You make the call!   Watch the two horses side by side in this special video presentation courtesy of Gary Lane and Windswept Stables
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Let's Look Back in Time

Back in the days before the start up of soring, the Tennessee Walking Horse experienced its greatest days of growth as a show horse.

The above video was taken during a time when The Celebration grew from a 3 day event to a 10 day event.   How could this possibly have happened without the big lick horse?   Well,  first of all the average trainer in that day and time worked with their horses many hours per week and established a relationship with the horse which developed their natural gait to its maximum potential.  You rarely see this display of general horsemanship these days because of the pressure on the trainers to generate a big lick in a matter of weeks rather than a natural smooth gait in the months it actually takes for a horse to develop.  The general public appreciated and recognized the hard work that both the horse and rider put in to achieve this magnificent gait.  The crowds came to show their appreciation.

In the late 1950s this smooth natural gait that took general horsemanship and months to achieve was replaced with the quick training method of "soring".   The addition of pads and wedges came along as well and the combination of "soring" and the "package" with a boot or "action device" forever changed the breed.   Today we are paying the price for a shortcut that created an "industry", when we could be boasting about the most popular breed of horse in the world.

Things are rapidly changing in the walking horse world these days and hopefully one day everyone involved will wake up and realize we are 50 years behind in advancing this wonderful breed to the pinnacle it deserves.