LOL I was thinking about not posting after i saw the user name of the thread creator.. LOL
Mine has to be Tennessee Walking Horses for a few reasons...
1- How abused and mistreated the show horses are.. when i think of a walking horse, the first thing that comes to mind is those HUGE shoes and wide eyes.
2- They look like a really crazy riding horse.. most of the "pleasure" ones i see are absolutely insane.. but you cant tell their owners this.. their owners i have encountered believe that since they are well papered, they must be wonderful animals.. and the bucking/rearing? Its just SPIRIT
Yeah.. RIGHT.
3- That every single Walking Horse breeder I have met think that they are the best breed on earth and that all other breeds just dont cut it. Paint horses and Quarter horses are my favorite breeds, but just because they are doesnt mean i don't think any other breed sucks. If i meet someone who breeds Arabians i don't run my mouth about how much i dislike arabians.. but good lord.. every Walking Horse Trainer/Breeder I have met has shoved TWH's down my throat as soon as they find out i like Quarter Horses and Paints and down on me for liking my breed. There is no such thing as the ULTIMATE horse breed.. all breeds have their strong points.. but no one breed is the best.
4- There is no real work when you ride them.. you just plop your butt in the saddle and feel it grow. At least with riding horses with a trot, you can post and whatnot.. this is where i get most of my excersize when riding.
5- Midnight Sun bred horses have huge ugly heads.. its a cruel hard fact.. LOL
6- I just dont care for the build of Walkers.. their heads tend to look a little huge, their eyes bulge, and the stance they put them in when they are posing for pictures reminds me of a horse that has sore feet and is trying to stretch its weight out.
7- They bred the original purpose out of the horse. The horses that are the best breeders, make the most money, and most people drool over are the World Grand Champions in the heavily shod division thing.. when they have the thick pads on.. Well, i worked with show Walkers.. and they cant be turned out with those shoes on.. and cant be worked for longer than 15 minutes a day with those shoes on or they get overly exhausted. Walkers were created to walk ALL DAY and have a smooth efficient gait so the farmer could check fence lines and check over their crops all day. Now, the "best of the best" cant go for very long at all under saddle because of those stupid pads. If they horse wont pick its feet up that high WITHOUT shoes.. maybe they arent supposed to pick their feet up that high at all!
8- They are broke to ride at a mere 16 months if they are used to show... from what I have seen from 4 different show barns.. Sure, Thoroughbreds are also broke at an early age.. but guess what? They only carry about 90 pounds because thats racing regulations.. Walking Horses? The people i have seen that break these yearlings weigh over 200 and less than 400... Poor babies =/
Its more the people that own Walking horses that i dont like.. about 15% or 10% of all walkers i met were actually GOOD horses.. the rest were absolutely terrible horses because of one thing or another.. whether it be their trainer, owner, or their breeding.
Again, this is my opinion, so im not right or wrong, im just speaking from my experience =)