I am new to the horse world; currently have 2 QH that I LOVE!!! However, my QH has a VERY choppy trot that can beat you to death.  Someone suggested we (my husband and I) try a gaited or racking horse?  What is the difference between the two?  Is one considered "smoother" than the other?

You may want to post this in the "gaited" section of the forum. You'll probably get many more responses there. And, sorry, I have a QH too so I won't be much help for you regarding the gaited vs. racking question. But I rode a Rocky this past summer and ohhhhh was it heaven!!!! Very smooth, very effortless....you can pretty much sit there, have a cup of coffee and enjoy (and I literally mean "sit") Good luck.

Cole7, I sent you an IM, did you get it?

I'm not totally sure but a gaited horse is a horse that posesses an extra gait or two besides walk, trot, and canter. Racking is a specific kind of gait performed by a gaited horse although I'm not sure what kind. Its either an American Saddlebred or Tennessee Walking Horse.

gaited horse= any horse that has extra gaits

rack=the 5th gate of a a 5-gaited american saddlebred

 Saddlebreds are tremendously smooth to ride, however you have to know what you are doing. If you are a hunter rider, it takes some serious getting used to. check out the exremely detailed post i just posted in the Gaited Horses forum under the topic "a few questions about gaited horses" (i think the title was something like that). I just write quite a bit about saddlebreds and the gaits.