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Intro Just across the Dutch border, right in
the middle of National park 'De Kempen' is where you can find a rare horse breed. That
is, rare in Europe. The Tennessee Walking Horse is very popular in the United States
where it was founded in the early 1900. Smooth gaits, a docile temperament and very
versatile. Those are just a view advantages of this gaited horse. A Dutch proverb says: "Unknown makes
unbeloved". It seems like this is also happening with a less popular horse breed.
I'd like to take the challenge
to change this......
Goal
 Pleasure
Gaits has been established to promote the Tennessee Walking
Horse all over the European continent. Sandra van den Hof is one of the few TWH
breeders in Europe. Based in Belgium, Pleasure Gaits promotes, imports, breeds,
trains, and sells Tennessee Walking Horses with old bloodlines for what they are
originally bred for. Sandra is a
Centered Riding© Instructor as well as a lifelong horse enthusiast. At
Pleasure Gaits, both of those passions combine to help others enjoy their
horses.
A strong advocate for
humane treatment of horses, Sandra has cared most of her life for animals
who needed special care or attention. Sandra's interest in horsemanship
developed as a result of her work to help improve the plight of show horses.
What began as a commitment to the simple respectful treatment of horses
became a dedication to teaching horses and riders to enjoy each other
without artificial barriers. The positive training methods at Pleasure Gaits
are applicable to any breed of horse, any age rider, and any riding style.
All you need is an open heart.
 Sandra’s
former career in Marketing and Communication came in handy when
professionalizing her horse hobby. She has been a founding member of the
Heritage Walking Horse Society based in the US, preserving
the Walking Horse with old bloodlines, conformation, gaits and disposition
it has been originally bred for. She organized clinics and the European
Championships during her 3 year term on the Board of Directors of the
Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders and Owners Association. Co-founding
Natural Walking Horses in Europe for
the welfare of the Walking Horse in 2006 was only the next logical step to
take. Sandra was the first European licensed TWHBEA Instructor, passing her
test in Tennessee in 2004. She finished her
Centered Riding® Instructors training
in 2006 and gives riding lessons and workshops using the Centered Riding
Technique combined with her Tennessee Walking Horses. Most recently she
followed the
EAGALA fundamentals part I and a training with
Chris Irwin to further evolve in assisting clients in their
journey towards awareness and personal growth.
Take your time and surf around. When
interested you're just one phone call or
email away from meeting our horses in person.
In case you decide to purchase
a Tennessee Walker, we are always willing to help finding you the horse that meets
your profile and inform you about how to ride this gaited horse.
Pleasure Gaits is a proud co-founder
of the TWH Heritage Society (USA) and Natural Walking Horses (Europe):
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