American Walking Pony

The American Walking Pony, which has often be described as a 'dream walking' is a highly attractive larger pony of Arab type. In the Fall of 1968, the American Walking Pony Registry as established with the breed's founder, Joan Hudson Brown serving as Executive Secretary. Registration Number 1 went to Browntree's Flicka, a mare instrumental in the development of the breed. BT Golden Splendor was assigned Number 5 and is the first stallion registered in the breed.

Although the American Walking Pony breed exhibits a fixed type and characteristics, it took nearly 14 years of crossbreeding to come up with the right combination. The principal aim was to produce a larger pony with great quality and beauty for performance in the showring.

The eventual foundation cross was a registered Tennessee Walking Horse and a registered Welsh Pony. The Welsh mare, Browntree's Flicka, was highly influential in the early development of the breed and is Number 1 on the breed register. Her son, BT Golden Splendor, who is an excellent example of the type's finest qualities, is listed as Number 5 on the register, and is the first registered stallion. The American Walking Pony combines the best features of both parent lines - they are born with natural gaits, inherited from the Tennessee Walking Horse and the excellent qualities of the Welsh pony. The American Walking Pony has unique gaits which include the Pleasure Walk, Merry Walk and Canter, although they are seven gaited and worth comparing to the champion Walking Horse, Roan Allen. The Pleasure Walk is a four-beat gait, faster than a normal walk, but slower than a trot. The Merry Walk is a four-beat gait, but much faster and accompanied by a head-nodding movement, with the pony nicely together with its hocks under it and its head carried well. The canter is smooth and collected, and all the paces are unhurried and comfortable to sit to.

The American Walking Pony is highly versatile and has proved its mettle in jumping, dressage, showing and pleasure riding, as well as driving. They have very attractive and fine heads, which do not have particular pony characteristics. The neck should be of good length, muscular, and set and carried well. The shoulders are nicely sloping allowing for good freedom of movement, the chest should be broad and deep, the back compact, and the quarters muscular. Typically, they have great presence and quality, they can be any solid color, and have a height limit of 14 hh.

Visit a Walking Pony breeder and ride a walking pony, and experience that feeling of lightness and smoothness that you have never before known. It is unique to the breed, truly "A DREAM WALKING".

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