Silver Phoenix Ranch - The Gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse

The Gaits of the Tennessee Walking Horse

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After having worked with this breed for nearly a decade, I have discovered that there are some misconceptions in what the gait of the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) truly is. I think that many people who ride a TWH know that the horse is supposed to perform the running walk, or run walk. Therefore, when they’re riding the horse and it is a smooth ride, they assume the horse is performing the running walk.

It is true that the preferred gait of the TWH is the running walk. It is executed in a precise manner that allows for maximum speed with minimal effort on the horse’s part. The cadence of the running walk creates a smooth, gliding ride for the rider, with minimal or no bounce. This movement has been refined through years of selective breeding and paying attention to the quality of the horses being bred. It cannot be trained—it’s a genetic trait that has been cultivated over time.

Within the TWH breed, however, there are many different gaits that the horses can execute. These gaits have different names based on how the body and legs are moving, concerning the timing of the footfalls, the head carriage, and the overall movement of the horse’s body. These gaits are discussed in detail on the next page.

Why are TWHs gaited?

The answer is actually quite simple. The TWH was developed by plantation owners in the Southern United States during the early 1900s. The goal was to create a smooth riding horse that had the strength and stamina to be ridden all day long throughout the hundreds of acres of crops that plantation owners had at the time. This way, the owner could check on his crops and workers, cover more ground in half the time, and not be tired at the end of the day from being bounced around in the saddle. The horses had to be strong and sturdy with a using conformation and capacity to withstand long, hot days in the humid climate of this area. The breed was also used as a working and utility horse, and has since become popular as a show and trail mount. Particularly, the breed was developed in the State of Tennessee, hence the state’s name in the horse’s breed name. It is the first breed to have been named after a state in the United States. It is possible that it is also the first gaited breed native to the United States.

So why can’t all TWHs perform the running walk?

It’s not that they can’t all perform it. It’s that some TWHs need more work to bring it out of them than others. I find there are four main issues that contribute to this.

The first issue is the mere act of putting a saddle and person on the horse’s back. The best way to explain this is to equate it with our own bodies. The combined weight of the average rider and saddle is about 230 pounds. The average weight of a horse is 1,000 pounds. This means the horse is carrying just under one-quarter of its body weight when a rider gets on its back. The average person (male or female) weighs about 175 pounds, so let’s fill a backpack with one-quarter of that person’s weight, about 44 pounds. If the person puts on this backpack, you’ll see him shift his body and carry himself differently to accommodate for the weight change. The same thing happens for a horse. While he may perform a perfect running walk in the field, it might take some coaxing to help him find his balance and be able to perform that same running walk under saddle.

The second issue is due to breeding. Over time, people have bred for certain traits such as size, color and temperament quality and have not considered the impact it could have on the horse’s gait. Therefore, some TWHs just aren’t built to correctly perform the running walk. That doesn’t mean that they’re not a true TWH or aren’t a smooth ride—it just means that it may not be in their conformation to be able to perform the true running walk that the TWH is famous for.

The third issue is poorly-fitted tack. Gaited horses are physically built different than traditional breeds. Their center of gravity is usually slightly behind their withers, while many traditional breeds’ center of gravity is at their withers. The bone and muscle structure of gaited horses is also slightly different. The legs are hinged to the shoulders and hindquarters differently than with traditional breeds. This change in conformation has developed over tens of years of breeding for the smooth gaits.

This means that tack designed for traditional breeds, such as Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, and Arabians, usually will not fit a gaited horse. Quarter Horse bars in a saddle can sit too wide on a gaited horse’s back, causing pinch points at the top of the horse’s rib cage. The trees designed for Arabian horses can be too deep for a gaited horse, causing undue pressure on the middle of the horse’s spine.

There are many manufacturers that have a line of saddles designed for gaited horses, and there are some companies that specialize mainly in gaited horse saddles (for example, Crest Ridge Saddlery). Many manufacturers have saddles designed with flexible trees that can fit a gaited horse better than a traditional tree. However, before going out and buying the first saddle you see that’s designated for a gaited horse, I highly recommend calling around to your local saddle shops or searching the Internet for someone who can help you fit a saddle to your horse. Sometimes you might get lucky and find that a traditional saddle will fit your gaited horse. For example, I used to have a saddle designed for Arabian horses that perfectly fit a Missouri Fox Trotter I was working with—he had high withers and a round back, very similar to an Arabian.

The fourth issue is lack of rider recognition of the true running walk. While I hate to say it, I find that many people that ride gaited horses truly don’t know what gait their horse is performing. If they don’t know what gait the horse is performing, then how can they help the horse to achieve his maximum capability under saddle?

