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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 Run

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.

Top Speed of Some Popular Horse Breeds

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.

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