Horsey Help please?

Question

i'm looking at a piece of property that will allow me to have a horse again. it's been 14 yrs and i'm not physically in the best of shape. i've been run over, kicked, and thrown off too many thoroughbreds and standardbreds. my spine is a little twisted. i've been told TENN WALKERS have a very easy gait. they look smooth, but what's their temperment? here in NH we have the small but "blocky" quarter and morgan types which have great temperments, but choppy gaits. and race horses of course.
also, i have a saddle that is about 120 yrs (i'm not kidding!!!). it has a really high back and horn. similar to a cavalry saddle. it's like a rocking chair. but it's in desperate need of repair. i'd prefer to take it to someone here in NH but so far i haven't been able to find anyone. i'd love some suggestions. it's the only saddle comfortable enough for me to use, and the guy that gave it to me 25 years ago for my 16 th b-day is dying of cancer. this is a special saddle.

Answer 1

Tennessee Walkers have an easygoing temperment for the most part, some can be spirited like a Saddlebred. A light horse breed founded in middle Tennessee, the Tennessee Walking Horse is a composition of Narragansett and Canadian Pacer, Standardbred, Thoroughbred, Morgan, and American Saddlebred stock. Originally bred as a utility horse, this breed is an ideal mount for riders of all ages and levels of experience. The breed easily adapts to English or Western gear, and its calm, docile temperament combined with naturally smooth and easy gaits insure the popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse as the “world’s greatest show, trail, and pleasure horse”.
excerpt from the website
Tennessee Walking Horses

Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association
250 N. Ellington Pkwy.
Lewisburg, TN 37091
[phone]
www.twhbea.com

National Walking Horse Association
P.O. Box 100
Whitesboro, Texas 76273
903-564-3747
www.nwha.com

My uncle has severe back problems and that is why he purchased a Rocky. I would say from experience that you are better off with either a Rocky Mountain Horse, Paso Fino or Peruvian Paso. Rockies have a dog like personality, they are very similar to Tennessees in stature and size and gait and probably come from some of the same background breeds, but Rockies are known for their chocolate colored coat with flaxen (blond) main and tail, they are curious, smart, have a great smooth gait and usually not afraid of anything on the trail. Horse Illustrated has the Rocky as their featured month for the November 06 issue. You can also find info at the Rocky Mountain Horse website:
www.rmhorse.com
A little background of the Rocky: During the late 1800s and early 1900s, the rural inhabitants of eastern Kentucky considered these saddle horses to be horses for all seasons. They were sure-footed, easy-gaited, and the mount of choice for postmen, doctors, and traveling preachers. People used them for plowing small fields, herding cattle, traveling through the steep and rugged trails, and driving the buggy to church on Sunday. Horses were not a luxury, but a necessity. Every horse had to earn its keep and be extremely versatile. It was not a matter of having horses around to use every once in awhile; these horses were worked hard, every day. At the end of the day they were exhausted, but possessed enough stamina to continue on, day after day.***This brief history of the Rocky Mountain Horse® is an excerpt from the book “Rocky Mountain Horses”, to be published in the near future. Courtesy of the author, Bonnie Hodge.

The 3 sites below will give you a list of gaited breeds and info:
www.thegaitedhorse.com www.gaitsofgold.com www.naturalgait.com
I suggest researching all of them to find the right fit.

There are also gaited Morgan horses but it can be tricky to find them here is a site with some info on that:
www.msfha.com

Another gaited breed similar to Tennessee walker is the Missouri Fox Trotter Their website: www.mfthba.com

some other gatied sites:

Mountain Horse
American Gaited Mountain Horse
P.O. Box 670
Clay City , KY 40312
859-842-0975
www.agmh.com

Mountain Pleasure Horse
Mountain Pleasure Horse Association
P.O. Box 112
Mt. Olivet, KY 41064
606.724.2591
www.mtn-pleasure-horse.org

North American Single-Footer
North American Single-Footing Horse Association
P.O. Box 3170
Carefree, Arizona 85377
[phone]
www.singlefootinghorse.com

Paso Finos and Peruvian Pasos I have personal experience with as well and tend to be a smaller horse about 14.2-15 hands (making the mount and dismount easy on your back), love being around people, have unending endurance, tend to be a little spirited but controllable, not like a thouroghbred, and they have the worlds smoothest gait, you have to ride one, you wont even believe it. They are descendents from the spanish horses, and were brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors. Their gait is much different than a Rocky or Tennessee and much smoother, they do not trot, whereas a Rocky can trot or gait naturally.

