The gaits

 

 

The gaits of the horse

 

 

By Marie Eisersiö

 

February 2006

 

 

 

 

 

The horse has three basic gaits, walk, trot and canter.

 

Walk

 

The walk is the slowest of the gaits. It is called the mother of all gaits by Baucher and is the primary gait of transportation for the horse when traveling from one place to another.

 

The walk is four-beated and at all time there are two or three legs on the ground. This makes for a very smooth and easy gait.

The sequence of the legs when walking is: for ex we start with the left front, then right rear, right front, left rear and so on.

The lateral pair of legs is a little closer together in the rhythm which makes for a lateral gait. When collecting the walk more and more it becomes the school walk and the beat becomes more and more diagonal. The frontleg and the opposing hindleg are set down closer together in the sequence.

 

When the horse is walking his body is “crawling” from side to side as the hindlegs are stepping in under the body. The horse has to bend in the side of his body to step the hindleg deep under the body. One side of the body is shortened and contracted and the other side is stretched.

The horse has to develop suppleness and thrust of the hindlegs to perform a good extended walk.

 

The lowering of the horses head relaxes the topline muscles, it puts more weight on the front and since it lightens the rear the horse is able to step the hindlegs deeper in under its body.

At the walk on long reins you want the horse to relax and lower the head and neck. That is the most efficient way to travel when walking with extended strides. The extended, lengthened stride stretches the horse’s hindlegs in under the body and develops pushing power, the flexion of the body from side to side and the backmuscles tightening and releasing develops suppleness.

The horse is walking correctly when there is free forward motion and rhythm. The strides should be even in length and the footprints should be placed in line. The horse should be walking through his whole body.

When working on lengthening and shortening it is important to maintain the same rhythm. In the shortening the strides become more elevated instead of forward.

When working to improve the horse’s walk you should look for a 10-15cm overmarking.

When the horse is performing a really good forward walk, the rider can feel the back lifting; the horse’s pelvis is tilted as in beginning of collection.

 

There are many different kinds of walk. In the FEI rules they mention collected walk, ordinary walk, medium walk and extended walk.

 

The walk is the best gait to educate a horse and teach a pupil. At the walk everything is going slow so the horse and rider has time to think. The horse is taught the language of equitation and the rider is taught the aids.

Both the rider and the horse can easily stay relaxed and aware.

 

 

Trot

 

The trot is a two-beated diagonal gait. The horse’s diagonal pair of legs move together, right front – left rear and left front – right rear. In between there is a moment of suspension.

 

The trot has more impulsion then the walk, since there is more momentum.

A horse can trot long distances without getting tired. The trot is ground-covering and almost as fast in speed as the canter.

The trot was used by postilions when the mail where delivered by horse. The postilions invented the posting at the trot, to relieve themselves and the horse.

 

For the horse to be in equal balance on forehand and haunches, the rearhoofs should be placed in the same hoof print as the fronthoofs. Then the hindlegs are also sufficiently underneath the body.

The horse has to develop push with the hindlegs. In beginning of training it is common for the horse to drag his body forward with frontlegs instead. The rearend is the engine. 

At the trot the horse is suppling his whole body. The trot should have absolute regularity, be forward and relaxed.

 

Piaffe and passage are development of the trot.

Trot is the gait for the most amount of seatwork. The student learns to develop a push with the seat, and finding balance on horseback.

 

 

Canter

 

The canter is a three-beated unilateral gait.

Starting with outside hindleg, then inside hindleg and outside front leg is placed down at the same time, then inside frontleg, then comes a moment of suspension before the outside hind is put down again.

A very much extended canter is called gallop. The canter has then become four-beated. The diagonal is no longer put down at the same time.

Also a very collected canter becomes four-beated. 

When the right lateral is put down in front of the left, the horse is said to be on the right lead and vice versa.

The different leads gives the horse the opportunity for extra power to run away from a predator. When one hindleg gets tired of pushing, he switches lead to the other.

When the horse is cantering on the right lead and is going to the left he is said to be in counter-canter.

When the right front is leading, but the right hind is pushing of, the horse has a disunited canter. It is very uncomfortable for the rider and unbalanced for the horse.

The canter can be developed into the terre-terre and canter on the spot.