Why is it important for the TWH to perform the true running walk?

There are two reasons why it’s important for the TWH to perform the true running walk. The first is because a horse that is not gaiting correctly for his conformation can wind up with back, neck, leg, knee, and shoulder problems over time. This can be a serious problem as the horse gets older as it can cause arthritis or more serious medical issues.

The second is relevant if you are interested in showing your horse. The TWH must be able to perform the gaits true to the breed in the show ring. TWH show venues all have rules and regulations specific to their venue, but the fact that the TWH must perform the gait true to the breed is consistent within all venues.

So how do I recognize the running walk?

Recognizing the running walk is easy once you know what you’re looking for. So I have attempted to explain the running walk and the other gaits of the TWH on these pages.

Please note that the following is a very basic explanation of what the different gaits are. I have tried to word the explanation of the gait so anyone can understand it. I’ve also included photos and videos to help illustrate what I’m talking about.

I also highly recommend that you consult the references included on the following page. I used these references to design these pages, and I think they are some of the best references available for explaining the gaits of all gaited breeds and helping riders understand why the above issues are so important.

Now, on to the fun part: learning about the gaits!

The TWH Gaits Chart

This chart illustrates the most common gaits I see in TWHs. It is arranged to show you how each gait works and the extremes of the gaits between the walk and the trot. Note that this doesn’t mean that these gaits are the only gaits of the TWH. There are other gaits that exist that the TWH can perform. However, I think these five gaits are the most easily recognized and are the easiest for me to explain.

Also note that other gaited breeds perform gaits that are specific to their breeds, such as the Paso Fino performing the paso llano, and the Icelandic performing the tolt. However, those gaits are not detailed here as I am mostly familiar with the TWH gaits. More about other gaited breeds’ gaits is available per the references on the following page. Those references were used to help develop these pages.

THE TWH GAITS CHART

Interpretation of the TWH Gaits Chart

Okay, so, what does all of this mean? Let’s break it down.

Lateral = On the same side; in this situation, refers to the legs on the same side of the horse.

Square = Four-cornered; in this instance, the feet hit the ground in four-cornered, evenly spaced footfalls.

Diagonal = On opposite sides and opposite corners; in this case, referring to the legs.

2-Beat = There is an obvious 2-beat sound, similar to a march.

4-Beat = There is an obvious 4-beat sound, similar to the chugging of a train.

A 2-beat gait means there is suspension between beats while the legs switch positions. In the case of a lateral 2-beat gait such as the pace, the legs on the left side are in the air while the legs on the right side are on the ground. When the two sides switch, there is a moment when all four feet are off the ground, creating a split moment of suspension. This suspension is what creates the bounce in a trot or a pace.

A 4-beat gait means there is no suspension between beats when the legs switch positions. In the flat walk, the horse usually always has three feet on the ground and one in the air as he’s traveling. In the fast 4-beat gaits, such as the speed rack, the horse will always have one foot on the ground and three feet in the air. In this way, the legs are each placed independently and there is no suspension. Therefore, this lack of suspension is what creates the smooth ride because there’s no bounce.

The Breakdown of the Movement of the Gaits

The Pace

How the Horse Moves: The pace is a lateral, two-beat gait where the two legs on one side of the horse are in the air while the legs on the other side are on the ground. The lateral hooves leave the ground and return to the ground at the same time. The sound of the footfalls will be two-beat, as in a march (“HUP-two three four, HUP-two-three-four”). As stated above, there is a moment of suspension, where in one moment all four feet are off the ground.

Downloaded from www.wikipedia.org.

The above gif animation shows an excellent example of the pace and how the horse’s body moves. We can clearly see the moments when the hooves on one side of the horse are on the ground, the moment of suspension, and then when the hooves on the other side of the horse are on the ground. The horse’s legs will stretch out far in front of him and behind him, and he will carry himself in a stretched frame.

How the Rider Moves: The pace shifts the rider from side to side in the saddle with suspension, usually causing a bounce. It can be comfortable at the extreme speeds, especially when riding the Icelandic horse’s flying pace. However, the pace is usually bouncy because of that suspension and extremely difficult to ride comfortably. While a rider can post when riding a trot, it’s very difficult to post when the horse is pacing because the horse is not bumping the rider up and down as it does in the trot.

It’s important to know that THE PACE IS NOT A TRUE TWH GAIT. The reason why is because many other breeds can perform it or some variation of it. It is the true gait of the Standardbred horse, the breed most commonly used in harness racing (above right photo). While Standardbreds were used to develop the original TWH bloodlines, the Standardbred’s contribution was probably only to help the TWH develop lateral movement.

