Over the years, like anything else, the breed of walking horses has developed. What makes a good walking horse has gotten more specific, as the industry has grown.
The biggest difference in these two horses (Strolling Jim first, then Gen's Armed & Dangerous, the 1994 Grand World Champion) is their stance. Jim's legs pretty much go straight down from his body. Armed's back legs go out at much more of an angle. This is called "parking out," and it is a posture designed to accent the horses good features. Because Armed is parked out, the muscles in his front shoulders and chest are accented. When parked out, horses hold their heads much higher. This obviously makes them look taller, and it once again accents their chest muscles. Since the back legs are not directly under the horse, the horse appears much longer. Armed's tail is also much longer. The only real purpose of this is simply for looks.
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