Posted 2011-09-29 1:20 PM (#137934 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
The fastest racking horse ever recorded was clocked at 51 mph, BUT not for the distances the race horses run.
The fastest horse ever recorded was clocked at 53 mph. That was a racing Quarter Horse. From the QH journals: "American Quarter Horses are the fastest horse in the world, and one of the fastest animals. They can race at speeds up to 55 mph"
"A racking horse by the name of EZD Falcon Rowdy was clocked at 51 mph at Texas A&M in the 1970's. Granted, it was for a short burst. However, it was reported in Equus magazine at the time as being the fastest horse ever clocked."
Not a lot of racking horses, but more than you would imagine, can reach speeds above 30 mph. Very, very, few, exceed 35 mph. There were several last weekend at Racking on the Edge, at East Fork, that hit the 30 to 35 mph range.
I now have two that exceed 30 mph, and a third one, that we are working on.
I have ridden several that were capable of these speeds, but I'm too chicken to get them up there, until after I'm very comfortable riding them, and that usually takes me several weeks of riding, before I will venture up there. The older you get, the more the imagination takes over, and you can just imagine a wreck at those speeds. You sure don't want one spooking at something at those speeds.
And yes, these horses can be very expensive. Last year I know of 2 that sold for $25,000, and $50,000.00 respectively.
Posted 2011-09-30 9:57 AM (#137952 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Elite Veteran
Posts: 681 Location: Corpus Christi, Texas
Poking around on you-tube a year or two ago I stumbled on a video of (I think) the original Rowdy.. He was gray and ridden bareback by a one-armed man.. Even in the relatively short space he was running back and forth in, he was super impressive speed-wise. It was awesome to watch.
Posted 2011-10-01 6:08 AM (#137977 - in reply to #137934) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Regular
Posts: 63 Location: Illinois
I was at East Fork last week for the races and most of the best racking horses were there but they did not race. They didn't race because the pacers were there. The winning horse ridden by Bobby Gene York was clocked at 32 mph. He was pacing, not racking. Big difference!
Posted 2011-10-02 9:31 PM (#138009 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
"The winning horse ridden by Bobby Gene York was clocked at 32 mph. He was pacing, not racking. Big difference"
I heard that, what a shame.
Yes, a big difference between racking a pacing. I sure would have thought the York's would know the difference, or maybe they relied on the judges not knowing the difference.
I just sold a racking horse that gps'd at 32 mph in a true rack.
What amazes me is the number of folks that can not tell a pace from a rack, either on the horse's back or as a sight seer. To me the pace is easy to tell. At least the ones I've ridden, and I sure try to keep that number to a bare minimum.
Posted 2011-10-02 9:32 PM (#138010 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376 Location: Missouri
"The winning horse ridden by Bobby Gene York was clocked at 32 mph. He was pacing, not racking. Big difference"
I heard that, what a shame.
Yes, a big difference between racking a pacing. I sure would have thought the York's would know the difference, or maybe they relied on the judges not knowing the difference.
I just sold a racking horse that gps'd at 32 mph in a true rack.
What amazes me is the number of folks that can not tell a pace from a rack, either on the horse's back or as a sight seer. To me the pace is easy to tell. At least the ones I've ridden, and I sure try to keep that number to a bare minimum.
Posted 2011-10-03 1:28 AM (#138013 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
Elite Veteran
Posts: 610 Location: Northern CA
Well now.... was the winning horse a Standardbred? I feel that some people may be upset at the fact that people are starting to ride these fast Standardbred horses and don't like the fact that they can rack faster than their horse? Just sayin'. Cause it's real easy to see if a horse is rackin' or pacing. I think a lot of people think that all Standardbreds do is pace and don't have a true rack. Not true. I wouldn't believe what your hearin' unless you actually saw the winning horses' performance.
Posted 2011-11-24 7:07 PM (#139088 - in reply to #121560) Subject: RE: speed racking horse
New User
Posts: 3
Location: New York
Shelf between the pacing a big difference. I certainly think that New York will know the difference, or they rely on the judges do not know the difference.
speed racking horse
