Balanced Stride

First, let's look at the walking gait. In this gait there are four beats to the complete cycle.

1. If the horse steps off with their right rear foot first (the 1st beat).
2. The next foot to move is the opposite front, the left front (the 2nd beat).
3. The third foot to move would then be the left rear foot (the 3rd beat).
4. Finally the right front foot would then move (the 4th beat).

The next gait is the trot. The trot gait is what is known as a two beat gait. It is referred to as that due to the fact that the four legs of the horse are operated in groups of two. But, they do act in opposites in a diagonal fashion, this is where the term diagonal comes from.  --- this action is done to allow for better support of the animal while in motion. With the legs acting in opposites or on the diagonal --- that is to say that they are acting almost as if they were tied together.

1. The left front and the right rear operate together and the right front and the left rear do the same.
2. When the left front and right rear strike the ground, that completes the first beat --- and when the right front and left rear strike the ground, that completes the second beat of the gait.

The next gait is that of the canter or lope, and this gait has a total of three beats  to the complete cycle. And, how it does happen is that two of the feet operate together while the other two feet act separate and independent of the other.

Our example horse is cantering or loping to the left --- this is where the term leads comes into use. The front foot that does extend out the furthest in the cycle of the canter or lope determines the lead. In our case here (cantering to the left) the left front foot would be that foot that does extend the furthest --- so our horse would be in the left lead.

 The actual sequence of events would be;

1. at the start of the cycle the first foot to strike the ground would be the right rear (1st beat).
2. Next the left rear and the right front feet would strike the ground together (2nd beat).
3. To complete the cycle the left front foot would strike the ground (3rd beat). This would then complete the cycle of the canter for a horse traveling in the left lead.

 Understand that a horse traveling in the right lead would follow the exact opposite pattern; 

1. Starting with the left rear foot (1st beat).
2. The right rear and the left front would then strike the ground (2nd beat).
3. Finally the right front foot would strike the ground (3rd beat). The horse would be traveling to the right --- in the right lead.

In addition, a horse can be traveling in a lead in a straight line or even in the wrong lead while turning. Such as turning to the right while traveling in the left lead. This is referred to as being in the wrong lead.

The horse does have the ability to obtain a gait past the lope or canter and it is referred to as the gallop gait.  It is a faster gait and in becoming a faster gait it does become a four beat gait.

Again, the four beat gait of the gallop  works the same as that of the walk gait. If the first foot to strike the ground --- at the start of the cycle;

1. Is the left rear (1st beat).
2. The second foot to strike the ground would be the direct opposite, the right front (2nd beat).
3. The third foot to strike the ground would then be the right rear foot (3rd beat).
4. The final foot to strike to ground would be the left front (4th beat); this will then complete the cycle of the gallop gait.

The last area that we need to look to is one that is overlooked by most people --- the backing gait. Some people don't consider this a gait --- but, it is movement of the horse, and since movement of the horse constitutes a gait, backing up is a gait.  

The backing  gait is a two beat gait, just as in the trot gait --- and it also works in the same way. The right rear and the left front move together and the left rear and the right front move together. Only they move backwards together rather than forward.

1. So the left rear and the right front hit the ground together (1st beat).
2. The left front and right rear hit the ground together (2nd beat) completing the cycle of the backing gait.

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