OK, WHOOPS! Sorry, gonna have to chime in here. Patty, you are
= obviously seeing the rack in the form of the Racking Horse showring
= tradition or the American Saddlebred showring. NOT all racks are the
= same. Let's try to take this a step at a time... 1. MANY
Foxtrotters can and do rack, some more easily than others. Not = the
breed's gait of choice, but they are capable, and some prefer
it...
2. The rack does NOT have to be as tiring as the version you
are = thinking of. There is a nice "daisy clipper" version in many
gaited = horses where the footfall pattern is the same, but the animation and
= ventroflexion are "dialed down" significantly. This ability varies by
= the horse's conformation, genetic wiring, and conditioning. My mare
= "racks" or "singlefoots" at about 8 mph on easy terrain with a heartrate
= of about 120bpm. She CAN, if I position and cue her for it, trot at
the = same speed, at about 125 bpm. (And her Daddy does about the
same).
I use whatever gait suits best for the terrain. PLEASE,
folks, realize = that there are HUGE variances in ALL of the gaited
breeds. Do you buy = the AQHA partyline about all quarter horses?
Then why believe someone = else's definition until you have ridden the
individual horse? =20
I'm still fairly new to endurance, but I've ridden
and trained gaited = horses for over 13 years. I'm NOT the
expert, but I've worked hard for ="">what I know...
Sorry, just a sore
spot for me... Faustina Duffy M33830 Snowline
Romeo H37823 Frostbite H41583
Hi Jody,
The rack is the most tiring of all the
gaits. Im sure Bruce is not asking his foxtrotter to rack because that
is not the gait of choice with a foxtrotter. In fact, I don't
think foxtrotters "rack" at all. Its an aweful looking gait where they
lift the legs un- naturally high. I hate seeing it. It looks freakish .
And what's worse, they often shoe the horses to make them lift even
higher and then wonder why they end up with navicular or
worse.
Foxtrotters have a smooth mixed up gait
where they walk in the front and trot in the back. It is not hard on
them. It is NOT pacing...It is perfect for trail riding...They can pick
through mountains and rocks like an Arab, But whether or not they have
the stamina of an Arabian, is yet to be seen. I am an avid Arab fan and
have been watching and studying the gaited breeds for years. The only
one that I really like is the foxtrotter. I think they have potential.
