Since ancient times, the horse in the understanding of man has been associated with speed. This parameter, among other qualities of these animals, is especially highly valued. Moreover, if earlier fast horses were revered because of their advantages in traveling, as well as in military operations, today great importance is attached to the agility of a horse in the sports field. But even with such interest in talking about exactly how fast a horse runs, exact numbers can be heard extremely rarely. But this topic of hippology has already been fully studied and suggests a clear answer.
horse running
Types of horse gaits
Horse speed is a rather relative concept that depends on a number of factors. And the key among them is the type of movement used by the horse, also called the gait. There are three main gaits, each of which involves a different speed of movement of the animal. These include:
- Step. It is characterized by the lowest speed, which, depending on the breed and constitution of the animal, varies between 3-7 km / h. Such a gait requires the least strength from the horse. Therefore, the animal can move around with it for several hours. In addition, it is the step that is used when transporting heavy loads.
- Lynx. When moving at a trot, the horse’s strength is consumed much faster. As a rule, even a hardy strong animal lasts only 20 minutes. But the speed with such a gait is higher than with a step. Depending on the type of lynx, it can vary from 12 to 40 km/h. It is worth noting that this gait is not natural for a horse and was developed by a person.
- Gallop. This is the fastest type of mount movement, which also involves several types. At the same time, the speed varies between 25-65 km / h. But some representatives of purebred race breeds easily cross this mark. The gallop itself is more natural and simple for a horse than the trot. But the animal can move at such a pace only at a distance not exceeding three kilometers.
In addition to those mentioned above, there are other gaits. These include amble, arcade, front step and others. But all of them are considered derivatives of the main ones and differ little from them in terms of speed.
In addition, given the current trends in the development of sport horse breeds, the scope of speed values for each gait is becoming more vague. So, some breed lines of trotters move at a trot faster than individual varieties in a gallop.
What breed is considered the fastest?
Certain differences in speed can also be traced between representatives of different breeds. Moreover, the undisputed leader in this regard are the horses of the thoroughbred riding pedigree line. Initially, these strong and fast animals were bred in England. The purpose of the development of the breed in this direction was to increase the performance of horses in the races. Therefore, from each generation of animals, only the fastest and most enduring stallions and mares were allowed for further selection.
English thoroughbred stallion
As for speed, English thoroughbred stallions overcome long distances with an average of 50-55 km / h. At medium distances, the animal gives all the best and, as a result, its speed is 60 km / h. As for the maximum value, for most representatives of the breed, this is considered an indicator of 65 km / h. That is, in 1 minute at a gallop, a thoroughbred horse overcomes a distance exceeding 1 km.
Such impressive results are demonstrated by such animals due to the peculiarities of the structure of the body and internal organs. The heart and circulatory system of the horse are more developed than those of other breeds. As a result, they pump more blood and better oxygenate the muscles during intense contractions.
Arabian and Akhal-Teke horses follow immediately behind the English riding horses. In a gallop, they are only slightly inferior to the official leader.
But their leaders stand out in other gaits as well. So, for example, among horses moving at a trot, the Oryol and American trotters are superior in speed. In the amble, the breed lines that were formed in the mountainous conditions of the Caucasus are considered the most frisky.
Maximum horse speed
As already noted, the maximum speed of movement largely depends on the breed. So, the indicator of 65 km / h, which English racehorses are famous for, they can maintain for 2-3 km.
As for the movement of the horse over long distances, the following values uXNUMXbuXNUMXbare more natural and acceptable for him:
- the distance that the animal travels per day is at least 35–40 km;
- the average gallop speed maintained throughout the route is from 15 to 17 km/h;
- a small rest is required every 3,5 hours of running.
Max horse speed
Reference. It is worth noting that the owners of eminent thoroughbred riding stallions often claim that their wards developed a maximum speed in the range of 80–85 km/h. But this figure has not been officially confirmed, so there is no need to talk about the plausibility of such information.
Famous record holders
In the entire history of horse racing in races over different distances, a clear list of record horses has been defined, whose speed records have not been broken to this day. These include the following:
- Beach Rekit. This representative of the English riding breed is rightfully considered the leader in speed. At the competition in Mexico City, he ran a distance of 0,4 km, at which he was able to reach a speed of 69,7 km / h. The record since 1945 has not been broken.
- John Henry. Another representative of the purebred riding breed. In the 2,4 km race, he developed an average speed of 60,7 km / h. At the same time, a jockey was on his back. The weight of the total load that the animal carried was 57 kg.
- Sardar. An Arabian horse in a 1,5 km race with a jockey was able to reach a speed of 60 km / h. At one time, he was also considered a champion at this distance and set a number of other records, many of which have not been beaten to this day.
- Siglevi Slave I. This horse set a record at a distance of 0,8 km without a rider. Throughout the route, the average speed of the animal was 69,3 km/h. In fact, in playfulness, he was not inferior to the absolute record holder Beach Rekit.
In any case, all speed records in equestrian sports were set by representatives of thoroughbred breeds of horses. The purity of the pedigree is also the main criterion for the admission of an animal to official competitions.
Thus, the speed of a horse is a rather relative concept. In many ways, it depends on the method of movement that the horse uses at a particular moment. The breed affiliation and purpose also greatly affect the maximum indicator of the agility of the animal. So, from the horses used on the farm, one should not expect a very fast gallop. But at the same time, athletic thoroughbreds cannot match them in endurance and strength, although they set world speed records.
