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Re: [RC] the "rack" - Barbara McCrary

I've been reading the posts on "the rack" with interest.  We had a gelding once, my husband's mount...16 hands, 1/2 Morgan, 1/2 Percheron, that was a wonderful and successful endurance horse.  The one time I rode him on a 50-mile endurance ride, I experienced what I can only believe to be a "rack."  He would go beyond his very fast trot (to which I could post) into a faster gait (to which I could not post) that I just sat to.  It was exhilarating, fast and smooth and was a four-beat gait.  As a child I had a Morgan or Morgan cross mare that would single-foot, but it was nowhere near as fast as Grey's rack.
 
Barbara
----- Original Message -----
From: Dana B.
Sent: Wednesday, March 17, 2004 2:25 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] the "rack"


"The only time I've heard "rack" goes back to my saddlebred days. It's one of
the gaits of the 5-gaited Saddlebred and is an extremely animated, extremely
fast gait, and yes, it is very hard on the horse, but is usually not seen
outside the show ring."

 

"Rack" just describes a certain sequence of pickup-set down-timing.  Back to Lee Ziegler: "The "saddle" or stepped rack (gaits that fall into this category: Fino, Corto, Largo,[the Paso Fino gaits]  Rocky/Mountain Pleasure Gait, Trippel, "singlefoot"): This gait is less obviously lateral than the pace or stepping pace, and is often classified as a square gait. However, in it the lateral hooves are lifted from the ground paired in time, but set down separately, at even intervals. This makes the gait lateral in pick-up, but even in set down. To identify this gait in a moving horse, first notice that neither the lateral nor the diagonal legs sem to move forward at the same time. Then focus on the lateral hooves alone and notice that they seem to lift off somewhat close in time, but that there is a significant interval between the set down of the hind and fore of the same side." [http://leeziegler.com/sgaits1.html]

Further, there are stylistic differences between breeds and individuals.  The show  saddle-type rack seen has very little in common with the gait performed by the Paso Finos or other breeds doing their own verson of the rack.  For shows "the rack of the Saddlebred is not as fast as that of the speed rackers, but it is quite fast, again done with high knee and hock action and a very upright head and neck carriage." [Lee again]  My trail Pasos have some hock action, but their knees barely move and their noses are down watching the trail, typically.  Too bad my PF mare isn't Tevis material, as she's the only horse I've ever ridden who I would trust implicitly in the dark on the California Loop, she is so incredibly sure footed.

Probably way more than anyone wanted to know, but I cringe when someone even remotely suggests that Pasos are only useful as show horses.....:-)

Dana,

who, along with her horses, would rather have a root canal than go to a show 





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Replies
Re: [RC] the "rack", Dana B.