Riding Rennesse Walkers

Bar N K · 06-09-2008, 10:17 PM

Not sure if this is the place to post this, but I'm wanting to know what it's like to ride a Tennessee Walker whent he rider has a bad back?

Hunter-Eq Rider · 06-09-2008, 10:31 PM

I have a racking horse that is gaitied like a TWH.

He is really smooth and ALOT of fun, And I have heard it does wonders for people with bad backs!!

idlewild · 06-09-2008, 10:37 PM

I've ridden two TWH, neither of them had a running walk, they just paced. One is veeeeeery smooth (could be smoother, but he has a soundness issue). The other one, which i am currently training, isn't so much.

I do have a friend who has a TWH mare and when she gets her into a big running walk she looks like she is just gliding along ontop of that mare. Her bum hardly moves in the saddle! It looks incredibly comfortable.

Narmowen · 06-09-2008, 11:05 PM

I rode one where the running walk was really jarring. I have a good back and it hurt horribly afterwords.

Bar N K · 06-10-2008, 12:08 PM

I think at first, it might take some getting used to. When you ride non-gaited per say, your expecting the suspense in the air. But I hear that they always have one foot on the ground so that suspense isn't there to cause the jarring. Is this not true?

DunLegend · 06-10-2008, 04:01 PM

When riding a gaited horse, there is a lot of hip motion side-to-side....I don't think that'd be good for your back.

2manypetz · 06-10-2008, 05:43 PM

I ride a TWH becasue I have a bad back. I can ride him for hours with no problem, i can not ride a trotting horse very long at all before I hurt and hurt the next day. If the gaited horse is not smooth try a different one, if they are pacing or trotting try a different one, whne you find one that does the right running walk it is a side to side wobble but no up and down and it is wonderful! I highly recomend them!

ShezaBayDoc · 06-11-2008, 06:25 AM

Mine was incredibly smooth...he was the only horse i would ride bareback for a long time, because I just didn't move. As was said, if you can't find one that's smooth or not pacing or trotting, move on to the next one.

Sandra-A1 · 06-11-2008, 06:42 AM

A lot of riders with back problems switch to gaited horses.
Gaited horses are like any other horse when it comes to being a rough or smooth ride. Some are... some are not.
All of the gaited gaits when performed correctly can be very smooth...it just depends on the horse that is doing them. I have ridden the running walk, rack, pace, and paso gaits. Some were smooth rides and some were rough.

If your looking to get a gaited horse then you need to do as you would when shopping for any horse....you look at and try out many different ones until you find the one that is right for you!

IIIBarsV · 06-11-2008, 07:48 AM

Personally I don't find gaited horses smooth. They're smoother compared to a non-gaited horse if you're just sitting there like a lump when you ride.

If I was going for smoothness, I'd get an arabian (a quality, good-moving one) or a well-trained western pleasure horse of the stock breeds. Really, you can't beat a well-trained western pleasure horse for smoothness... they *do not* move you at all. I've ridden some that you can't even tell if they're jogging.

06-09-2008, 10:17 PM	#1
Bar N K Full Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Redwater, Ab Canada Posts: 144	Riding Rennesse Walkers Not sure if this is the place to post this, but I'm wanting to know what it's like to ride a Tennessee Walker whent he rider has a bad back?

06-09-2008, 10:31 PM	#2
Hunter-Eq Rider Senior Member+ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,755 Images: 11	I have a racking horse that is gaitied like a TWH. He is really smooth and ALOT of fun, And I have heard it does wonders for people with bad backs!! __________________ Somewhere behind the rider that I have become: the hours dedicated to practice, the falls taken, and the trainers that have pushed me along the way, is the little girl that fell in love with a horse, and never looked back. I ride for her. RIP Jess<3

