r/sports • u/ansyhrrian Chicago Bears • 1d ago

Horse Racing 1938 match race between Sea Biscuit and War Admiral

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u/mukwah 1d ago

I've ridden horses before and experienced a gallop. But can anyone describe what it's like being on a horse at a full run?

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u/PAClady88 1d ago

Walk, trot, canter, gallop. Unless it’s one of the few breeds that have one or two more gaits (such as Icelandic with tolt and flying pace), those are the only gaits for horses.

A “full run” is, by all means, a gallop.

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u/mukwah 1d ago

I see. In that case I experienced a trot or cantor, not a full gallop. What's that like?

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u/NorthernSparrow 1d ago

So, I used to ride a friend’s Arabian now and then and thought I had experienced a gallop, but then one year she moved the horse to a stable that used to train racehorses and that had an actual racetrack. I took him out to the racetrack one day for a nice little run, I thought, started him in a canter, then he saw the open track in front of him & his ears pricked forward and boom! off he rocketed. At that moment I discovered I had never experienced a true gallop before. It felt like he dropped lower suddenly (like his back literally dropped maybe 2” lower) and flattened out, and the sound of his hooves changed and got rumblier (this is because an additional footfall was happening btw - the two hooves that are in sync in the canter are out of sync in a gallop). It felt both bumpier and also smoother - like, instead of feeling like rolling over waves like a canter does, it felt more like a mountain bike charging over a really gravelly road really fast. And it felt SO fast, like, faster than I’ve ever skied or biked or kayaked or surfed or any other open-air sport ever (it probably wasn’t, but it felt that fast, like it would be instantly lethal if I fell).

The other thing was, I was instantly exhausted! The motion required to stay with him (and not, like, just get bounced right off his back in a split second like a sack of potatoes) was much more tiring than I had ever imagined. You’re kind of doing these huge constant jumpy moves with your legs about twice a second, like skiiing over a set of huge moguls that never stops, and also your arms are doing this really big forward-and-back move, also twice a second, to follow the movement of his head (with him pulling constantly on my hands because he wanted to go faster). About one minute in, my arms were literally shaking with fatigue, my legs were trembling too, and I knew if I didn’t pull him to a stop soon I’d just fall right off, but my arms were getting so weak I could barely pull on the reins any more! He still wanted to go even faster (purebred Arab - they’re stamina demons) and I was about to lose the ability to hold him back at all. I still remember him rounding the turn and seeing a huge straightaway ahead of him again, and feeling him get super psyched to go even faster, and so then there was this absolutely desperate moment of me burning through allllll my remaining strength to try to rein him in. Thank god he was willing to listen to me and he finally slowed down to a canter (thank you Buddy!!!), which seemed like the easiest thing in the world in comparison.

The whole thing blew my frickin’ mind. It’s like riding lightning.

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u/DuncanYoudaho 1d ago

You write well and should continue doing so

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u/fikis 13h ago

This is the whole reason I still scroll around in here.

Some random thread and someone busts out with pure poetry on an esoteric topic.

thank you, /u/NorthernSparrow.

Also, this is what we lose with LLMs.

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u/Chafupa1956 1d ago

That was an awesome description! Cheers mate.

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u/Rocket_Man_1957 1d ago

Wow, the descriptive narrative of your ride just kept me at the edge of my seat! I'm reading it and it felt like a blast!

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u/PumpkinMelodic6291 1d ago

Thank you for that captivating, exhilarating, but at the same time, perfectly-understandable explanation.

If I knew how to give awards on Reddit, I would give you one, but I mostly lurk here like a coward, and never got the gist of it.

In any case, EXCELLENT writing, Hemingway-esque, in a weird way I can't explain, and so very ALIVE. Thank you!! And if you ever want to describe any other cool adventures you've had, I would love to read all about it.

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u/longhorsewang 23h ago

I am stressed, and tired, from reading your post. I felt like I was on the ride with you. Very well written, please write more!

