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The Tennessee Walking Horse is a smooth-gaited riding breed founded in middle Tennessee and often nick-named a Walker, or Plantation Horse since it was used by the plantation owners for riding out to oversee the farm. It evolved in the middle 19th century as a composite of the Standardbred, the Thoroughbred, the Morgan, and the American Saddlebred on which the foundation parentage is based. This breed generally ranges from 14.3 to 17 hands (a hand being 4 inches) and weighs 900 to 1200 pounds. It possesses a pretty head with small, well placed ears, a long sloping shoulder and hip, a fairly short back and a short strong coupling. The bottom line is longer than the top line, allowing for a long stride and the ability to perform gaited action at speed. Those gaits include the flat foot walk and running walk - natural gaits unique to this breed for which the Tennessee Walking Horse is famous. Many are also able to perform the rack, stepping pace, fox-trot, single-foot and other variations of the famous running walk. WP
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