Glossary - Gaits of
the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse
Canter Flat foot walk Fox Trot Hard Trot Long Trot Lope Capping Cow Trot Cross Firing Dog Walk Over-stride Pace Pace-walk Pacey Rack Running walk Slick
The canter is a broken three-beat gait, and should be performed
with collection. The horse should be relaxed and under control,
should not crossfire, and should be in the correct lead. In the
canter the outside rear foot hits the ground first, the inside
rear and the outside front feet hit the ground simultaneously,
and the inside front foot hits last. This produces the broken
three-beat cadence. Because of the rocking motion of the canter,
the saddle should move smoothly without surging or bouncing. This
rocking chair canter allows the horse to have a showy head
movement as the head is used as a counter balance to the broken
gait. The head will reach its highest point when the outside rear
foot hits the ground, and its lowest point when the inside front
foot hits the ground. The horse gathers itself on the off beat
and takes another step. The speed of the canter should be near
that of the flat foot walk.
A true flat foot walk is a four-beat gait in which each
foot is picked up and set down in an even cadence. The rear end
movement should be smooth and close to the ground without any
snap or pop. Each stride should reach forward and slide in as it
is set down, over striding the track of the front foot. The head
shake is in time with the rear feet and should be smooth. The
tail should set still and flow.
The fox trot is a broken diagonal gait with a distinctive rhythm
that is created by a horse moving its front foot a split second
before its opposite rear foot. The fox trot is a smooth gait
because the horse is in contact with the ground at all times. A
horse that is foxtrotting correctly will never have more than two
feet off the ground at any given time. On both the front and back
ends the horse will sit one foot down as it picks the other foot
up and for a moment both feet will be touching the ground.
Slang term referring to all of the mutations of the fox
trot that result in a rough ride for the rider i.e., long trot,
cow trot, and square trot.
Slang used to refer to the gait of a horse that is being
pushed or over ridden in the fox trot. A horse that is long
trotting will have some fly time on the front end, but may not
have fly time on the back end. A long trotting horse will have at
least three feet off the ground part of the time, and will not
give as smooth a ride as a horse that is foxtrotting correctly.
The term is also sometimes used when referring to a square trot.
The lope has the same basic movements as the canter, but
in the lope the inside rear and outside front feet hit separately
creating a four beat gait. The lope is a broken four beat gait
that is common to all horses. The lope is a faster gait than the
canter. The lope is like a slow gallop. The lope a horse moves
with a low flat motion and has some rocking motion. In a lope
each foot touches the ground one at a time, and the horse is not
supported at all a part on each stride.
If the rear foot of a horse sets down squarely on the track of
the same side front foot as it is set down, the horse is said to
be capping.
Term used to refer to method of moving the back end of a horse
when trotting. A cow trotting horse is stiff in the rear joints,
and uses the hips for most of the forward movement. A cow
trotting horse will swing its tail side to side and its feet out
in an arc as it moves them forward. A cow trotting horse will not
break over in the hocks, but will swing them side to side in a
stiff motion. A cow trotting horse may also be either long
trotting or square trotting.
A horse is cross firing when the inside rear foot hits first, and
the inside front foot hits last when the horse is in the canter
or lope.
A slang term that is used to describe a walk that is so slow that
there is movement front to rear when sitting on the horse. This
gait is used to get the horse to work on the fundamentals of the
rhythms and build reach on both ends or break up a pace.
If the rear foot of a horse passes the track of the same
side front foot as it is set down, the distance between the front
of the front track and the rear of the rear track is the amount
of over - stride.
The pace is a two-beat lateral gait in which a horse
moves both right feet and then moves both left feet. In a pace
the front and rear foot are picked up and then set down
simultaneously making only one beat. A pacing horse will move its
head side to side to counter the motion of its feet.
The pace-walk is a lateral four-beat gait in which the
horse will pick up both the front and rear foot simultaneously,
then moves the rear foot faster than the front foot and sets the
rear foot down before the front foot. This allows the pace-walker
to have an up and down head shake, and have a four-beat cadence.
The pace-walk is much closer to a flat foot walk than a pace,
having both a head shake and a four beat cadence.
Slang term that is used to refer to a horse that is
moving in a fashion that is between the gait desired at the time
and a pace. Most common when referring to a horse that is walking
with a rhythm that is more lateral than a correct flat foot walk.
Racking in the world today includes both the slow rack,
and the fast rack. The gaits used are the rack and the stepping
pace. In both the rear of the horse provides the most of the
forward motion and support while the front end does little
pulling. Both have an even four beat cadence without any head
shake. In the slow rack the feet are picked up one foot at a time
with the front end moving up and down with little forward
extension. The slow rack is near the same speed as a fox trot and
is one gait that many foxtrotters seem to have a tendency for.
Especially with inexperienced riders. This is partly because
inexperienced riders may not relax and may hold the head of the
horse higher than the natural head set. Also if the horse is not
relaxed it may be prone to rack. The fast rack or stepping pace
is performed by picking up the feet like a pace, but holding the
front foot up for an extra half step. The front feet are picked
up and held in the up position for a split second then lowered as
the other front foot is picked up meeting at a point near knee
high. This means the front end is not supported at all some of
the time. However, the horse gives a very smooth ride because the
rear foot is up under the horse far enough to support its center
of gravity at that moment. A horse doing a fast rack will seem
low in the rear because of the extra reach under the horse.
Like the flat foot walk, the running is a four-beat gait
in which each foot is picked up and set down in an even cadence.
The rear end movement should be smooth and close to the ground
without any snap or pop. Each stride should reach forward and
slide in as it is set down, over striding the track of the front
foot. The head shake is in time with the rear feet and should be
smooth. The tail should set still and flow. The flat foot walk
and the running walk have the same general movements and look
alike in many ways. In a true flat foot walk at least one front
foot is touching at all times, and as a flat foot walk is pushed
faster, the front end of the horse will leave the ground for a
split second each step. At that point it has become a running
walk.
Slang term used to refer to any gait that is being
performed more lateral than the correct gait would be: i.e. slick
trot - is between a fox trot and a running walk; slick running
walk - is between a running walk and a pace slick walk - is a
pacy flat foot walk.