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Gaits are the different patterns of locomotion that horses use to move. As quadrupeds, horses can perform more movement patterns than humans. However, not all horses move in the same way.

Your horse’s natural gaits depend on his breed. Some breeds are known to have unique gaits, while others have movement traits that make them particularly suited to specific equestrian disciplines.

Each gait is characterized by a distinct rhythm and pattern of footfalls. Horse gaits are often categorized as natural or artificial, but many “artificial” ambling gaits are natural for certain breeds.

This complete guide to horse gaits will describe common gaits found in non-gaited and gaited breeds. Keep reading to learn more about your horse’s movement and how gaits influence his performance abilities.

Standard Horse Gaits

Standard gaits in non-gaited breeds include the walk, trot, canter, and gallop. Most horses naturally perform these gaits. Backing up is also a natural movement for all equines.

Each gait is defined by a characteristic rhythmic, repeated pattern of limb movements. This pattern is not just about the order in which the horse’s hooves touch the ground, but also involves the timing, coordination, and balance of these movements. [1]

One cycle of this sequence represents a stride, starting from when a specific hoof leaves the ground and ending when that same hoof touches the ground again. [1]

Some disciplines teach horses to perform different versions of standard gaits, while others require horses to remain in a single gait during competition.

The biomechanics of different gaits can also vary slightly between breeds and individuals, depending on their conformation and intended use. However, all horses with standard gaits perform the same recognizable movement patterns.

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Walk

The walk is a slow, natural gait found in all non-gaited horses. Each foot hits the ground independently at equal intervals in this four-beat gait while the horse’s head moves slightly up and down for balance. [2]

The sequence of hoof beats at the walk follows this pattern:

  1. Right Front
  2. Left Hind
  3. Left Front
  4. Right Hind

A longer stride allows horses to cover more ground with less energy. Ideally, the advancing rear foot oversteps the hoofprint of the front foot in a forward, marching stride.

Legs should follow a clear four-beat rhythm while walking. A lateral walk where the legs on one side move forward almost simultaneously is incorrect.

Relaxed horses move through their entire back at the walk. Some equine-assisted therapy techniques use the movement of riding at the walk to help stimulate normal walking patterns in human patients. [3]

Types of Walk Gaits

Some disciplines, such as dressage, recognize different types of standard walk gait:

  • Medium Walk
  • Free Walk
  • Collected Walk
  • Extended Walk

Trot

The trot is a diagonal two-beat gait. Horses move their legs forward in unison in diagonal pairs, separated by a moment of suspension between beats. This gait is stable and does not require movement from the head and neck for balance.

The sequence of hoof beats follows this pattern:

  1. Right front and left hind
  2. Left front and right hind

A lack of head movement during this gait makes it ideal for evaluating front-end lameness problems during veterinary exams. Head bobbing at the trot often indicates horses are attempting to shift weight off a painful limb.

Speed and suspension at the trot can vary significantly depending on discipline. Harness racing features horses trotting at top speeds while pulling two-wheeled carts called sulkies. Dressage horses typically have more extended moments of suspension at the trot than other disciplines.

The moment of suspension can make the trot difficult for beginner riders to sit. In some English disciplines, riders perform most trot work while posting, rising up and down in rhythm with the horse. Some Western horses perform a slow, smooth version of the trot known as the jog.

Several gaited breeds don’t perform the trot, preferring to perform their natural intermediate gaits. Many of these gaits are smoother for riders to sit than the trot. [4]

Types of Trot Gaits

Like the walk, some disciplines recognize different types of trot gaits, including:

  • Working Trot
  • Medium Trot
  • Collected Trot
  • Extended Trot

The piaffe and passage movements performed in Grand Prix dressage horses are advanced variations of the trot gait. [5]

Canter

The canter is a rhythmical three-beat gait. In this gait, one diagonal pair of legs strikes the ground simultaneously while the other two land independently. Horses canter on either a left or right lead, depending on the independently moving front leg.

