What Is a Racking Horse?

This relatively recent American breed was developed from the Tennessee walking horse, which it closely resembles. The Racking Horse Breed Association began in 1971 and claims that over 80,000 horses are registered with them. The Racking Horse is the official horse breed for the state of Alabama.

  1. Gaits

    • Racking (also called "single-footing") is an unusual gait performed by many horses with ancestry tracing back to Spanish breeds. Instead of the bouncy trot, which is hard to sit, the horse would amble, which was a smooth form of walking with the hind legs and trotting with the forelegs. A rack is the most animated and usually fastest version of this amble, with each hoof hitting the ground one at a time.

    History

    • Racking horses were developed to carry the plantation owners of the Deep South. They had to be comfortable, because riders at the time before the Civil War had to be in the saddle all day. After the Civil War, the demand for horses that could rack declined. The Tennessee walker came to prominence as a show horse after World War II, but the rack came about by controversial training methods. Racking horses perform the rack without these aids. The stud book for the Racking Horse breed was open for any horse that could naturally rack until the 1980s.

    Size

    • A horse is measured from the ground to the top of its withers. Racking Horses average 15.2 hands in height (a hand being 4 inches), but can vary from 14.3 hands to 16 hands high. They normally weigh around 1,000 pounds.

    Color

    • Racking horses come in any color known to horses except Appaloosa patterns. The most common colors are bay, brown, black, sorrel, palomino grey and pinto patterns (called "spotted" by Racking Horse breeders). Racking horses are allowed to have white markings on any part of their bodies.

    Temperament

    • Racking horses are very friendly, intelligent, highly trainable horses that do not spook as easily as other breeds. They can be used by any member of the family. They not only can be ridden, but also put in harness and do light farm work.