. You don’t get one because they are “easier” and they are not always more comfortable to ride than a stock horse with a nice soft jog trot. What they are excellent for is to cover ground quickly and to proved exhilaration even at a walk. And lovely dispositions, many of them.

3 Likes
#7

thank you all for your input. I will look into finding someone to help me fit her saddle. I have been watching Ivy’s videos and was thinking of maybe seeing if she has any clinics in the upcoming years that she may be able to show me the ropes. She has made me very hopeful that if I’m not able to find a trainer I can still make things work. If it comes to it I could do an online lesson with her. Every place I have talked to for lessons has been trying to get me a board and train that is crazy-expensive and they dont even know if my horse needs it yet.Or they are trying to convince me to come on with them and start showing her.
The lady boarding her has ridden her and said she listens well under saddle, that is a bit of a relief. I know sometimes auctions horses will walk through the auction arena fine but once they are home have a couple of missing screws.
I have been trying to do research but everything I have found is confusing. One place says they need a special bit, others say just to use a snaffle. Some say they cant trot others say they can. Im not really sure what to think.

What gaits should I expect her to be able to do?

#8

If you are unsure about so many things, and you are purchasing an auction horse, having a trainer on hand would be a very good idea. You don’t need to show, but having a second set of eyes to help you figure things out will likely be necessary.

Some TWHs do trot. Some pace. Some rack. Its hard to tell you what to expect, because they can have such a variety of gears. Usually, if you start working on having them really lift their back, use their hind end, and collect into the gait, the horse will be able to be fit enough to provide a variety of comfortable gaits.

TWHs are still just horses like any other kind. A special bit doesn’t help them gait differently. If I were you, I’d plan on starting with a snaffle and see what happens from there.

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#9

Thats why ive been trying to find a trainer, just having a hard time with finding one. Most I talk to just want to work with the horse and not me. My trainer i have been working with isnt comfortable with gaited horses and told me to find someone else.

#10

I forgot to mention that I am not completely on my own. She will be coming to my house until January when I go back to college then she will be boarded at a place next to the school where I will be able to learn more from the owner there. The place next to the school doesn’t do anything more than kiddy lessons but they are there to help the College Students have somewhere inexpensive to keep their horses. I have asked her about her knowledge of gaited horses but unfortunately, she does not know enough to teach me but she can help with everything else that comes with ownership.

#11

If you’re into reading, you might find books and articles by Lee Ziegler and Brenda Imus helpful.

https://lizgraves.org/lee_zieglers_classroom.html

https://horseandrider.com/author/brenda-imusaimmediacom

Congrats on your new horse!

1 Like
#12
#13

Some good advice already given:)

  1. sadly Lee Ziegler passed some years back, so it’s great to know her books are still available.

Another go-to that’s been around for a long time and highly thought of is Liz Graves. https://lizgraves.org

Ivy S, mentioned above, also seems to be pretty good.

  1. A good fitting saddle on a Walking Horse, needs to be able to allow their shoulders to make those wide sweeping movements they are structured to make:)

2.1. I only taught my Walking Horses to lunge, long enough for them to get it. If someone thinks your TWH needs lunged, they have to know Walking Horses should NOT be lunged in small circles due to the big sweeping movement their shoulders need.

  1. If the horse won’t hold its inherent intermediate gait, have a quality chiropractor look around the horse before you start trying to work the paciness out. Anytime my saddle rack, or running walk TWH’s start to trot I know they need the chiropractor who is a holistic vet:)

3.1. My beloved Duke (RIP) was a hard lateral pacer in the pasture. He performed a stepping pace that was every bit as smooth as my TWH who performs that champagne glass smooth running walk. He could not successfully perform a running walk due to his body structure. As smooth as his stepping pace was, I was not going to ask him to do something he couldn’t.

  1. I rode two of my TWH’s in low port curb bits with swivel shanks. I rode two others bitless.

If you can talk to owner, you might ask what they used and if the horse was comfortable with it. The wrong bit and lousy hands/seat may have been the reason for its paciness.

5. Hooves: Do NOT let anyone tell you the horse needs long toes to gait. Their hooves get trimmed the same as any breed of horse - according to what they are asking for:)

The long toe syndrome is a huge burr under my saddle and the biggest crock of bull to ever come down the Walking Horse pike. My TWH who perms the champagne smooth running walk has been with me 24 of his 26 years and he has done some challenging trail riding in a couple of states. I have only put shoes on him 2-3 times in his life when I wasn’t sure of the terrain we would be in. And he has a less-than grade on club hoof that has never affected his gait:)

My other TWH’s never could go barefoot, so wore shoes during riding season.