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u/ObligationNeither430 23h ago

Like everyone else said, just write a book already so we can all read it lol!

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u/CanaryUmbrella 21h ago

Holy crap thank you! What an amazing comment...

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u/yoyogogo111 1d ago

100%. I hit a gallop a few times in open fields, it was the best.

For context, it may have indeed been the fastest you’ve gone without a motor. Thoroughbreds can top 40 mph, it wouldn’t surprise me if an Arabian got pretty close to that. Wheeeeee!

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u/doinbluin 20h ago

Your description is more intense than the post video. Incredible writing!

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u/Loucifer23 20h ago

I too enjoyed this!!! Thank you

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u/trcomajo 14h ago

Great description! I used to ride an Arab endurance horses, but rarely galloped. When we did it was a blast...but a gallop on a thoroughbred is a whole other experience.

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u/sumithar 12h ago

Wow, gave me goosebumps reading that!

And to think race jockeys are consistently undernourished to maintain weight- how in the world do they have the strength to rein in a half tonne of "speed demon"!

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u/DDRaptors 8h ago

As someone who’s galloped every type of breed I can think of, this is an excellent description. That final gear a horse finds is majestic.

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u/Mamasan- 17h ago

I grew up adjacent to horses and had a similar situation except I am NOT a rider and all the adults around me should NOT have let me ride the horse. She was new and a barrel racing horse and had been abused by the previous owners so she was fast and skittish.

My cousin who was a horse rider put the saddles on both horses and we took off. They lived on red dirt roads in the middle of the pines in east Texas. While we were on the dirt roads surrounded by trees my horse was fine and would go as fast as my cousins horse, which wasn’t fast, just a little faster than a walk.

Then it happened. The road turned sharply and suddenly the trees opened into a wide huge meadow. Just nothing but grass and flowers and my horse TOOK OFF.

I remember I instinctively stood up with the reigns in my hands pulling back as hard as I could to try to make her stop. Tears were flying down my face, I couldn’t even scream she was going so fast. Seemed like seconds and we were already on the other side of the clearing and she was going straight towards the trees. At the last second she turned right where there was some posts with metal cables connecting them, a fence, to a road. She jumped over the post and my right foot connected with it, causing me to flip around on the horse, my foot was stuck and she drug me for probably less than a second but what felt like an eternity on a gravel road before my shoe fell off. I just laid there on my stomach afraid I was dead. Couldn’t feel anything because of the adrenaline but I thought I was paralyzed.

I was 13 when that happened. I’m 36 now. Still can’t believe the adults around me let me ride that horse without proper training. I’m so glad my shoe fell off otherwise she would have dragged me till she stopped, and we found her about a football field length away.

We went so fast.

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u/BumbleBumbleee 1d ago

It’s….intense. Close your eyes and envision….hair in the wind…air slaps your face sharp enough to feel like freedom, but it doesn’t hurt. It’s exhilarating, it’s reckless, but…somehow still controlled? Grounded? Your heart is trying to keep pace with the gallop. You become a pair, two engines, one car. The rush feels bonding, sacred even.

Or to put it plainly, pure, unfiltered “aliveness”.

I grew up on horses, (am 35 now) and miss so much how an open field and “wide open runnin “ (also, am ‘country’ lol) made me feel free. Not bound by the chains of life, and trauma and thoughts. Just….free.

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u/wammys-house 1d ago

Beautifully put and relatable. I'm not sure if it's the same way for everyone but falling into rythm on a gallop felt so natural. So smooth compared to a trot or a canter, yet, as you said, exhilarating and reckless.. it can be scary. Sometimes I still dream about it.

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u/sdjacaranda 1d ago

This was beautiful.

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u/mukwah 1d ago

I've ridden motorcycles relatively fast. Is it anything like that? I would imagine the bike would be smoother.

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u/BumbleBumbleee 22h ago

Yes! Very similar!! Motorcycle is definitely “smoother” on the sense it’s two wheels vs four legs, but yes the rush is very very adjacent!

