How to Raise a Tennessee Walking Horse
The Tennessee walking horse is an excellent all purpose horse. These horses were originally bred, by plantation and ranch owners, to be comfortable all day riding horses. With calm dispositions, smooth riding gaits, stamina and easygoing temperaments, they are characteristically easy to train. They can be ridden with both English and western tack, and well suited for both the novice or experienced rider.
Tennessee Walking Horses are a very hardy breed and a considered an excellent choice for first time horse owners. The breed consists of two main categories: flat shod and performance horses.
Although they are considered easy to own, any prospective horse owner needs to consider a few things before committing to owning and raising a Tennessee walking horse.
- Make sure that you can financially afford a horse. You must have sufficient resources to keep a horse fed and healthy. Boarding, maintenance, feed, emergency and veterinary care for horses can be very expensive.
- Make sure that you have the time needed to care for a horse. While they are wonderful animals they can be quite labor intensive.
- Make sure you understand the time and monetary commitments that go into raising a Tennessee walker from a foal. If you can’t take on the commitment, choose an adult horse.
- Take your time, research and visit a number of dealers. Choose a healthy foal and make sure you confirm the horse's bloodline.
- Make sure that you have a barn or stable equipped before you bring your horse home. You will not only need a stall for the horse. You will need space for tack and other equipment, space for hay bales, feed, grain and sawdust. You will also need a nearby water supply.
- Make sure your horse has access to a large fenced area or pasture. A single horse, for example, needs about 5 or more acres of pasture with room to run and access to water.
- Provide your foal with proper and consistent training. For this, you should have access to a round pen. There you can start training your horse to respond to simple commands.
- Make sure that you are feeding your foal a properly balanced diet. Improper nutrition can result in serious illness, development issues and costly veterinary bills. If you have doubts about proper feeding, ask your veterinarian for advice. Horses require grain and hay every day, even if they are grazing.
- Make sure that your horse has access to clean fresh water daily.
- Clean your horse’s stall on a daily basis. You can use a sifting fork to remove waste and place it in a wheelbarrow for easy removal. You should always have a good coating of sawdust on the floor or the stall. This is not only for the comfort of your horse. It helps absorb waste and odors.
- Clean your horses often and brush to help remove excess hair. This will also help you to bond with your horse.
- Make sure that you keep your horse up-to-date on routine exams and vaccinations. This will help insure that your horse remains healthy and give you many years of enjoyment.