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.

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

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.