Paso Fino
Paso Fino Horse Association, Inc.
101 North Collins
Plant City, FL 33563-3311
Phone: [phone]
www.pfha.org

The Peruvian is very similar to the Paso but their gait is a little different and tends to be even smoother. Its a paso but they are from Peru where as the paso is mainly from columbia and peurto rico.
Peruvian Paso (My seventy year old grandmother rides a peruvian)

North American Peruvian Horse Association
California
707 579-4394
www.napha.net

United States Peruvian Horse Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 806
Wilton, CA 95693
916-687-4835
[e-mail]
www.uspha.net

As far as your saddle, I prefer the Australian saddle to any other because they are light weight, comfortable, secure for trail riding especially if you like hills. You can get one for around $1,000. If you are considering a horse, I would consider investing in a saddle as more important the sentimental vaue of your current one b/c you want to enjoy your ride and so does your horse! I would take your saddle and clean it up with some leather cleaner and get a saddle stand and display it somewhere in your house where you will be able to keep it safe and it will be something you will enjoy seeing everyday. here is the australian saddle site:
http://www.downunderweb.com/saddleindex.htm
Here is an excerpt from the site:
Why Buy an Australian Saddle?
Improved rider comfort
Better comfort & fit for the horse
Greater rider safety & security
A more natural riding position
Light weight
Most people who ride an Australian saddle will never want to ride in an English or Western saddle ever again....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How the Revolution began, more than 200 years ago ......
When Australia was originally settled in 1788 by the English, they brought with them horses, saddles and tack. Being very different from England, the new settlers soon began changing the design of their equipment to better suit their harsh, unforgiving, remote environment.
The most obvious change was the addition of what was to be called Poleys (kneepads). When seated in the saddle, the Poleys should be parallel to the rider's thigh and about 3/4" away. The Poleys show their true value in keeping the rider securely seated when riding up or down any kind of incline.
A highly efficient, yet simple double girthing system is used to attach an Australian saddle to the horse. The attached billet straps and the overgirth both buckle directly to the girth using a unique leverage system. The double girthing system allows the rider to girth the saddle tighter, more efficiently, which helps eliminate slippage. Should a billet strap break, the overgirth provides additional safety.
Stirrup leathers hang from the stirrup bars on the saddle tree and are designed for easy release by sliding backwards. Under most circumstances, should the rider take a fall and be dragged, the stirrup leathers will release from the saddle, reducing the risk of injury.
Seat sizes range from 14-inch to 22-inch in some models, to suit riders from 50 to 350 pounds. As with people, horses also come in different shapes and sizes. Saddle trees come in several widths to suit ponies to extra wide horses. All we need to know is your height ,weight, and pant size, along with the height, weight and breed of your horse, then we can help make your selection real easy.
In short, the Australian saddle is a saddle that has evolved for the rider, horse, and pure necessity. The ability of the serge lined panel to conform to the shape of the horse without touching anything, has been proven consistently for nearly 200 years, on the harshest, driest and most unforgiving continent on Earth, Australia .... Where these saddles are put to the greatest test of all ... they are used seven days a week, ten hours a day, 365 days a year, year after year.
We believe that no other saddle from the past or present has ever matched the overall performance of an Australian saddle. Security, comfort for the horse and rider, light weight, reliability, and total performance - Australian saddles have it all!

I believe you could email this company about your saddle as they also service other types of saddles.

