Northern Foundations is a
small, family owned and operated breeding farm located
in the Coulee country of western Wisconsin. Our
specialty is top quality, NATURALLY gaited Tennessee
Walking Horses.
Our
goal is to preserve the Old & Rare bloodlines from
Tennessee
The original Tennessee Walking
Horse was developed in middle Tennessee. Used as utility
animals, these horses were expected to be able to plow
on Saturday, pull the buggy to church on Sunday, and
take Grandma to the store with eggs on Monday. With the
coming of the tractor, the market for these horses began
to diminish. The remaining avenue for marketing became
the show ring.
In the 1950’s the key to
success in the show circuit was to exhibit black pacey
Walkers. The horse that could perform the natural,
head shaking gait with a calm and generous attitude
almost became extinct as the padded, built-up show ring
Walker basked in the limelight. Thankfully, there
were a few dedicated breeders in Tennessee who refused
to succumb to the pressures to eliminate the more
natural Walking Horse. These breeders clung to
their original vision and stood mares and stallions from
bloodlines that had been in their families for
generations - some of which predated the creation of the
Walking Horse Registry
| |
|
As people begin to appreciate
and expect the Walking Horse to possess a natural gait,
the horse world is opening its eyes to the benefits of
owning the old bloodline Walkers.
These are gentle
horses with common sense and an eagerness to please. Our
mares and stallion have been carefully selected for
excellent dispositions that everyone in the family can
enjoy. |
|
We have noticed the trend to
bring ex-padded show horses north to be sold as trail
mounts. In conversations in Tennessee with a long time
breeder of old bloodline Walkers, I was advised that
many of the “big lick” show horses receive about 30
minutes per day of riding time while they are in
training. Once a trainer finds the horse will not
become a good candidate for the show circuit, the shoes
are pulled and the horse is sold to dealers. The
dealers, in turn, resell the horses to unsuspecting
customers who find themselves with pacey, high-energy
mounts with little or no trail experience. Many of
these horses have been taught to move at fast speeds
with little or no stopping or turning ability.
This can be a recipe for disaster.
| |
|
There is definitely something
to be said for the practice of buying a young horse with
no baggage and working with it yourself to develop the
horse into the kind of animal you want - a safe one!
Our
foals are worked with daily and get lots of attention
and love. |
|
| |
 |
We proudly have with us
Echo's Star Gray Wilson.
This fine Black Sabino stallion is courting the ladies
at Northern Foundations Farm.
Our horses are usin' horses
and have put many miles on the trails in Wisconsin and
Minnesota. In addition to trail riding, some of
our horses in the past, were used as 4-H horses and were
shown at the County Fair.
Consider purchasing a foal with foundation bloodlines
and raising it to be the riding horse you REALLY want
to own.
|
|
Relax and Enjoy
your visit to our farm!
We are a proud member of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Heritage Society
Northern Foundations
Farm
Diane Sczepanski
715-538-2494
Between 8-9 PM Central Time
Whitehall, WI
07/07/08 Updated
Member Since 09/16/2001
Design & Hosting by
Walking-Horse.com |
