Everything new must build upon that which has gone before.  Breeds of horses are no exception.  When the settlers of Middle Tennessee began concerning themselves with improving their horse stock they naturally looked to other breeds for help.  As was pointed out in the previous chapter the first importations were Thoroughbreds, but whatever influence these stallions had on saddle horses was incidental to their main purpose of producing race horses.  Certainly such horses were not imported for the primary purpose of upgrading saddle and utility horses.

Although the Morgan and Thoroughbred were the only established breeds in America during the early 1800's, there were many famous families of horses beginning to develop.  It is often taken for granted that the Walking Horse was greatly influenced by the Saddle Horse and the Standardbred.  It would seem more accurate to say all were influenced by the same families of horses.  Most of the saddle horse families which came south to influence the stock of Kentucky and Tennessee came from Canada or were offspring of Canadian horses.  Most of these were believed to trace to the Narragansett Pacer.  In any event it is known that many stallions were imported into Middle Tennessee during the early years of 1800 and when crossed with native mares produced what became known as the Tennessee Pacer.  Actually it was this pacer which evolved into the Tennessee Walking Horse we know today. While never developing into a distinct breed the Tennessee Pacer was a definite "type" and produced some of the nation's outstanding race and saddle horses.  The great families which combined with the utility stock of Middle Tennessee to produce the Tennessee Pacer are the same families that laid the foundation for the Tennessee Walking Horse.