ALL of my Walking Horses have always been trimmed according to what their hooves ask for and shoes were nothing more than slick shoes with borium, then St. Croix Rim Shoes with a couple of borium head nails once I learned about them.

Contrary to popular belief, TWH’s don’t need keg shoes either.

  1. If this horse is being culled from a herd or you bought it at auction, there’s a good chance it didn’t “make” as a performance Walker. If it was in training for any length of time or was shown in packages, look for scarring of any sort on the front legs. All you can do with the scarring is keep it treated topically and the hair may never grow back.

There may also be some damage to the hooves but a quality farrier (therapeutic would be best:) can manage that.

6.1. It is also a crock that show bloodlines or ex-show horses won’t make good trail horses. Three of my four TWH’s came from show bloodlines, two of them pretty eye-popping good, and they all made excellent trail horses. Happier to be figuring out how to get over a big log than being pushed hard in the show ring with packages on their hooves

Walking Horses have tremendous heart & work ethic, and are generally very forgiving of human error; it’s what gets them abused so much in the show world.

  1. In order to keep riding thanks to a deteriorating back, I’ve been riding Tennessee Walkers since 1990. If they came here, they have stayed here u til their end times and are laid to rest here:). Each one felt or feels different to ride due to their body structures and what their gene pool gave them for an intermediate gait.

Also contrary to popular belief, I have never tried force a horse to do a running walk that wasn’t born to do a running walk. My only requirement has always been to smooth out whatever that inherent intermediate gait is because sometimes the body structure won’t allow for anything different and then you’ve got frustrating human-induced gaining issues for the rest of that horse’s life.

I hope this is helpful and I wish you much success with your new horse:)

10 Likes
#14

Emphatic AMEN. Above post says it all.

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#15

@walkinthewalk That was really helpful. Which gaits do you expect your TWHs to know? I have been reading about why stepping pace is bad for a horse to do but I have also seen some people say a pace is bad as well and you don’t want your horse doing that, why is that?
So many people I show her picture to speculate about her past or something. I guess there is no scarring on her pasterns.
I did find a gaited horse group for my region, Im hoping to at least find some riding friends to who I can ask questions to when things arise.

1 Like
#16

Except for the 18 month old I bought, I trial rode all my Walking Horses first. Duke, my step pacer was my first TWH and love of my life. When the Seller walked him off the trailer and I looked into his eyes, I didn’t care if he was the rankest horse East of the Mississippi and trotted, I knew he was coming home with me, lollol.

Meaning, in 1990, I was coming from a lifetime of trotting horses into the gaiting world, the same as you are now:). I knew what I wanted a fast moving, big motored horse with a lot of “horse sense” because that was what I was used to, and that’s what I got with Duke, aka “Bonafide Genius sired by Prides Genius:)

had I known ahead of time that people very much frowned on the stepping pace because it was not the Signature Gait”, there is a chance I may have passed on Duke and would have missed out on 24 fantastic years with that handsome fella. He was three when I brought him home:)

Meaning I don’t expect a TWH to perform any intermediate gait it is not structurally capable of performing but I do expect it to perform that gait well.
:slight_smile:

My old time strictly pleasure bred TWH will perform both the saddle rack and the running walk. When he was still rideable, I didn’t have a preference as the only way I could tell what he was doing was to listen to his footfall; both gaits felt the same, even when I rode him bareback:)

Getting back to the Stepping Pace - Duke did develop hock issues when he hit 22-23? The lameness vet said it could have been due to him being born a hard lateral pacer but that was never a definitive answer.

IMHO, the easiest way to figure out what an older horse (4 year and up) wants to do, is to watch them at liberty in a good sized pasture. I say four and up because the younger Walking Horses haven’t found their legs yet and can really get themselves in unbelievable tangles with every leg seeming to do its own thing, lollol. I used to marvel that Sultan never hit the ground with his leg antics when he was young:)

If a TWH is inclined to perform the running walk, it’s head will bob up and down. The degree varies from barely noticeable to the ears being so happy, they will flop:):slight_smile:

If a TWH is inclined to step pace or rack, the entire neck will move from side-to-side, also in varying degrees with each horse.

