Racking Horse,Racking Horse,Racking Horse,Raching Horse,Racking Horse

The Dash Family Site

John Dash, Janice Dash, Morgan Dash, Colson Dash and Kelsey Dash

PO Box 100 Bishop VA 24604-0100

Call 540-979-9200 or Fax 540-988-1700

Racking Horse

History of the Racking Horse

What's the most versatile breed of horse from the show ring to the work fields?

Legendary for its beauty, stamina, and calm disposition, the popularity of this noble animal grew strong on the great southern plantations before the Civil War. It was learned that the horse could be ridden comfortably for hours because of his smooth, natural gait.

The phenomenal growth of this breed can be directly attributed to its intelligence and versatility. Beginning riders cherish the smooth, easy gait and the calm temperament of the Racking Horse. Veteran horsemen admire his beauty and ability to perform anywhere from the work field to the show ring.

There was a horse being shown in great numbers, a horse of a distinct type and characteristics, for which there was no specific judge, no showring category, no organization and ultimately no incentive for expansion and growth. The Racking Horse became a dream and a new and most significant chapter in equine history of this country was begun.

Knowing that this single foot horse called the racking horse had its origins rooted deeply in Walking Horse bloodlines, it was then realized the possibility of promoting this animal with no action device, no set tail and without the canter while spot lighting the docile nature and easily ridden lateral gait exemplified by the rack.

A group of Alabama businessmen headed by Joe D. Bright formed a corporation and initiated the legal maneuverings with the USDA to designate this horse as a distinct breed. A carefully studied program for this venture in the late 1960's was begun. He gathered knowledgeable horsemen long oriented in the breeding and raising of horses both for pleasure riding and show purposes to assist him in this effort. On May 23, 1971, a milestone in the equine history of America was reached. On this date the USDA recognized the Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America, thereby allowing a registry to be established to perpetuate the Racking Horse breed. Until this time the Racking Horse had been the only horse in the show rings of the nation not protected by a registry or a uniform set of rules. The primary function of the Racking Horse Breeders' Association was to "establish a registry to protect and perpetuate the breed".

The Racking Horse opportunity was presented to horses everywhere, and for many years the growth of the Racking Horse Breeders' Association was astounding. The selection of the name "Racking" was not to tie this horse to any specific state or region. The term "rack" was then the country nomenclature for the single foot.

The main objective and the philosophy of the Racking Horse Breeders was to create an organization that was within the economic reach of the marketplace that would serve the amateur horseman, the person doing his own training at home, to being a member, a breeder, and a showring participant.

An organization was needed for the people, to promote the people, the horses and give the people an opportunity for participating where they could feel secure and protected. The general membership should always have a voice in the association, so as not to drive them to another breed or out of the horse business altogether.

Eligibility for registration was 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.

The Racking Horse Breeders' Association actually laid the foundation and the incentive for the great trend towards the pleasure horse movement in the show ring today. When we began the Racking Horse Breeders' Association this type horse was oftentimes the largest group at the smaller shows. Even without a group or organization for promotion the interest and participation was great. This was a horse for the middle income people to enjoy at home, on trails, and at shows. The majority of the horses were shown on flat shoes or with very little pad. Once we promoted the idea of a separate and named breed and established the registry it grew faster than anyone ever dreamed.

The Racking Horse originated and was developed from within the ranks of the pleasure Walking Horse. At this time, in 1971, there was no promotion for the Walking pleasure horses and no efforts were being made to satisfy the demands of the pleasure world. Subsequently, the Racking Horse Breeders' Association grew at an astounding rate.

