The State Horse of Alabama is the Racking Horse

The Racking Horse was proclaimed to be Alabama's State horse in 1975 and is a naturally gaited horse known for its beauty, stamina, and calm disposition that originated on the great southern plantations before the Civil War. Plantation owners cherished the breed for its smooth, easy, natural-born gait. It was a horse that could be ridden comfortably for hours, allowing the great distances between and on the great plantations to be covered painlessly. The name "Racking" comes from the term "rack" which was the rural country word for the single-foot gait.

The Racking Horse has its origins rooted deeply from within the ranks of the Tennessee Walking Horse, and this explains much about the breed. Some people have debated whether or not the Racking Horse is a stand-alone breed, but the designation of "breed" was given to the Racking Horse by the USDA in 1978. So what is the difference between a walking horse and a racking horse? Well, the major difference is the gait. Racking Horses only allow one foot to strike the ground at a time. The Tennessee Walking Horse, on the other hand, generally performs three distinct gaits – the flat-foot walk, the running walk, or the canter. They can also rack, but this is not a desirable gait. So, simply put, the Racking Horse breed began from Tennessee Walking Horses that rack naturally.

The movement to form the breed known as the Racking Horse was started when a group of Alabama horsemen, who were involved with the Tennessee Walking Horse, split off from the parent club. The primary reasons were economical and political so a carefully studied program for getting the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to legally designate the Racking Horse as a distinct breed began in the late 1960's.

When the USDA Horse Protection Act went into effect in 1971, which targets the practice of soring within the Tennessee Walking Horse industry, many people in the Tennessee Walking Horse breed opted to get away from the problems that were plaguing the Tennessee Walker breed. On May 23, 1971, the USDA recognized the Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America, thereby allowing a registry to be established to perpetuate the Racking Horse breed. Prior to the formation of the RHBAA, the Racking Horse had been the only horse in the show rings of the nation that was not protected by a registry or a uniform set of rules, even though the Racking Horse breeders could have formed an association at any time prior to 1971 for the purpose of registering horses and creating that set of rules, just like all other U.S. horse breeding associations before them.

The primary function of the Racking Horse Breeders' Association was to establish a registry to protect, preserve, and perpetuate the breed in a natural state with little or no artificial devices to enhance its natural-born gait and to ensure that the horse's tail is naturally raised without nicking. But some show classes, such as open shod divisions, still allow special shoes that enhance action and a new class allows the use of chains, 6 ounces and under as action devices. Horses entered in these classes wear either flat pads or wedge pads made of leather, plastic or other pliant material on their front feet. Weighted shoes are also allowed, the purpose of which is to provide an artificial extension to the hoof and to encourage the horse to lift its feet higher in the show ring. The RHBAA has laid out strict edicts covering the size and thickness of the pads and also addresses the issue of soring, stating "Abusive treatment and/or training techniques designed to produce an alteration of the gaits shall not be condoned." Racking Horses are also subject to the DQP (Designated Qualified Person) inspections as outlined in the Horse Protection Act, as are Tennessee Walking Horses and Saddlebreds.

One banned practice is the application of caustic chemicals just above the hoof, in a process known as "soring," which gets its name from the fact that a horse alters its gait due to discomfort or sore feet. Soring, however is also seen within the Racking horse world even though it is illegal under the Horse Protection Act, and is a federal offense within the United States.

The Racking Horse is attractive and gracefully built with a long sloping neck, full flanks, well boned, smooth legs, and finely textured hair. The breed is considered to be a light horse, averages 15.2 hands high and weighs 1,000 pounds. It comes in many colors such as black, bay, sorrel, chestnut, brown, gray, yellow, cremello, buckskin, dun, palomino, roan, champagne, and even spotted. Spotted Racking Horses are often dual-registered with the National Spotted Saddle Horse Association NSSHA as well as with the RHBAA. Some Racking Horse events are now offering classes specifically for spotted horses, although the coloration is also permitted in regular classes and is commonly seen.

The gaits performed by the Racking Horse are the same on the trail ride and in the show ring. The breed is shown under saddle, in hand or in harness, either flat shod or with pads. The rack is a fast, evenly timed, bi-lateral four-beat gait in which each foot strikes the ground separately at equal intervals which is neither a pace nor a trot. It is often called single foot because only one foot strikes the ground at a time. There is no head nod, but the shoulders and hindquarters are very active. The horse appears to jump from one foot to the other and there is some overstride in the gait, but not as much as in the running walk. It is similar to the running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse, but with more collection in the Racking Horse's movement. The ride is so smooth that the rider appears to remain motionless as the horse racks. It is not the same as the show gait of other breeds in which the "rack" is an artificially achieved gait resulting from special training, though soring does illegally occur within the Racking Horse breed.

Eligibility for registration is determined upon the performance of the gaits natural to the breed, and in the beginning horses of all ages could be registered by gait performances. Horses are registered by inspection by a qualified licensed RHBAA commissioner to determine if the horse is capable of performing the rack, but all horses born in 1994 and after must be blood-typed to be registered.

The Racking Horse has an unusual friendliness and affectionate nature toward humans. It is intelligent with a willingness to learn, an eagerness to work and an ability to perform in more than one function. Beginning riders cherish the smooth gait and the calm temperament while veteran horsemen admire its beauty and versatility from the work field to the show ring.

There are 80,000 Racking Horses registered by the RHBAA throughout the United States and several foreign countries, but Tennessee and Alabama have the largest number of Racking Horses in the United States. At this rate, it won't be long before the Racking Horse is a common sight in show rings throughout the equine world.


About Crystal Eikanger

Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.