How Fast Can a Horse Run
When it comes to the speed of a horse, factors like the breed type, age, agility, and endurance play a major role. An average horse can run at a speed of about 30 miles per hour (mph). Certain breeds like the Quarter Horse and Thoroughbred are primarily bred for racing and are significantly faster than others.
How fast can a Horse Go
Horses typically move in four natural gaits, including the four-beat walk, two-beat jog or trot, three-beat canter, and the fastest four-beat gallop. These gaits are categorized in increasing order of their speed, as mentioned below:
|
Gait |
Average Speed |
|
Walk |
4.3 mph (7 kph) |
|
Trot |
8.1 mph (13 kph) |
|
Canter |
10-17 mph (16-27 kph) |
|
Gallop |
25-30 mph (40-48 kph) |
Some horses like the Standardbred and other harness racing horses move with a two-beat pace which is usually faster than the trot. Several breeds like the Icelandic, Missouri Fox Trotter, Paso Fino, Peruvian Paso, American Saddlebred, and Tennessee Walking Horse have a four-beat ambling gait that is faster than a walk but slower than a canter.
|
|
|
|
Breed |
Average Running Speed (mph) |
|
American Quarter |
45-55 |
|
Thoroughbred |
35-40 |
|
Arabian |
34-40 |
|
Appaloosa |
30-41 |
|
Akhal-Teke |
30-35 |
|
Standardbred |
30-35 |
|
Mustang |
35-40 |
Video: Horse Running at Full Speed
How Fast are the Fastest Horses
- The top speed recorded over 400 m by a racing horse is 43.97 mph (70.76 kph) achieved by a 2-year-old Thoroughbred named Winning Brew at the Penn National Race Course, Pennsylvania, on May 14th, 2008.
- The fastest galloping speed ever recorded is by an American Quarter Horse that clocked speeds of about 55 mph (88.5 kph) while sprinting a short distance of less than 400 m.
- A Thoroughbred named Secretariat holds a track record of 1:592/5 for one-and-a-quarter mile distance in the 1973 Kentucky Derby.