Reference:

Kentucky Horse Park, 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511

1886 - 1910

ALLAN F-1 (Black Allen)

Although the first horse on record to do the running walk was a piebald called Bald Stockings, by Tom Hal and out of a Copperbottom mare in 1837, the first horse to be registered as a Tennessee Walking horse was a registered American Trotting Horse named Black Allen, in the American Trotting Registry, and listed in the Tennessee Walking Horse Registry as Allan F-1. His sire was a stallion called Allendorf, from the Hamiltonian family of trotters, but his dam was a Morgan, from Blackhawk breeding. In 1885, a cross between and Maggie Marshall, a Morgan mare, out of Bradford's Telegraph, resulted in a black colt with a white blaze, off hind coronet and rear hind sock. The little black stallion Allan was born in 1886 in Lexington, Kentucky.

All his life, Allan was the horse nobody wanted. His many owners preferred race horses and were disappointed when Allan preferred to pace. Allan was considered a complete failure as a harness racer. He was described as a "quitter," because he was so loose-gaited that he would knock his legs to pieces before he could finish a race. He wasn't thought much better as a breeding stallion, and he frequently passed from owner to owner. However, some writers later described him as an excellent flat-footed walker. Because of his strange gaits Allan was not successful in the trotter's breed, nor in the Morgan breed. It was 1903 when breeders first realized the quality of that funny-looking little stallion: his natural way of walking with those quick, gliding steps. He was able to do that walk over miles and miles and the ride was not tiresome.

In the latter half of the Nineteenth Century, dirt track racing became less popular, and was replaced by show ring competition. When religious opposition ended dirt track racing in the Southern states, horsemen began to exhibit their horses in the arena, and classes were held for "Plantation Saddle Horses." Accepted gaits included the fox trot, running walk, stepping pace and rack.

Brantley dreamed of developing a new breed of horse for years, an easy-to-ride saddle and harness horse that could serve as the utilitarian horse of his era. In 1903, he purchased the older stallion named Allan. Allan carried in him bloodlines of some of the greatest horses of his day, and Brantley became convinced that through this horse he could achieve his dream.

At the Brantley farm in the Noah community of Coffee County, Allan blossomed. Under Mr. Brantley's loving care and attention, Allan developed speed and style and, more importantly, a distinctive running walk. His new owner bred him to his great walking gaited mare, Gertrude, and the rest, as they say, is history. Gertrude was a tremendous big red roan mare, with a blaze face and four white stockings. She was mostly Saddlebred on her sire's side, while her dam was Morgan and Canadian Pacer, and when bred to Allan, they produced Roan Allen F-38, perhaps the most famous Tennessee Walking Horse of them all.

Roan Allen was known to flat walk, running walk, square trot, fox trot, pace and rack. His sire, Allan, was later bred to the Dement mare, Nell, and produced the legendary mare, Merry Legs. Another Allan son was Hunter Allen F-10, ancestor of Midnight Sun. Roan Allen and Merry Legs went on to produce many registered Tennessee Walking Horses. Midnight Sun was the horse who originated the "Big Lick" style of running walk, so desired in the show ring, today.

In six short years, Allan sired an overwhelming number of horses who inherited the distinctive walk. Thanks to the patience and devotion of Mr. Brantley and others, these horses developed into a new breed that we know today as the Tennessee Walking Horse.

In 1935, the newly-formed Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders Association of America registry founders decided to take Allan, now Allan F-1, as the first foundation stallion. He was latter to be chosen by the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' Association as the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse. Allan, the small black stallion with a blazed face, bred from the finest Morgan, Thoroughbred and Saddlebred stock, was chosen as the number one foundation sire and designated Allen F-1. Allan had both exhibited and passed to his offspring a gentle temperment and the smooth running walk gait. He was given the title Allan F-1 to denote his being the first horse listed in the Tennessee Walking Horse stud book.

James R. Brantley had realized his dream. Mr. Brantley did not live to see the huge commercial success the Tennessee Walking Horse was to become. He died in 1945. His beloved Allan died in 1910. The entry in Allan's stud book reads:

"September 16, 1910. ALLAN died. Served 111 mares and is said to be twenty-nine years old and he did not have a missing tooth.