If your horse is pacey, I highly suggest finding a good trainer to help you get him out of this pace. Many TWHs that travel in the pace are lacking strength in the ligaments and muscles of their back, legs, and neck, which means there is too much looseness that strength needs to build up through proper collection and exercise. This not only makes the ride more comfortable for you but also encourages the horse to use his body better according to his conformation and not develop problems over time.

The Stepping Pace

How the Horse Moves: As the stepping pace is a lateral, four-beat gait, there is an offbeat four-beat sound, where two of the beats are closer together than the other two, creating a slight pause after every two beats. The horse will travel with little or no head nod, although some horses will travel with a head nod similar to the head nod of the flat and running walks, but it won’t be as deep or animated. His nose may stick out in front of him, and many horses will swing their head from side to side. At faster speeds, the head motion may be completely gone. The steps of his hind legs will not have overstride. Overstride is where a horse’s hind foot will land in front of the same track as the front foot of the same side, and it is common in the true flat walk. In a stepping pace, the horse’s hind legs will not drive much further forward than the middle of his belly, depending on the horse’s conformation. Horses that are performing the stepping pace incorrectly to their conformation will hollow out their back and have “floppy” looking legs. This means the horse is not in frame—he is allowing his spine to sag and his legs are trying to compensate for that sag—and needs to be collected so he does not develop back, leg or neck problems over time.

These photos are of Dude’s Bad Lady, a TWHBEA registered TWH mare. She is performing a strong stepping pace in these photos. Although blurry (I took the photos from a video), we can see the lack of overstride and the high placement of her head. Lady commonly swings her head from side to side when in this gait. However, she’s a very comfortable ride and is equally comfortable in her frame and does not strain in the gait. It is very locked in and natural for her.

NOTE: Some horses will travel in a stepping pace that is extremely close to the look of a true flat walk (see the description of the flat walk). To distinguish the difference, it’s important to listen to that horse’s footfalls—if they are even slightly offbeat, then he is traveling in a stepping pace.

Videos of horses performing the stepping pace:

VIDEO AT NWHA COLORADO CHAMPIONSHIP, JULY 2007: Watch the sorrel horse with the three white socks and the rider with the red jacket. When performing the flat walk, this horse is actually executing a stepping pace. While he looks very smooth and comfortable, this is not what should be exhibited in the show ring. The horse must exhibit overstride and a true head nod (see description of Flat Walk and Running Walk).

How the Rider Moves: The stepping pace moves the rider from side to side with the motion of the horse’s back. The rider may feel the tightening of muscles on the left side of the horse’s back, then the right, in time with the horse’s movement. The hoofbeats will be four-beat but uneven. This can be very comfortable at slower speeds, but at faster speeds it may become rougher to ride. There will be a distinct shift from side to side in the saddle, but there won’t be the hard bounce of a true pace.

The best way to correct a stepping pace so the horse begins to move in a true flat walk is to teach the horse to round it’s body and bring it’s head in. I recommend working with a dressage trainer to help you achieve this—the type of work involved in basic dressage training teaches the horse these exact methods in a humane and consistent manner. More information can be found at www.blessyourhorse.com.

The Flat Walk and Running Walk

How the Horse Moves: The flat walk and the running walk constitute the same movements in the horse’s body. The running walk is merely the faster version of the flat walk. We’ll describe this as the flat walk for now. The horse’s legs will move independently in the flat walk. Each leg will leave the ground and strike the ground at independent intervals in the pattern of left hind, left front, right hind, rig nht front. This constitutes a square, four-beat gait, which means that each foot will hit the ground in an even tempo that is clearly four beats in the sound. I liken it to the chugging of a train, where the rider can actually use the saying from The Little Engine That Could: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” The steps of the horse’s hind hooves will usually have overstride. As stated in the stepping pace section, overstride is where a horse’s hind foot will land in front of the same track as the front foot of the same side. The rear hooves will move straight and track close to the ground with little hock action, which will cause the movement of the croup to level out and move smoothly and effortlessly. Overall, the horse should reach and pull with his front legs and push and drive with his hind legs.

The flat walk is accompanied by a vertical head nod from the withers. The head will nod up and down as though the horse is saying an enthusiastic “yes” where the whole neck and head moves, not just his head. When the horse is very relaxed in his gait, his ears will flop forward and back and he will even click his teeth together as his jaw will be relaxed. There is an old saying: “If it ain’t noddin’, it ain’t walkin’!” This really is true, although some horses will have a stronger head nod than others. The horse will carry his neck somewhat higher than his topline, but not so high that he is straining or hollowing out his back. His nose will not be “out” but either on the vertical or slightly behind or in front of it, depending on his comfort level.

