Tennesee Walking Horses, pros and cons?

It's about finding a solid individual not a breed. If you have a source of good TWH's, then go with your instincts and the best horse you can find. TWH's are known for being great trail horses and have a very distinct following. Gaited vs. non-gaited is rather a big deal though for how you will use your horse. Gaiteds tend to be trail horses. Non-gaiteds are more versatile.

The breeds that come to my mind when you said I wand someone athletic and diverse like me were Arabs, TB's, Morgan's, and quarter horses. I think as a beginner you want an older very solidly trained individual where you trust the owners story of this horses talents and history. If you want to camp and trail ride you want a horse who has been there and done that successfully quite a lot.

TWH's are gaited and fewer gaited horses are in more mainstream disciplines like standard English and Western showing, I've never seen a TWH successful as a top level hunter, a reining horse, or a cow horse. That said, any horse can compete in any discipline and do okay. But to be consistently in the ribbons of your chosen sport, you need a horse with those sought after characteristics and that look (and that usually means a handful of breeds). If your placement doesn't matter to you, I can say that it's really rewarding to take a horse that is "different" and show others just how amazing they can be. But, it sounds like you are more after the trail ride and camping experience and not the over fences English or Western reining horse.

First you need to decide what your goals are and then find a horse with a proven track record who can get you there for your first time out.

Chad is a pig, and ignorant about horses, to boot.

TWH are great horses! One thing to watch for is pacing gaits. The Big Lick people have been working on ruining the breed, both by torturing and abusing the individual horses, and breeding for the Big Lick, which is best done by horses that tend to pace rather than do a true running walk.

If the horse has done time in the Big Lick show arena, it is likely to have a lot of fear issues. A horse that seems "too quiet" could be one that has been beaten brutally any time it gave any sort of reaction. Look for a horse that is calm but interested and likes people. Try to take it on the trail for a test ride, and try to arrange for a friend to meet you on the trail with a dog, an umbrella, a bicycle, a backpack, and/or any odd things that might give a horse pause to notice or spook. The ideal response is a brief pause, perked ears, then going forward calmly or waiting for further instruction what to do about the monster that the horse just saw.

Dressage as a concept works with every horse. I mean, the overall purpose of dressage is to teach the horse to collect, extend, move laterally, etc, and any horse with any type of gaits can become a better, fitter, sounder horse if trained according to these principles.

Competitive dressage requires the animal to trot. Some TWH will do either a trot or running walk, depending on the specific cues the rider gives or the horse's preference.

Missouri Foxtrotters and Rocky Mountain horses have smooth gaits and they haven't been as tortured and ill-bred to suit the artificial demands of the show ring. They've been kept truer to their roots as comfortable, sensible horses for covering miles.

Consider, if you ride with friends who have QH/non-gaited horses, you'll spend a lot of time adjusting to each others' gaits. Rarely does a TWH gait match up for speed with a QH gait, unless it's a flat-out run. If you're OK with constantly checking your speed or asking your friends to, then no problem.

Above all, look for a horse that you 'click' with. Sometimes the "worst" combinations of horse and human work out wonderfully! The 'problem' horse and the green owner, etc can hit it off great and be *the one* for each other. Listen to your gut, and listen to the horses as they express themselves. You might wind up stone in love with a Percheron Draft, and live happily ever after together!

TWH aren't really the best for dressage,because of their gaits.Any horse can be spooky and stubborn!

Now I see you want a horse that reacts calm to unfamiliar surroundings,now that could be any breed of a horse!

Arabians are great horses! They have lots of endurance,good for hiking up mountains.

Just look around for many different horses, warm-bloods are very good for English.Thoroughbreds are awesome too! They're fast,good in western and English!

It is all up to the horse's characteristics and personality,not the breed.Any gaited breed isn't good for dressage (that's the only down-side).

If you only ridden 2 TWH how can you tell if they are the one and only?

If you still want a TWH why not lease one and see if you like it.

Have Fun!

TALK ABOUT A RUDE ANSWER UP TOP.

I have 5 registered Tennessee Walking Horses and they are all amazing. 4 mares and one gelding.

Tennessee walking horses-

Pros- special rocking horse gait, gorgeous body structure. , When trotting and running, there not bumpy and you practically sit still in the saddle.

Cons- I have none. There amazing