Gaits of a Horse

The walk is a slow, four-beat, rhythmic pace of distinct successive hoof beats in an order such as near (left) hind, near fore, off (right) hind, off fore. Alternately two or three feet may be touching the ground simultaneously. It may be a free, or ordinary, walk in which relaxed extended action allows the horse freedom of its head and neck, but contact with the mouth is maintained; or it may be a collected walk, a short-striding gait full of impulsion, or vigour; or it may be an extended walk of long, unhurried strides.

The trot is a two-beat gait, light and balanced, the fore and hind diagonal pairs of legs following each other almost simultaneously--near fore, off hind, off fore, and near hind. Riders can either sit in the saddle and be bumped as the horse springs from one diagonal to the other, or they can rise to the trot, post, by rising out of the saddle slightly and allowing more of their weight to bear on the stirrups when one or the other of the diagonal pairs of legs leaves the ground. Posting reduces the impact of the trot on both horse and rider.

As the horse moves faster, its gait changes into the canter, or ordinary gallop, in which the rider does not rise or bump. It is a three-beat gait, graceful and elegant, characterized by one or the other of the forelegs and both hindlegs leading--near hind, off hind, and near fore practically together, then off fore, followed briefly by complete suspension. Cantering can be on the near lead or the off, depending on which is the last foot to leave the ground. The rider's body is more forward than at the trot, the weight taken by the stirrups.

An accelerated canter becomes the gallop, in which the rider's weight is brought sharply forward as the horse reaches speeds up to 30 miles (48 kilometres) an hour. The horse's movements are the same as in the canter. To some authorities, the gallop is a four-beat gait, especially in an extended run.


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