Horses have four basic gaits. These are the walk, trot (jog), canter (lope) and gallop. Trot and canter are the English riding terms. Jog and lope are Western riding terms.
Walk
The walk is a four beat gait. The horse has 3 feet on the ground at all times, moving only one foot at a time. Horses lift their hind leg, then their foreleg on the same side, then the remaining hind leg, then the foreleg on the same side.
Trot (Jog)
The trot is a two beat gait. It is a diagonal gate in which the fore leg and the hind leg touch the ground at the same time.
Canter (Lope)
The canter is a three beat gate. The fore leg and the opposite hind leg strike the ground together and the other two legs strike separately. The beat can easily be counted as 1-2-3, 1-2-3. In this gait it’s important to make sure your horse is on the correct lead when turning. (We have a
bit of trouble with our own horse on this one, he likes to do what he wants to do! Typical.)
Gallop
The canter is a four beat gait. The canter is similar to the canter, except the two paired legs land separately. Most likely, unless you’re an experience rider, you won’t do much galloping.
