The Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America (RHBAA) is the original registry for the

Racking Horse The Racking Horse is a horse breed derived from the Tennessee Walking Horse, recognized by the USDA in 1971. It is known for a distinctive singlefoot gait. In 1971, the Racking Horse Breeders' Association of America, headquartered in Decatur, ...

breed. It was formed in 1971 in

Decatur, Alabama Decatur () is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama, Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in North Alabam ...

and is still located there.

History

The RHBAA was founded in April 1971 in Decatur, Alabama, and was recognized as an association by the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

in May of the same year. It was organized by a group of horsemen who were interested in promoting a gaited horse that could be shown without the large action devices used on other breeds such as the

Tennessee Walking Horse The Tennessee Walking Horse or Tennessee Walker is a horse breed, breed of gaited horse known for its unique four-beat running-walk and flashy movement. It was originally Horse breeding, developed as a riding horse on farms and plantations in t ...

. There was also an interest in getting away from

soring Soring is the use of chemicals, pressure or devices to cause pain to the front feet and legs of horses when they touch the ground. This results in the horses picking up their front feet higher and faster than they would do naturally. Sometimes ca ...

and violations of the Horse Protection Act which had been passed in 1970. The RHBAA began with the stated goal of promoting and preserving the attributes of the Racking Horse, as well as providing opportunities for amateur owners who were training their own horses with little or no professional help.

Registration

, the RHBAA has two methods of registering horses. The first is pedigree registration, by which a foal from a

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equidae, equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more th ...

and

stallion A stallion is an adult male horse that has not been gelded ( castrated). Stallions follow the conformation and phenotype of their breed, but within that standard, the presence of hormones such as testosterone may give stallions a thicker, "cre ...

that are themselves registered is given registration. The mare, stallion and foal must all be blood-typed, however. The second method is open registration, meaning that any horse meeting standards for temperament, gait and conformation may be registered after an evaluation by a licensed commissioner. Adult horses may be ridden for their evaluation, but

foal A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt (horse), colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. Whe ...

s are shown on a loose

lead rope A lead, lead line, lead rope (US) or head collar rope (UK), is used to lead an animal such as a horse. Usually, it is attached to a halter. The lead may be integral to the halter or, more often, separate. When separate, it is attached to t ...

. Approximately 80,000 horses have been registered.

Competition

The RHBAA holds multiple shows throughout the year, mostly in Alabama and Tennessee. The two largest shows are the Spring Celebration, held annually in April, and the World Celebration, held in late September. Both take place at the Celebration Arena in

Priceville, Alabama Priceville is the third largest municipality in Morgan County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, as well as the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. The 2020 census counted a population of 3,513, ...

. The World Celebration is the larger of the two, with over 170 classes and approximately 1,000 horses, and is the final show of each season. The RHBAA also has programs for amateur, youth, professional, and female riders and exhibitors, as well as a futurity program for young horses. There is also a versatility program for adult horses that compete in non-traditional competition such as

judged trail ride A Judged trail ride is a type of trail riding popular in the western United States where horses and riders are asked to travel a natural trail for a set distance (usually 10 to 15 miles) with occasional stops for the horse and rider team to negotia ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em Equestrian organizations Racking Horses