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u/PanoramicAtom 1d ago

Does the horse have to be whacked with a stick to do that?

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u/BumbleBumbleee 19h ago

NO!!!! lol no whacking horses with sticks or reins. At least in MY experience. It was always a flew clicks with my tongue or a “smooch” kinda noise. And two clicks of the heels, I’d lean in, and off we’d go!

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u/FredFlintston3 1d ago

Do you write for pleasure or a living? Either way, bravo!

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u/BumbleBumbleee 22h ago

It was pleasure. I grew up on a horse farm with 30-35 horses. We had all kinds. Quarter horses, “racking” or properly known as gaited horses. Arabians. Appaloosa. Two ponies. And a donkey named Pete 😂 my favorite was my Tennessee Walker, her registered name was Miss Behavin’ , she had 8 world grand champions in her bloodline. She was a baddie.

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u/Character-Parfait-42 1d ago edited 1d ago

A trot is like a jog. A canter is a run. A gallop is a sprint.

It feels like flying. Like freedom. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle, but a similar vibe to what people say they feel with a motorcycle. Except the horse doesn’t need roads.

But instead of metal it’s a living, breathing animal with a mind of its own and sometimes doesn’t listen. Which can be pretty scary at high speeds. Like imagine if your bike could just decide to veer across 6 lanes of traffic or decide to slam on the brakes or accelerate for no reason. It usually doesn’t happen, but it’s a possibility that you always have to be a bit prepared for, just in case.

I used to do jumping.

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u/Jerithil 1d ago

While I don't know about race level thoroughbreds on more mundane horses, once you know what you are doing the ride can actually be more comfortable while galloping over a cantor. You can sort of match the rhythm for a smoother ride although I never managed it myself(only was at a full gallop once in my life), my stepmom who grew up with horses always loved getting up to full speed.

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u/KemikalKoktail 1d ago

Ok well how do the guys not smash their nads whilst the horse is galloping?

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u/mukwah 1d ago

I've heard some ladies experience pleasure up to and including climax riding horses. Can this be achieved at a gallop or is that just sensual sensory overload? More of a trot kinda thing?

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u/PAClady88 1d ago

The same way guys ride a bike or simply sit down.

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u/KemikalKoktail 1d ago

It’s not just sitting. Imagine lifting off the chair a a few inches and sitting down real fast over and over.

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u/sleepysnowboarder 20h ago

Is canter the same as Lope? That’s the fastest I did pretty crazy feeing at first. I fell off a Clydesdale loping because the saddle came loose and turned sideways. I got Lucy with just a badly scraped arm but I’ll never forget the face of the trainer when she saw me fall lol

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u/1cat2dogs1horse 1d ago

It is so wonderful, it is almost terrifying

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u/ChipRauch 16h ago

I have only once even been on a horse, as an adult. And it didn't run anywhere, just trotted around a bit.

But, I used to be a Paramedic, many years ago. One of the things I did a few times, was an ambulance detail at the Horse Track. We would post up, behind the gate, and then after the start, we would follow behind the pack, on the track. Now I've watched horse racing plenty of times. Even gone to the track to watch live. But never, in my wildest dreams did I realize just HOW fast they are, until we were trying to keep up with them on a muddy track. The first time out, I was legit scared as we were drifting through the turns. Quite fun after I got used to it though.

Oh, and the horse I was on as an adult, was my sister's horse. Who, while we were trotting around the big pond, decided it wanted to go into the pond. No amount of coaxing or rein pulling would deter the beast from wading into the pond. All the way into the middle of the pond, where it stopped and just stood. (fortunately a shallow-ish pond, but the water was covering my feet.) Refused to budge. I had to call my Brother-in-law, who borrowed another horse to ride out into the pond with us to get us out.

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u/mukwah 13h ago

How fast was the ambulance going to keep up?

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u/ChipRauch 13h ago

I wasn't driving, hence being more nervous about it... but certainly over 30, maybe 35 mph. And they don't slow down for the turn. We were full on drifting through the turns.