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.
"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
