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| At present, buying a Tennessee Walking Horse in the United
Kingdom or Europe means you might be looking at importing a horse. Because
this adds transportation costs to the price of your chosen horse,
some things to consider are the age, health, and possibly, resale
value of the animal. There is really no point in importing
an ancient or poor quality horse from a different country,
regardless of how well trained or appealing they might be.
DO buy a horse that is registered with the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders & Exhibitors Association. |
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You can expect to pay anywhere from £1,500 (2,500 EUR.) to £5,000
(8,000 EUR.) for
any Tennessee Walking Horse worth importing,
regardless of age, gender, or training, and a
non-TWHBEA registered horse will cost you nearly as
much as a registered one, but without the benefit of
resale value. On top of that, you are looking at an additional
shipping costs of around £5,000 (8,000 Eur.), depending on where you are
shipping from and to. This is no small investment, so you
want to find the RIGHT horse.
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You need to acquaint
yourself as well as you can with the features of this breed that
set it apart from all other types of saddle horse. This can
be done by searching the net, contacting the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders & Exhibitors Association, or
taking a tour of an educational website like
Walkers West in Texas. Be wary of forums and blogs as they tend
to be peppered with myths and hidden agendas. The
people you should be consulting with seldom have
time for spouting off on forums. They are very
busy raising horses.
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Walking Horse owners come
in all sizes. |
Study photos of the horses to educate your eye in the
typical conformation points that contribute to the gaits.
Regularly check the sales lists that have picture ads of the
horses, like
Moonshadow Trading Post,
Equine Estates Classifieds, Walkers West or
Horseweb-UK to give yourself an idea of what you can expect
for your money. Read the
history of the development of the breed to get an idea of how
this conformation has changed over the years and generations of
horses. Familiarize yourself with the pedigrees of the
winners in the disciplines that you want your horse to participate
in. You will see the same names appearing over and over
again.
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Don't be dazzled by championships alone. Many of
the most famous and best Tennessee Walking Horses
did not win World Championships, and in fact, were
not shown at all. Subscribe to
VOICE of the Tennessee Walking Horse magazine.
Don't be afraid to email website owners with questions.
Walking Horse owners are very friendly, and they love to talk
about their horses and the breed in general. You will NOT be
bothering them.
When you feel you have become a knowledgeable buyer and are
ready to select a horse, get in touch with a reputable breeder who
not only has a horse you might be interested in, but also has
experience in overseas shipping. Once you have located a breeder,
check THEM out on the net. Don't rely on references supplied
by owner of the horse you are looking at. Contact other
breeders, and TWH owners to see what they can tell you about the
breeder and the bloodline you are considering. The nice
thing about the Tennessee Walking Horse world is that it is not
very big. You will find the same names coming up, over and over
again, and pretty much the same information will be available on
these names, from a variety of unconnected sources. The good
reputations will surface very quickly.
Above all, if you need help to find the right horse, or with
getting it delivered to your door after you have found it, give us
a call at PH. 00-44-2476-686807
in the UK. We will be glad
to help you.
Meet Delight
Filly Ours, the most recent Tennessee Walking Horse imported
to the UK.
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