Does a race horse, like Secretariat, have a smooth gait such that any moran

[raccoon]

could stay on the horse when he's galloping?

(I don't plan to ride a racehorse, unless it's a dire emergency, but I just wanted to know.)

[TZ]

1. Some do some don't

I rode an ex-racehorse that had the NICEST gait ever but many don't. Horses gaits are very individualized and aren't really indicators of how fast they are. I've ridden horses that had rocking horse like canter but were left in the dust by other horses with much rougher gates.
Galloping at full speed is not a gait though that most non-equestrian people can handle well. The physics involved with the motion of a big powerful animal kinda make that the case.

[Kali]

2. most morans probably couldn't stay on ANY horse at a full gallop

but anybody with some experience probably could. Handling reins might be different issue, depending on the horse and the rider's experience.

I have only ridden one ex-racing thoroughbred - she was pretty smooth.

[Bake]

3. I'm pretty sure you hafta know how to ride ...

And I don't. So there.

:hi:

Bake

[MrScorpio]

4. Any racehorse "like Secretariat" is currently dead...

If you sat astride one like that, I'm sure that you'd have a smooth ride… To nowhere.

[triguy46]

5. Oh yeah.l You betcha.

Jockeys are pros, they make it look easy but it is incredibly hard to ride a horse at full gallop balanced on its back. And then to be able to control it, change whip hands, all at speed is very difficult.

[elleng]

6. Whatever, but you have to GET to the gallop; takes a few gaits BEFORE!

[riderinthestorm]

7. There is definitely a difference in how each horse gallops, and how easy it is to ride them.

Some are very smooth, and others aren't, just like any other gait. The ones with the biggest, longest strides are the hardest to ride (like Secretariat) because their level of suspension (that moment when all four legs are off the ground) is so different than most horses. Also they use their back very differently when they are at a full gallop, and while a rider is typically in a two-point position suspended over the horses back there is definitely still some interaction going on there and it all plays into how easy they are to ride. Beyond all that, some horses are just naturally balanced. They are natural athletes who can carry the extra weight of a human being gracefully while others are dorks and have trouble placing their own feet without tripping. The natural athleticism of the horse is a big factor in how easy they are to ride.

I'm walking proof that "any moran" can't just get on a horse and ride at a gallop. I think I've told the story on DU before but I had met a Qantas pilot when I was travelling in Europe as a young 21 yr old and ended up living with him in Sydney. While he was away on long hauls, I'd travel alone, many times to his parents ranch in the far west suburbs (technically the bush) where a race horse trainer kept his horses. I was fascinated by the work and asked the trainer if I could learn to ride. He said "sure!" and put me on a 2 year old TB, just broke 6 weeks before. I fell off 17 times that first ride, at a gallop pretty much every time. As I hauled myself back onto that colts back the 18th time, he finally stopped me and told me I could work for him. He said that he could teach me how to be a "gallop girl" (exercise rider) but he couldn't teach me how to be brave. He also told me you have to fall off 100 times before you're a real rider and that I was already pretty far along in one day.

I did end up learning to ride (at a gallop) and it's still my work now but I'm the first to admit that you can't just put any moran on a horse and they'll be able to fake it. My neck is now permanently 2 inches shorter from falling on my head so often (heh, that's a joke but unfortunately for me it always feels like I fall on my head when I fall off!)

[Biker13]

11. Heh!

Memories! I remember the first time I fell, and didn't die! I lost my fear that day, and have fallen probably 1,000 times since.

I have a slew of physical problems now,(at 52)from a lifetime on horseback, but would trade a second of it!

My first trainer told me too, that you weren't a horsewoman until you fell 100 times! It must be a meme!

Biker's Old Lady

[applegrove]

8. I have no training in riding but I used to rent a horse and go galloping. It was always

much,much smoother that trotting. Like butter. Was dangerous though. I wore no riding hat.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

9. it is not the racing that worries me...its the brakes and the steering :)

galloping is a lot smoother than trotting. cantering and racking are also smooth gaits.

[NV Whino]

10. The key to a smooth gait

is the slope of the pasterns. The more slope, the smoother the gait. Compare the pasterns of a Peruvian Paso with almost any other horse. Pasos are known for their smooth gates.

(Pastern = "ankle")

[Demoiselle]

12. If you want a smooth canter (just a slow gallop) get a Tennessee Walking Horse.

Walkers also have a very very fast, very smooth "running" walk which moves them as fast as most horse trots.
I don't think Secretariat would give you a very smooth ride at high speed. There's an awful lot of muscle movement going on when a racing horse is full out. And remember, the jockeys riding race horses are virtually perched on tippy top of them, their boot heels nearly tucked under their butts (the jockeys' not the horses'). I think that's to keep their legs out of the way of the horse's flexing withers and hindquarters.
But then, I've never ridden a horse in a race, so what do I know?