A left lead canter follows this sequence of hoof beats:

  1. Right hind
  2. Left hind and right front
  3. Left front

A right lead canter follows this sequence of hoof beats:

  1. Left hind
  2. Right hind and left front
  3. Right front

Every canter stride starts with the independent hind leg striking the ground. The independent legs bear more weight alone than the diagonal pairs and are subject to more strain, so riders shouldn’t spend extended time in one lead. [6]

A balanced, uphill canter is essential for advancing up the levels in dressage and jumping disciplines. While this gait also includes a moment of suspension, most riders find the rocking horse movement of the canter easier to sit on than the trot.

Horses typically balance best on the inside lead. Cantering on the outside lead is called a counter canter. Horses can learn to change leads without breaking from the canter by performing a flying change.

Types of Canter

Types of canter recognized in dressage and other disciplines include:

  • Working Canter
  • Medium Canter
  • Collected Canter
  • Extended Canter

Some Western disciplines feature the lope, a slow variation of the canter.

Gallop

The gallop is the fastest horse gait. It is similar to the canter but features a four-beat rhythm with every leg moving independently. The gallop also has a moment of suspension and separate leads determined by the last front leg in the sequence.

A left lead gallop follows this sequence of hoof beats:

  1. Right hind
  2. Left hind
  3. Right front
  4. Left front

A right lead gallop follows this sequence of hoof beats:

  1. Left hind
  2. Right hind
  3. Left front
  4. Right front

Horses can’t maintain a full-speed gallop for long distances. In the wild, horses primarily used this gait to escape predators and quickly cover short distances.

The gallop is best known as the gait of Thoroughbred racehorses. American Quarter Horses sprint short distances at a gallop. These racing breeds can reach top speeds of over 40 mph and cover over 24 feet in a single stride. [7]

Galloping is required to reach the speeds necessary to be competitive on the cross-country courses of top eventing competitions. A hand gallop is a controlled gait often seen in jumper competition and lower-level eventing.

Many equestrian disciplines don’t require galloping in competition. Some high-level dressage horses have difficulty galloping due to their loftier gaits and more prolonged suspension stages. However, hand gallops can be a helpful schooling exercise for experienced riders.

Back

Horses naturally reverse back in a two-beat diagonal gait. This movement has the same footfall pattern as a trot, just backwards.

Backing is performed in some reining and dressage competitions. In dressage tests, this movement is called a rein-back.

Horses don’t naturally travel backwards for more than a few steps, so riders should perform this movement sparingly to avoid straining the hind legs. Abnormalities when backing can be a sign of neurological problems in horses. [8]

Ambling Gaits

Some gaited horse breeds can perform intermediate-speed symmetrical and lateral sequence ambling gaits. An ambling gait is a smooth, four-beat gait where each foot strikes the ground independently at an even interval.

Most of these gaits maintain constant contact with the ground and lack the moment of suspension seen in the trot, canter, and gallop. This makes ambling gaits more comfortable and steady for the rider. [4]

Research suggests these gaits were also practical for maintaining balance while traversing uneven terrain and preserving energy while covering long distances at speed. These traits helped gaited breeds gain popularity in the Appalachian frontier. [4]

Gaited Horse Breeds

Genetic studies linked a DMRT3 gene mutation to ambling gaits in certain horse breeds. This gene is expressed in the spinal cord and plays a role in limb movement coordination. Researchers tracked the origin of the DMRT3 mutation responsible for ambling gaits to Medieval England. [9]

Gaited horses eventually accompanied settlers worldwide and established several unique gaited breeds. Popular modern gaited horse breeds include:

Pace

The true or hard pace is a fast, two-beat lateral gait characterized by the simultaneous take-off and landing of the front and hind legs on the same side. This gait is faster than a trot but slower than a gallop.

Pacers often compete in harness races. Standardbred racehorses are either pacers or trotters. Some Icelandic horses can perform a fast pacing gait known as the flying pace. A hard pace involves a period of suspension. [10]

Broken Pace

A broken pace, also known as the stepping pace or amble, is a four-beat gait where the hind foot lands slightly before the front foot. This movement pattern produces a shuffling beat.

