Running Walk vs Rack
By Gaye DeRusso
Many people with gaited horses get confused if they are doing a running walk vs a rack, over and over again I see many people and sale videos saying they are doing a running walk, but they are actually racking. There is a big difference and once you educate yourself of the difference, you will be able to see, feel and hear the differences. So, lets break it down and try to keep it simple.
Both gaits are an even 4 beat gaits, which means your horse's feet hit the ground 4 separate times. Both are intermediate gaits, which means basically that this is your horse's second speed of his or her gaits. The first gait is usually a flat walk.
The running walk has a large over stride and the rack can have over stride just not as much. Over stride or overreach means your horse's back foot reaches over the front hoof print. Anywhere from a couple inches to a couple of feet. This was bred specifically into the Tennessee Walking Horse and not the other breeds of gaited horses, but over the years they have crossed Tennessee Walkers into some of the other breeds to get a bigger stride. Even though it is bred into this breed, not all Tennessee Walkers when born will have over stride.
This over stride provides a long sweeping gait. The horse's feet stay close to the ground and there is not a lot of knee action or hock action. When the horse over strides their head will nod up and down like a fulcrum to help them stay balanced in this gait. As they say, if it's not nodding it's not walking. This is a true statement, each horse will have a head nod but different amounts, depending on their stride if they are doing a true running walk.
This gait is a relaxed gait with a lower head carriage vs the true rack. The gait will vary in speed for each horse, but is usually from 5-7 mph, although some can go faster. The rider will move back and forth in the saddle from the front of the saddle toward the back of the saddle. The horse will keep its feet close to the ground. You will feel the horse sliding his feet and pushing with his back end and pulling with his shoulders underneath you. When a horse is doing a running walk up a hill, you may feel like you are on an escalator, being pushed upward. You can feel the power of the horse in this gait and feel the strength in their back end.
The horse has to be relaxed and engaging its back end to do the running walk. It can only go so fast at this gait because it has to reach with its legs and pull, it is an energy efficient gait not a speed gait.
If your horse's gait is super smooth, not much motion in the saddle, no head nod, not much overstride with a quick 4 beat foot fall, then you are doing a rack not the running walk. It may be a slow rack or a fast rack, but I will get to that.
The racking gait has either no over stride or less amount of over stride. It is also 4 beats. But most horses will pick their feet up higher and quicker than they do at a running walk. The rack is the gait that everyone says sounds like pucka pucka.
So, you may see more action in their knees and hocks. The horse will usually tense up its neck and back to get this gait. The stride is usually shorter than the running walk and not as much shoulder movement. Therefore, they do not nod their head in this gait. If they do nod some it is very minor. The head is usually still or may have a little side to side motion. The head can be lower at the slow rack/saddle gait, but usually the horse that is doing a true fast rack will be high headed with an inverted back. So, it is a more tense gait compared to a horse doing a relaxed running walk.
The rider will not be moving forward and back but should either feel like they are still or a little side to side motion, like you would feel if you put weight in one stirrup and then the other. It's a little wiggle in the saddle.
The speed varies and many people get confused with this. So, it is also usually 5-7 mph for a slow rack/ saddle gait. But some horses can go much, much, faster and this is the true rack. Many people will fight over this. Just know if its slower it's a slow rack/saddle gait. If it's very fast, it's a true rack.
If you have two horses a TWH and a Kentucky Mountain, their second gait or intermediate gait in the TWH should be a running Walk. In the KMH, it should be a saddle gait/rack.
Now if you push both horses past their second gait and they are both well gaited, both horses may rack. The TWH may choose to change to this gait, as the running walk takes more energy and collection to go faster, so it is easier to rack. They shorten their stride pick their head up, tense their back and pick their legs up higher and stop shaking their head and go into a rack.
As the Kentucky Mountain horse goes faster, it will not change much since it was already racking, but the head may raise up and the speed will be faster.
So, if you have a TWH that goes very fast and you hear his feet moving fast, pucka pucka, no head shake and feels like you are sitting mostly still or a little side to side motion, you are probably racking.
Because so many people are confused with the speed of the running walk, most people ride their horses right past it and are racking. You feel like you are floating on air and just feel their feet flying underneath you, but you are not moving very much in the saddle. Although it is fun, the true fast rack can be hard on your horse's body if done for long periods of time. The slow rack and running walk are better gaits to do for your horse's body for long periods of time.
So basically, if your horse is not nodding its head but it is smooth, you are probably racking. Racking is fun and is the second or intermediate gait for many breeds. The running walk is the second gait for the Tennessee Walking Horse and not the other breeds but just because your horse is a certain breed does not mean it will do the gait it was bred for. It must have the conformation and talent to do so and the training to get there.
If you have a very short strided TWH, you will not naturally get a running walk. You will get a rack. If for some reason you have a long strided KMH or a MFT you may get a running walk. Now you may be thinking, what?
Yes, just because they are bred for something doesn't always mean they will get it. That's why you can get a great naturally gaited TWH that is so easy to ride from a certain Sire and Dam. Then you breed the same Sire and Dam, and you end up with a short strided horse, or one that is on the pacey side or trotty side. It's all in the genes of what that horse gets.
So, remember if he's not nodding, he is not walking.
Running Walk Rack
Over stride Not much over stride
Head shake No head shake
Rider moves front to back Rider still in saddle or wiggle
Relaxed back and neck Tense back and neck
Lower head carriage Head may be low with slow gait, but high
with true rack
Sweeping leg motion More knee and hock action
Horse slides feet close to ground Horse picks feet up higher
Horse engages back-end and pushes Less back-end engagement
Can do this gait uphill Harder to do uphill
Cannot do this gait well downhill Can do this gait downhill
By Gaye DeRusso
Many people with gaited horses get confused if they are doing a running walk vs a rack, over and over again I see many people and sale videos saying they are doing a running walk, but they are actually racking. There is a big difference and once you educate yourself of the difference, you will be able to see, feel and hear the differences. So, lets break it down and try to keep it simple.