This is me riding Manhattan, a TWH gelding I used to own, in a local horse show. He’s a bit off balance in the photo, but this is an example of what a horse can look like when performing a flat walk.

In the running walk, the speed is increased, which means the stride will lengthen and the speed of the hoofbeats and head nod will increase. There is a noticeable increase in speed when you ask your horse for the running walk with minimal or no transition between the two gaits. However, it’s important to remember that form should never be sacrificed for speed in transitioning from the flat walk to the running walk. If the horse stops nodding or doesn’t have the limited hock action and smooth croup movement, then he is not performing a true running walk.

Videos of horses performing the flat walk and running walk:

FLAT WALK: This is Papa’s Royal Delight, a naturally well-gaited stallion. Papa goes barefoot and is a phenomenal example of how a horse should truly move in the flat walk. Be sure to check out the rest of Howe They Walk Farm’s videos to see Papa performing a dog or working walk and a canter. Their descriptions of the gaits are also excellent.

RUNNING WALK: Once again, here’s Papa, performing an incredible running walk.

Flat walk and running walk videos provided courtesy of How They Walk Farm.

How the Rider Moves: When the flat walk or running walk is true and executed on even ground, it will truly feel as though the rider is riding on a cloud. The rider will not move at all and will be gliding along as though ice skating or riding in a hot air balloon. The horse will feel energetic and very well balanced beneath the rider’s seat. There will be no side-to-side or up-and-down motion. If on uneven ground, there might be a slight front-to-back motion as the horse reaches in front and drives behind. However, there will be no suspension between hoofbeats because they are square and four-cornered, and therefore there will no bounce or jarring of the rider.

The Fox Trot

How the Horse Moves: The fox trot is the only diagonal four-beat smooth gait. After discussing how lateral the movements are in the pace, stepping pace and flat walk, it’s hard to imagine a diagonal movement being smooth. However, it’s the four beats—the fact that each hoof hits the ground individually—that makes it a smooth ride. The diagonal legs—that is, the legs at opposite corners of the horse from each other—pick up almost at the same time but land separately. The breed advocates equate the sound the hoofbeats make to the saying “hunk o’ meat and two potatoes.” The horse holds his neck stretched out but with his head on the vertical. When the horse is performing the true fox trot, it will look as if his front legs are walking but his back legs are trotting, hence the term “walking in the front, trotting in the back.” This is not how the horse is actually moving—it’s an optical illusion created by the movement of the legs moving diagonally. There is no suspension between footfalls, and the speed is extremely ground covering and efficient without the horse tiring. The fox trot can be taught to other breeds, but they usually won’t have the natural ground covering range of speed that a natural fox trotting horse will have.

Downloaded from The International Museum of the Horse

Here’s a photo of a Missouri Fox Trotter, the breed that consistently performs the fox trot. It is a little known fact that the MFT is a descendent from the TWH. As any breed comes from a combination of other breeds, TWHs that performed the fox trot were cultivated for this quality as it was suitable for the rougher terrain of Missouri. They were mixed with other breeds such as Saddlebreds and Standardbreds to refine the fox trot and make it what it is today. There are MFTs available who are either “blue-papered” or “brown-papered.” Brown-papered horses are horses that have TWHs or other breeds in their bloodlines actually listed on their pedigree papers. Blue-papered horses are “blue-blooded”—that is, they have no other breeds listed on their pedigree papers.

Videos of horses performing the fox trot:

SUGAR BABY: Here’s a well-executed fox trot. The horse is well-balanced and in-frame. She looks very comfortable in her gait and is covering ground the way a fox trotting horse should.

PRINCESS: This is a great example of a fox trot at a faster speed, about 12-18 mph. Note how much the horse is reaching and how well this horse is covering ground.

FOX TROT IN SLOW MOTION: I like this video because it’s in slow motion, presented frame by frame. We can really see the placement of the feet and the illusion of “walking in the front, trotting in the back.”

Fox trot videos provided courtesy of Color Country Foxtrotting Horse Connection.

How the Rider Moves: The fox trot is the only gait that both pushes the rider front to back in the saddle but also causes a “stutter-step bounce” in the hindquarters of the horse. The sound should be an uneven four beats, such as “ka-chunk, ka-chunk.” The gait may also have a head nod similar to that exhibited in the flat walk, but it isn’t necessary to define the fox trot. In the above linked videos, the head is swinging from side to side, similar to how the head will move in a stepping pace.

