A Tennessee Walking Horse can be identified from farther away than almost any other horse, because his running walk is unmistakable once someone knows to look for it. That makes this breed's keep-ready record different from a generic horse file: alongside the standard side and face photographs, it should hold a short, clear video of the horse moving, so a person who spots a loose horse trotting a fence line two fields away can judge whether the gait matches before they ever get close.
Still Photographs: Markings First, Beauty Last
Stand him square on level ground and photograph both sides in plain daylight without tack, then take a face-on view that captures the exact shape of any blaze, stripe or snip and the colouring around his nostrils and eyes. Walk around and record every leg individually. Whether a sock stops below the fetlock or a stocking climbs toward the knee is exactly the sort of detail that confirms or rules out a reported sighting.
Add close views of anything tack usually hides: a saddle-area scar, a girth rub healed white, a brand if he carries one, and the side his mane naturally lies on. Note chestnuts, whorls and any splint or old injury bump in writing beside the matching photograph, so a finder checking a nervous horse in poor light knows precisely where to look and what a match feels like under the hand.
The Gait Video and Why It Earns Its Place
Film thirty seconds of his flat walk and running walk from the side on a firm, level surface, with a familiar handler and no distractions. The head nod, the long overstride of the hind legs and the smoothness through his back should all be visible. A loose Tennessee Walking Horse travelling along a road verge will show that same rhythm, and a neighbour who has watched your clip can say with confidence whether the horse they saw was gaiting or trotting.
Keep a second short clip of him being caught and led, if he has quirks that matter: a horse who lowers his head willingly for a halter is a different proposition from one who spins away from a raised rope, and finders deserve that warning in advance.
Written Details: Size, Shoes and Temperament
Record his measured height, age, colour in words a non-horse person understands, and whether he is shod all round, shod in front or barefoot, since hoofprints and the sound of a horse on tarmac both change with shoeing. Keep any microchip number and registration or identification details with the set, and note the colour of the headcollar and rug he was last wearing while making clear those can be lost.
Describe how he behaves with strangers, traffic and dogs, and name his bonded companions. A Walking Horse who leaves with or calls toward a particular pasture mate gives searchers a direction and, often, a way to bring him home by leading the companion.
Keeping the Set Honest Over Time
Retake the side views when his weight shifts, when a winter coat thickens or after clipping, and refresh the gait clip if age or an injury changes how he moves. A record that shows a fit, dark summer horse will slow down recognition of a shaggy, ribby escapee in late winter.
With the photographs, the moving clip and his shoeing and temperament notes stored in KinsLe, the Lost Pet Alert System can give nearby members a description of this Tennessee Walking Horse they can test against a real horse at a real distance.