| | | 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. |  | | 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. | 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.  | | 
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. | | 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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