06-09-2008, 10:37 PM	#3
idlewild Senior Member+ Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Northern Colorado Posts: 4,118 Images: 336 Blog Entries: 123	I've ridden two TWH, neither of them had a running walk, they just paced. One is veeeeeery smooth (could be smoother, but he has a soundness issue). The other one, which i am currently training, isn't so much. I do have a friend who has a TWH mare and when she gets her into a big running walk she looks like she is just gliding along ontop of that mare. Her bum hardly moves in the saddle! It looks incredibly comfortable. __________________ iDance, iSplash, iJump. iEvent Honorary Aussie, Oi! Feliche + Idlewild = Serial Eventers Idlewild and I Love BODIE! are M&M I was on HGS when we made 2 and 3 million posts

06-10-2008, 05:43 PM	#7
2manypetz Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Victor, Iowa Posts: 904 Images: 68	I ride a TWH becasue I have a bad back. I can ride him for hours with no problem, i can not ride a trotting horse very long at all before I hurt and hurt the next day. If the gaited horse is not smooth try a different one, if they are pacing or trotting try a different one, whne you find one that does the right running walk it is a side to side wobble but no up and down and it is wonderful! I highly recomend them! __________________ http://picasaweb.google.com/pianoismy4tay http://youtube.com/user/pianoismy4tay The consequences of your life are too eternal to waste on forgettable moments

06-11-2008, 06:42 AM	#9
Sandra-A1 Senior Member+ Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Alabama Posts: 8,419 Images: 225	A lot of riders with back problems switch to gaited horses. Gaited horses are like any other horse when it comes to being a rough or smooth ride. Some are... some are not. All of the gaited gaits when performed correctly can be very smooth...it just depends on the horse that is doing them. I have ridden the running walk, rack, pace, and paso gaits. Some were smooth rides and some were rough. If your looking to get a gaited horse then you need to do as you would when shopping for any horse....you look at and try out many different ones until you find the one that is right for you! __________________ "It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." ~Dumbledore

06-09-2008, 11:05 PM	#4
Narmowen Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 595 Images: 10	I rode one where the running walk was really jarring. I have a good back and it hurt horribly afterwords.

06-10-2008, 12:08 PM	#5
Bar N K Full Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Redwater, Ab Canada Posts: 144	I think at first, it might take some getting used to. When you ride non-gaited per say, your expecting the suspense in the air. But I hear that they always have one foot on the ground so that suspense isn't there to cause the jarring. Is this not true?

06-10-2008, 04:01 PM	#6
DunLegend Full Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 88	When riding a gaited horse, there is a lot of hip motion side-to-side....I don't think that'd be good for your back.

06-11-2008, 06:25 AM	#8
ShezaBayDoc Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Wendell, NC Posts: 722 Images: 31 Blog Entries: 1	Mine was incredibly smooth...he was the only horse i would ride bareback for a long time, because I just didn't move. As was said, if you can't find one that's smooth or not pacing or trotting, move on to the next one.

06-11-2008, 07:48 AM	#10
IIIBarsV Senior Member+ Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,391 Images: 27	Personally I don't find gaited horses smooth. They're smoother compared to a non-gaited horse if you're just sitting there like a lump when you ride. If I was going for smoothness, I'd get an arabian (a quality, good-moving one) or a well-trained western pleasure horse of the stock breeds. Really, you can't beat a well-trained western pleasure horse for smoothness... they do not move you at all. I've ridden some that you can't even tell if they're jogging. __________________ Three Bars The Fifth Wish I'd Get Lucky Chipped In Stone Zip Code Bay B Suns Eternal Flame How can you ride in order to make your horse's job easier for them?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Walkers, Walkers everywhere!	MelissaH	Equestrian Events, Shows, Competitions	6	10-08-2007 02:58 AM
Hot Walkers	TX_Buckskin_Lov	Horse Chat	5	07-15-2005 12:34 PM
Walkers... I need to know everything	emsNkeeper	Horse Training	17	08-16-2004 09:43 AM
hot walkers	codysmom	Horse Chat	7	01-08-2004 12:37 PM
QH/TN Walkers	Gr8danesnhorsesforme	Horse Chat	11	10-08-2003 08:51 PM