The Trot

How the Horse Moves: The trot is essentially the exact opposite of the pace. It is a diagonal, two-beat gait where the two legs on the opposite corners of the horse are in the air while the legs on the other corners are on the ground; the right front and the left hind will be in the air while the left front and the right hind are on the ground. The opposite cornered hooves leave the ground and return to the ground at the same time. The sound of the footfalls will be two-beat, as in a march (“HUP-two three four, HUP-two-three-four”). Just as in the pace, there is a moment of suspension, where in one moment all four feet are off the ground.

Downloaded from www.wikipedia.org.

The above gif animation shows a perfect example of a trot. The paired footfalls are clear, as is the suspension between footfalls.

There are actually many versions of the trot, but the most common version of the trot that we see in TWHs is the working trot—the trot a horse exhibits naturally in the field (see above right photo of a Friesian being shown at the working trot). Many TWHs will trot at liberty, and there is no fault in letting your TWH trot around with his pasturemates. However, it is best not to encourage it while riding the horse unless you plan to use the horse for events that require the trot. The physical requirements to perform the trot trains a gaited horse to change the way his body naturally moves. Once his body is trained to trot, it is very difficult to get him to perform his natural gait again. This is not because he’s stubborn or stupid, but because his body needs to relearn how to move itself to get that natural gait back. This can be a long and arduous task, so it’s best not to allow a TWH to trot under saddle from the very beginning.

Many people also believe that because a TWH shouldn’t trot under saddle, then they shouldn’t be used for events that require trotting, such as dressage. However, gaited horses are beginning to come to the surface in their own form of dressage, where the execution of the different styles of trot are substituted with the different speeds of the horse’s natural gait. It’s very exciting to see the gaited horses now able to participate in a venue that was previously reserved only for those horses that could trot!

How the Rider Moves: The suspension between footfalls bounces the rider up and down in the saddle. With each push of the feet off of the ground, the rider is sent up in the air. Gravity brings her back down during the suspension phase and usually lands at to the moment when the opposite cornered feet are hitting the ground, this movement then pushing her back up out of the saddle again.

This can be jarring on the rider’s body, so to minimize pressure on her spine, the rider may choose to post the trot. When posting, the rider raises her seat out of the saddle by pushing with her legs up for one beat, then lowers herself for the second beat. She pushes when the horse is pushing himself off the ground, and in this way they are moving simultaneously in tandum. This also frees up the horse’s back and helps him to carry himself better by finding the rider’s rhythm and allowing his body to move freely with hers.

The rider also can “sit the trot,” which means she can keep her seat in the saddle at all times, as in the above gif animation. This type of riding should be reserved for horses that are well-conditioned and for riders that have conditioned their back and leg muscles to handling the jarring motion of the trot. Sitting the trot is usually reserved for Western Pleasure classes and upper-level dressage movements.

In Conclusion

The above explanations of five of the many gaits a TWH can perform are probably the most common gaits a TWH will perform both at liberty and under saddle. I believe it also illustrates why the gaited breeds were developed: to avoid the moment of suspension seen and felt in a pace and a trot and to be able to more comfortably ride a horse.

I hope this explanation of the gaits has helped you better understand how gaited horses move and why the gaited breeds are so desirable. If you ever wonder what gait your horse is performing, feel free to contact me and I can help you identify it. However, just remember that as long as your horse has proper training and is carrying himself in a well-balanced frame, then any smooth ride will do, no matter what gait it is!

References

I used these references to help create these pages. There is plenty more to learn about the gaits of the TWH and other gaited breeds—these references are merely the tip of the iceberg, but they are what I consider the best available for learning about gaited horses.

Easy Gaited Horses, Lee Ziegler, Storey Publishing, 2005

The Fabulous Floating Horses, Barbara Weatherwax, Markwin Press, 2003

The International Museum of the Horse at the Kentucky Horse Park, www.kyhorsepark.com/imh/imhmain.html

Solving Gaited Problems With Your Tennessee Walking Horse Part II, Lonnie Kuehn, Pleasure Gait Farm,
videotape, 71 minutes NOTE: All of Ms. Kuehn’s videos are packed full of excellent information—I highly

recommend viewing all of them.

Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, www.wikipedia.org

PLEASE NOTE: THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED LEGAL ADVICE BUT AS A GUIDE ONLY TO UNDERSTANDING THE GAITS OF THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE. WE HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO STUDY THE GAITS OF THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE THROUGH RESOURCES AND PERSONS EDUCATED IN THE CORRECT FORM OF EACH GAIT. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY MISUNDERSTANDINGS RESULTING FROM THE ABOVE INFORMATION.