Both gaits are an even 4 beat gaits, which means your horse's feet hit the ground 4 separate times. Both are intermediate gaits, which means basically that this is your horse's second speed of his or her gaits. The first gait is usually a flat walk.
The running walk has a large over stride and the rack can have over stride just not as much. Over stride or overreach means your horse's back foot reaches over the front hoof print. Anywhere from a couple inches to a couple of feet. This was bred specifically into the Tennessee Walking Horse and not the other breeds of gaited horses, but over the years they have crossed Tennessee Walkers into some of the other breeds to get a bigger stride. Even though it is bred into this breed, not all Tennessee Walkers when born will have over stride.
This over stride provides a long sweeping gait. The horse's feet stay close to the ground and there is not a lot of knee action or hock action. When the horse over strides their head will nod up and down like a fulcrum to help them stay balanced in this gait. As they say, if it's not nodding it's not walking. This is a true statement, each horse will have a head nod but different amounts, depending on their stride if they are doing a true running walk.
This gait is a relaxed gait with a lower head carriage vs the true rack. The gait will vary in speed for each horse, but is usually from 5-7 mph, although some can go faster. The rider will move back and forth in the saddle from the front of the saddle toward the back of the saddle. The horse will keep its feet close to the ground. You will feel the horse sliding his feet and pushing with his back end and pulling with his shoulders underneath you. When a horse is doing a running walk up a hill, you may feel like you are on an escalator, being pushed upward. You can feel the power of the horse in this gait and feel the strength in their back end.
The horse has to be relaxed and engaging its back end to do the running walk. It can only go so fast at this gait because it has to reach with its legs and pull, it is an energy efficient gait not a speed gait.
If your horse's gait is super smooth, not much motion in the saddle, no head nod, not much overstride with a quick 4 beat foot fall, then you are doing a rack not the running walk. It may be a slow rack or a fast rack, but I will get to that.
The racking gait has either no over stride or less amount of over stride. It is also 4 beats. But most horses will pick their feet up higher and quicker than they do at a running walk. The rack is the gait that everyone says sounds like pucka pucka.
So, you may see more action in their knees and hocks. The horse will usually tense up its neck and back to get this gait. The stride is usually shorter than the running walk and not as much shoulder movement. Therefore, they do not nod their head in this gait. If they do nod some it is very minor. The head is usually still or may have a little side to side motion. The head can be lower at the slow rack/saddle gait, but usually the horse that is doing a true fast rack will be high headed with an inverted back. So, it is a more tense gait compared to a horse doing a relaxed running walk.
The rider will not be moving forward and back but should either feel like they are still or a little side to side motion, like you would feel if you put weight in one stirrup and then the other. It's a little wiggle in the saddle.
The speed varies and many people get confused with this. So, it is also usually 5-7 mph for a slow rack/ saddle gait. But some horses can go much, much, faster and this is the true rack. Many people will fight over this. Just know if its slower it's a slow rack/saddle gait. If it's very fast, it's a true rack.
If you have two horses a TWH and a Kentucky Mountain, their second gait or intermediate gait in the TWH should be a running Walk. In the KMH, it should be a saddle gait/rack.
Now if you push both horses past their second gait and they are both well gaited, both horses may rack. The TWH may choose to change to this gait, as the running walk takes more energy and collection to go faster, so it is easier to rack. They shorten their stride pick their head up, tense their back and pick their legs up higher and stop shaking their head and go into a rack.
As the Kentucky Mountain horse goes faster, it will not change much since it was already racking, but the head may raise up and the speed will be faster.
So, if you have a TWH that goes very fast and you hear his feet moving fast, pucka pucka, no head shake and feels like you are sitting mostly still or a little side to side motion, you are probably racking.
Because so many people are confused with the speed of the running walk, most people ride their horses right past it and are racking. You feel like you are floating on air and just feel their feet flying underneath you, but you are not moving very much in the saddle. Although it is fun, the true fast rack can be hard on your horse's body if done for long periods of time. The slow rack and running walk are better gaits to do for your horse's body for long periods of time.
So basically, if your horse is not nodding its head but it is smooth, you are probably racking. Racking is fun and is the second or intermediate gait for many breeds. The running walk is the second gait for the Tennessee Walking Horse and not the other breeds but just because your horse is a certain breed does not mean it will do the gait it was bred for. It must have the conformation and talent to do so and the training to get there.
If you have a very short strided TWH, you will not naturally get a running walk. You will get a rack. If for some reason you have a long strided KMH or a MFT you may get a running walk. Now you may be thinking, what?
Yes, just because they are bred for something doesn't always mean they will get it. That's why you can get a great naturally gaited TWH that is so easy to ride from a certain Sire and Dam. Then you breed the same Sire and Dam, and you end up with a short strided horse, or one that is on the pacey side or trotty side. It's all in the genes of what that horse gets.
So, remember if he's not nodding, he is not walking.
Running Walk Rack
Over stride Not much over stride
Head shake No head shake
Rider moves front to back Rider still in saddle or wiggle
Relaxed back and neck Tense back and neck
Lower head carriage Head may be low with slow gait, but high
with true rack
Sweeping leg motion More knee and hock action
Horse slides feet close to ground Horse picks feet up higher
Horse engages back-end and pushes Less back-end engagement
Can do this gait uphill Harder to do uphill
Cannot do this gait well downhill Can do this gait downhill