GAITS of Gaited Horses

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What are gaited horses? The term gaited can be confusing since the movements of all horses and ponies the walk, the canter, etc. are called gaits. However, the term gaited horse has come to mean a horse that can perform an intermediate gait, between a walk and a canter, which is different than a two-beat trot. This intermediate gait may be a fox trot, a rack, a running walk or a stepping pace, depending on the way the individual horse moves. Various breed organisations may use these terms or others (paso corto, paso largo, paso llano, sobreandando, tolt, single-foot, slow gait, show walk, ravaal, and many others) to describe their breed's way of moving.

Gaited horses' gaits can be described by the pattern of their footfalls. The chart below lists some gaited breeds, with their gaits and footfall rhythms.

Breed Gait Footfall/Rhythm

Icelandic Horse Tolt 1--2--3--4--

Peruvian Paso Paso Llano 1--2--3--4--

Peruvian Paso Sobreandando 1-2--3-4--

Paso Fino Paso Fino 1-2-3-4-

Paso Fino Paso Corto 1--2--3--4--

American Saddlebred Rack 1--2--3--4--

Tennessee Walking Horse Running Walk 1--2--3--4--

Missouri Foxtrotter Fox Trot 1--2-3--4-

Breed	Gait	Footfall/Rhythm
Icelandic Horse	Tolt	1--2--3--4--
Peruvian Paso	Paso Llano	1--2--3--4--
Peruvian Paso	Sobreandando	1-2--3-4--
Paso Fino	Paso Fino	1-2-3-4-
Paso Fino	Paso Corto	1--2--3--4--
American Saddlebred	Rack	1--2--3--4--
Tennessee Walking Horse	Running Walk	1--2--3--4--
Missouri Foxtrotter	Fox Trot	1--2-3--4-

1- left hind foot
2- left front foot
3- right hind foot
4- right front foot

The gaits can differ in the amount of action shown by the horses as well as the speed, length of stride and other minor details.

FAQs

Is the gait natural?

Yes. Gaited horses are born with the ability to gait. The way that an individual gaited horse moves will depend on both its inherited ability and its training. Although there is a misconception that gaited horses gait solely because of inhumane training practices, this is the exception rather than the rule. Gaited horses gait because they can, rather than because they've been forced to do so. As in any equine activity there are those who train gaited horse who use harsh methods to attempt to achieve a specific end, but fortunately they are a small minority.

Do gaited horses trot and canter?

Most gaited horses will trot, although most breed associations will penalise the trot in the show ring (Icelandics are an exception). And yes, gaited horses can canter! An oft-repeated fallacy is that gaited horses can't canter. Not true! Take for example the Tennessee Walking Horse. At their shows, Tennessee Walking Horses can compete in both 2-gait classes (flat walk and running walk) and 3-gait classes (flat walk, running walk, and canter). In fact, one of the characteristics that Tennessee Walking Horse owners like to tout is their breed's 'rocking horse' canter.

I have seen horses with flashy action where their legs are very elevated. Are they gaiting?

One misconception is that high stepping horses are always gaited horses. If the movement is a diagonal two-beat movement, the horses are trotting, not gaiting. American Saddlebred trotting

The photo to the right shows an American Saddlebred performing a trot. Notice the diagonal pattern of the footfall (photo of Toot Toot, a bay 1989 3-gaited gelding, courtesy of the American Saddlebred Association).

American Saddlebred racking Here the photo to the left shows an American Saddlebred performing a nice 4-beat rack (photo of Prize Contender courtesy of the American Saddlebred Association).