Answer 2

There are quite a few gaited horses: Icelandic Horse, Mangalarga, Missouri Fox Trotting Horse, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, Rocky Mountain Horse, Spotted Saddle Horse, and the Tennesse Walking Horse. So if the Tennessee Walking Horse doesn't turn out to be what you need, there are quite a variety of horses out there.

To be totally honest, I have never known a particularly nicely tempered walking horse. But, I have only known a few, so don't take my word.
There is a Yahoo! group of walking horse owners. It's called naturaltwh . They will have some good information for you all the way around.

Your saddle might be hard. You may have to make some compromises and get a new one. I mean, you can't expect to buy a horse and have the saddle magically fit the horse. However, you may be able to get a horse, and have your saddle conformed to the horse. There may be a way to replace the tree and stuff. You could look into that at most saddle shops. They'll probably know some saddle makers in your area you could talk to.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Tennessee Walkers are very smooth gaited and have excellent temperaments. There is occasionally the odd duck as with any breed that makes them all look bad, but overall, TW are an excellent horse for people who can't handle the jostling a bumpier gait would cause. The Paso Fino is another smooth gaited horse and tends to be a bit shorter than the TW.

As for the saddle, do a google search for leather repair rather than saddle repair. Normally, anyone that repairs anything made of leather can usually repair a saddle as well.

Answer 4

I personally don't find the TWH to have the best gait. There are many gaited breeds, and I have ridden many of them. I personally think the Peruvian Pasos and Icelandic ponies have the best gaits. Icelandics have great temperaments, at least the ones I have known. Paso Finos also have pretty smooth gaits, though the ones I have known have been pretty "hot".

I have a QH mare here that I would ride over any gaited breed, though. There are some very smooth QH's, and Morgans too, just like there are rough examples in the gaited breeds. I like a regularly gaited horse, it is what my body is used to, and the special gaited breeds are strange to me. I suggest you try a variety of horses and ride lots of gaited ones before you make any hard decisions. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Isis, maybe you can find saddle repair on this website: www.equinesite.com It's a northeast based group with a list of services by state, and also has a chatroom. One part of the chatroom is dedicated to NH; you can ask around in there for a reputable person in the area who does repairs. I've had good luck with it as I'm in NH also.

Answer 6

Is your question about real estate? choosing a horse breed? or saddle repair?

Can't help you on two fo those, but what I will recommend is you look at really calm mellow horses. TWH aren't bred for calmness, they're bred for showy gaits. I personally have heavy draft horses. They think before reacting, don't run off when spooked, and aren't high strung. Whatever you choose, I recommend an older well-broke horse that's bombproofed to everything.

Good luck!

Answer 7

Morgans shouldn't have choppy gaits. A Tennessee Walker has nice gaits, but they pracne so you need a deep seat. I would just try riding horses until you find one with a good gait. My Morgan/Quater Horse and her gaits are smooth.

Answer 8

I too have back problems I have been a proud owner and breeder of The American Saddlebred. America's First Horse!
They have a bad rap from many as Hot, Snorty, High-Steping dragons. Much like the Pit-Bull and Rotweiler depends on training and the owner!
My saddlebreds are loving, people friendly, and the most versatile! From showring to trail ride even cattle work! The best! They are SUPER smart and have a great work ethic!
But I am biased I LOVE THEM!
Please visit http://www.asha.net/

Answer 9

Tenn. Walkers are very good horses. If you are not showing reg. horses I recommend racking horses. They are pretty much the same thing but not usually as expensive. They do have wonderful horseanalities. My 8 yr. old sister rides one. They are very easy to ride. I hope you find what your looking for. Good Luck!!!

Answer 10

the tw are great horse. with good temp .. i like the arabain gate it's rough at frist but gets better.. the saddle breds are good horses.. the saddle any leather or boot shop can fix it.. sorry if you lived here in alabama a place in ten were i get my saddles fixed do very good jobs. i can talk to them and they probly can to it for you but you would have to ship it.. and you probly don't want to do that. email me hope_rising07@yahoo