The broken pace is slightly more comfortable than a hard pace, but both gaits involve a side-to-side sway. While undesirable in the Icelandic and Tennessee Walking Horse breeds, the broken pace is a recognized gait in the American Saddlebred called the slow gait. [4]

Rack

The rack is a lateral four-beat gait with the same footfall sequence as a standard walk, but performed at speed and with more animation. Different racking gaits vary depending on the timing of the footfall and action. [4]

Forelegs are typically elevated in racking horses, and their high-held heads nod slightly with the motion of the gait. Racking is a prominent gait in several southern American gaited breeds.

American Saddlebreds are well-known for their elegant saddle rack gait and frequently compete in Saddle Seat competitions that showcase their animated movement.

Running Walk

The running walk is similar to the rack. This gait also follows the same limb sequence of a standard walk, but the hindlegs extend well under the body to give the running walk more impulsion, overstep, and speed.

A singlefoot running walk with four even beats is preferred in most show arenas. The running walk has significantly longer strides and deeper head nods than the rack. While the hind limb action is low and outstretched, the front limbs are flexed and uplifted. [4]

The running walk is famously associated with the Tennessee Walking Horse, but it is occasionally also seen in other gaited breeds from the southern United States.

Broken Trot

The broken trot, or fox trot, is an ambling version of the standard trot gait where diagonal limbs leave the ground simultaneously, but the front foot touches down before the hind foot, producing a lateral sequence and four-beat gait.

This gait has a slight front-to-back rocking motion that is comfortable for the rider. Studies show the fox trot also has lower ground reaction forces than the standard trot and is more energy efficient for long distances. [11]

The Missouri Fox Trotter has a slower broken trot gait called the fox walk and a faster broken trot called the fox trot.

Tölt

The tölt is a unique four-beat lateral gait found in Icelandic horses. This gait is similar to a rack and involves hindlegs carrying more weight than the front end, allowing Icelandic horses to display free and loose movement in front.

These horses can travel slowly or fast while performing the tölt, which also feels smooth to ride due to the lack of suspension. However, one study did not find significantly different physiological responses to the trot and tölt in Icelandic horses. [12]

Although Icelandic horses have been isolated from foreign horse populations for over 1000 years, research confirms these horses share the same DMRT3 gene associated with similar gaits in other foreign breeds. [9]

Fino

Paso Finos are named after their classic paso fino racking gait, also known as the fino clásico. This highly collected gait features extremely rapid footfalls and short strides.

These horses often perform the paso fino gait over a sounding board at breed shows to highlight the rapid footfalls and allow judges to evaluate the cadence.

Paso Finos can perform faster versions of the gait with longer strides, called the paso corto and the paso largo. These gaits often resemble a broken trot. [4]

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References

  1. Clayton, H. HORSE SPECIES SYMPOSIUM: Biomechanics of the exercising horse. J Anim Sci. 2016. View Summary
  2. Robilliard, J. et al. Gait characterisation and classification in horses. J Exp Biol. 2007. View Summary
  3. Rigby, R. et al. The Efficacy of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies on Improving Physical Function. J Altern Complement Med. 2016. View Summary
  4. Vincelette, A. et al. The Characteristics, Distribution, Function, and Origin of Alternative Lateral Horse Gaits. Animals. 2023. View Summary
  5. Clayton, H. et al. A Review of Biomechanical Gait Classification with Reference to Collected Trot, Passage and Piaffe in Dressage Horses. Animals. 2019.View Summary
  6. Back, W. et al. Kinematic comparison of the leading and trailing fore- and hindlimbs at the canter. Equine Vet J. 2010.
  7. Barrey, E. et al. Locomotion evaluation for racing in Thoroughbreds. Equine Vet J. 2010. View Summary
  8. Draper, A. et al. Posture and movement characteristics of forward and backward walking in horses with shivering and acquired bilateral stringhalt. Equine Vet J. 2014. View Summary
  9. Wutke, S. et al. The origin of ambling horses. Current Biol. 2016. View Summary
  10. McCoy, A. et al. Identification and validation of genetic variants predictive of gait in standardbred horses. PLoS Genet. 2019. View Summary
  11. Wanderley, E. et al. Metabolic changes in four beat gaited horses after field marcha simulation. Equine Vet J. 2010. View Summary
  12. Stefansdottir, G. et al. A comparison of the physiological response to tölt and trot in the Icelandic horse. J Anim Sci. 2015.View Summary