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The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat "running walk" and flashy movement. It was originally developed in the southern United States for use on farms and plantations. It is a popular riding horse due to its calm disposition, smooth gaits and sure-footedness. The Tennessee Walking Horse is often seen in the show ring, but also popular as a pleasure and trail riding horse using both English and Western equipment. Tennessee Walkers are also seen in movies, television shows and other performances. The breed first developed in the late 18th century when Narragansett Pacers and Canadian Pacers from the eastern United States crossed with gaited Spanish Mustangs from Texas. Other breeds were later added, and in 1886 a foal named Black Allan, now considered the foundation sire of the breed, was born. In 1935 the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' Association was formed, and the studbook closed in 1947. In 1939, the first Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was held, an annual event that in recent years has attracted considerable attention and controversy. The two basic categories of Tennessee Walking Horse show competition are called "flat shod" and "performance", differentiated by desired leg action. Flat shod horses, wearing regular horseshoes, exhibit less exaggerated movement, while performance horses wear built-up pads or "stacks" along with other weighted action devices, creating the so-called "Big Lick" style. Stacks and action devices are prohibited at shows sanctioned by the United States Equestrian Federation and some breed organizations. The Tennessee Walking Horse is the breed most affected by the Horse Protection Act of 1970, which prohibits the practice of soring, abusive practices used to enhance the Big Lick movement prized in the show ring, which still occur today despite the law. The controversy over continuing soring practices has led to a split within the breed community, criminal charges against a number of individuals, and the creation of several separate breed organizations. ==Breed characteristics== The modern Tennessee Walking Horse is described as "refined and elegant, yet solidly built." It is a tall horse with a long neck. The head is well-defined, with small, well-placed ears. The breed averages high and . The shoulders and hip are long and sloping, with a short back and strong coupling.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Conformation )〕 The hindquarters are of "moderate thickness and depth," well-muscled, and it is acceptable for the hind legs to be slightly over-angulated, cow-hocked or sickle-hocked. They are found in all solid colors, and several pinto patterns.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Tennessee Walking Horse )〕 Common colors such as bay, black and chestnut are found, as are colors caused by dilution genes such as the dun, champagne, cream and silver dapple genes. Pinto patterns include overo, sabino and tobiano.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Colors )〕 The Tennessee Walking Horse has a reputation for having a calm disposition and a naturally smooth riding gait.〔 While the horses are famous for flashy movement, they are popular for trail and pleasure riding as well as show.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=History and Description )〕 The Tennessee Walking Horse is best known for its "running walk". This is a four-beat gait with the same footfall pattern as a regular, or flat, walk, but significantly faster. While a horse performing a flat walk moves at , the running walk allows the same horse to travel at . In the running walk, the horse's rear feet overstep the prints of its front feet by , with a longer overstep being more prized in the Tennessee Walking Horse breed. While performing the running walk, the horse nods its head in rhythm with its gait.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Breed )〕 Besides the flat and running walks, the third main gait performed by Tennessee Walking Horses is the canter. Some members of the breed perform other variations of lateral ambling gaits, including the rack, stepping pace, fox trot and single-foot, which are allowable for pleasure riding but penalized in the show ring.〔 A few Tennessee Walking Horses can trot, and have a long, reaching stride. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Tennessee Walking Horse」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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