This video, IMHO is the absolute best example of a racking Tennessee Walking Horse - Virginia Gravedigger who was clocked at 25 mph. You will notice his slight side-to-side neck movement when the camera is head on to him:)

The McKeehans are both exemplary riders. Not once in this entire video do you see froth on the horse’s mouth.

  1. Because both husband and wife know how to ride.
  2. That horse LOVES what he is doing.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DytqyLjJd0A

Anita Howe’s video demonstrates good examples of the running walk, with a couple of horses flopping their ears:). She also does pretty good on footfall explanation:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzkO9XRH1dY

3 Likes
#17

“the easiest way to figure out what an older horse (4 year and up) wants to do, is to watch them at liberty in a good sized pasture.”

I respectfully disagree with this statement. I have 2 Rocky Mountain horses that trot out in the pasture but have NEVER offered to trot under saddle even during the very first ride. One gives me a lovely flat/running walk and rack and the other one used to do a stepping pace and rack but is coming into a nice walk/rack. Her stride isn’t as long as the other one’s though.
As to the question of why you don’t want a pace: it’s very choppy/bouncy. Not smooth. Think trot but lateral instead of diagonal. Stepping pace is smoother and not a bad ride but it causes a hollow back which can lead to problems as the horse gets older.

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#18

No gaited riding experience so I got curious about the differences between pace, stepping pace, etc. This video is a great explainer. I believe this trainer has been mentioned already in this thread, now I can see why.

1 Like
#19

I’ve only had four Tennessee Walkers in my life and my comment was based on them:)

  1. The smooth-as-silk step pacer never trotted a day in his life, he lateral paced in the pasture.

  2. The fella who performs the champagne-smooth running walk would trot IF he was behind my Arab. He is now 26 with some stifle issues and has taken to occasionally trotting in his old age. He has 19 acres of Tennessee hills and to this day rarely walks anywhere he goes, so he does pretty good keeping himself conditioned - which is probably why he still run-walks at liberty, unless he is getting close the barn:)

  3. The saddle rack/running walk fella has never trotted, not even with his fractured sacrum. He is also IR/Cushings & has foundered. He is separated from Horse #2 on his own six acres to where I can always see him and I have never seen him trot a day in his life.

  4. The young fella whose life was cut short in a freak pasture accident, only trotted once at liberty & also under saddle, because he needed an adjustment. Once he was adjusted he had the best running walk and never trotted again.

I have read a lot about trotting Walking Horses these days. Some have annoyingly been taught to trot, which my thought is buy a trotting horse.

I believe some of the trotting is due to the horse needing adjusted as it is easier for the muscles to trot and if let go long enough the muscles lose their gaiting memory. Unless a TWH is behind a trotting horse in the pasture and mimicking that trotting horse, I would worry about constant trotting at liberty; I say this based on observation of my own horses:)

I believe some of these trotting TWH’s are caused by riders who don’t know how to ride a gaited horse. Part of why I am so happy to see the OP asking all the right questions in the hopes of doing right by her newly purchased Walking Horse:)

I am a trail rider, have been retired a long time and no longer able to ride. I live in the literal “Cradle of Walking Horse Country”, but I am way out of the breeding loop as to just what is being put on the ground these days in terms of a good gaiting Walking Horse - one that ought to be gaiting at liberty unless something is wrong with it:)

If I were young enough to buy a young horse, provided one wasn’t dumped in my lap that I had to work and work with, I would spend money on a Heritage-bred Walking Horse. They gait well and they have sound minds —- or I would go back to grade Arab/Crosses. Mine didn’t have any health issues, and were tough as nails trail horses. Both were in their late 20’s in the 80’s when I had to lay one to rest from cancer and the other from high ringbone; to that point they had cost me less in vet bills than my dogs:)

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#20

I have been very discouraged while trying to find a trainer that I think I may plan on seeing what I can do by myself. I did talk to Ivy a little mostly to see if she did any clinics in New England but unfortunately she does not and I am not at the point where I can try to put one together myself.
Every place I have talked to has no interest in working with both me and my horse they only want to train her. They arent interested in doing an evaluation to see if she even needs training. I understand her little background is concerning since we do not know much of anything but I feel like I would rather get lessons together so I can learn how to work with her.
Every person I have talked to say other things about what I should do and what I shouldn’t do. @walkinthewalk so far your advice has been the best, I am very grateful for that

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