HORSES LEAVE FOOT PRINTS on OUR HEARTS
As I research and study horses, much is passed on to my husband. Remembering his life with horses only started two years ago, finding helpful ways for him to gain understanding and skill creates many blog ideas. This new blog stemmed from a working session with our horses trying to explain the “footfall” patterns of gaits to him. To be effective with horses, one should know how a horse moves, how their feet work and where they are at all times, whether you are on the ground or in the saddle.
Horse gaits are different ways a horse can move. Each gait has a specific “footfall” pattern or beat a horse exerts. A horse displays five gaits naturally: walk, trot, canter/lope, gallop and back up; furthermore, each gait has three degrees of speed slow, medium and fast. Horses do have another tread, a place called halt. This is not considered a “gait”, but one of the most important abilities you can have your horse perform. Before continuing with the various gaits, "natural" gaits verses "trained" gaits is a big topic of debate within the horse world and touching on it lightly here is essential for thorough coverage. As gaits may be natural to one breed while training is required for other breeds; gaited horses i.e. Tennessee Walkers and Paso Finos have several other gaits not listed herein. Discussions of this matter are numerous on the internet and a great way of communicating your thoughts. For the purpose of this blog, the five “basic” gaits of a horse have been the preparation and will be discussed.
Horse gaits are different ways a horse can move. Each gait has a specific “footfall” pattern or beat a horse exerts. A horse displays five gaits naturally: walk, trot, canter/lope, gallop and back up; furthermore, each gait has three degrees of speed slow, medium and fast. Horses do have another tread, a place called halt. This is not considered a “gait”, but one of the most important abilities you can have your horse perform. Before continuing with the various gaits, "natural" gaits verses "trained" gaits is a big topic of debate within the horse world and touching on it lightly here is essential for thorough coverage. As gaits may be natural to one breed while training is required for other breeds; gaited horses i.e. Tennessee Walkers and Paso Finos have several other gaits not listed herein. Discussions of this matter are numerous on the internet and a great way of communicating your thoughts. For the purpose of this blog, the five “basic” gaits of a horse have been the preparation and will be discussed.
Each gait has a different “footfall” pattern and the number of beats that occur may differ. In addition, the distribution of the horse’s weight changes in the different gaits. Understanding the “footfall” patterns and weight distribution of a horse allows a rider to become effective. Rhythm, timing, along with a rider’s weight distribution are key elements of riding. The horse’s center of balance (drive line) is located near his withers. Riders need to keep their nose behind this line when riding*. These elements play an important part in the rider acquiring a natural balance and becoming one with the horse. Separating the gaits, covering each with facts and some visual effects helped simplify the learning process for my husband. Hope you may benefit as well.
* Some Exceptions - Jumping, Racing, Going Up Hill, Roping,
or Getting Bucked Off
or Getting Bucked Off
HORSE GAITS:
W
ALK
- 4 beats
- Averages about 4 miles per hour
- 1 foot raised while other 3 are on the ground
- The horse moves his head in an up and down motion to maintain balance
- The advancing rear hoof oversteps the spot where the previously advancing front hoof touched the ground. The more the rear hoof oversteps, the smoother and more comfortable the walk becomes.
"WALK" Footfall Pattern:
Eadweard Muybridge Photograph*
"WALK" Body Weight Distribution:
60% on the Front Feet
40% on the Hindquarters
T
ROT
- 2 Beats - Diagonal Gait
- Legs work in diagonal pairs
- Very safe, efficient and stable gait for the horse
- Main gait horses use to travel quickly
- Most difficult gait for a rider to sit because the body of the horse actually drops a bit between beats and bounces up again when the next set of legs strike the ground. Therefore, most riders post to the trot, rising up and down in rhythm with the horse.
To post to the left – Rise in the stirrups when the horse’s Left Hind and Right Front legs lift
- This is the only gait a horse can perform in one place because a horse’s weight is evenly distributed. In dressage, it is called the Piaffe. There is movement without going forward or backward. This requires tremendous collection, careful training and considerable conditioning for a horse to perform.
"TROT" Footfall Pattern:
1st beat - Right Hind and Left Front
2nd beat - Left Hind and Right Front
"TROT" Body Weight Distribution:
C
ANTER / LOPE
- 3 Beats
- Average speed is between 10-17 miles per hour – depending on the horse’s stride
- There is a moment of suspension when all 4 feet are off the ground. This occurs after the leading front foot hits the ground and before the new stride starts with the hind foot.
- Notice one of the three beats in a pair of diagonal legs hitting the ground at the same time. Study the diagonals of the trot to see the correlation.
"CANTER / LOPE" Footfall Pattern:
Left Lead
1st beat - Right Hind strikes the ground first
2nd beat - Then the diagonal Left Hind and Right Front
3rd beat - Then the Left Front hits last
1st beat - Right Hind strikes the ground first
2nd beat - Then the diagonal Left Hind and Right Front
3rd beat - Then the Left Front hits last
"CANTER / LOPE" Footfall Pattern:
Right Lead
1st beat - Left Hind strikes first
2nd beat - Followed by the diagonal Right Hind and Left Front
3rd beat - Then the Right Front hits last
2nd beat - Followed by the diagonal Right Hind and Left Front
3rd beat - Then the Right Front hits last
"CANTER / LOPE" Body Weight Distribution:
Tips weight back approximately 60% on the Hindquarters and 40% on the Front End
G
ALLOP
- 4 Beats
- Fastest gait of the horse averaging 25-30 miles per hour
- The horse's outline lengthens the most in the gallop.
- There is a moment of suspension when all four hooves are off the ground
- Horses seldom gallop for more than a mile or two before they need to rest
- The American quarter horse achieves the fastest galloping speed in a short sprint of a quarter mile or less. Some have been clocked at speeds approaching 55 miles per hour.
- Some believe the gallop is merely a faster version of the canter. Even though there is a leading leg and a moment of suspension following the leading leg are common characteristics, the key difference lies in the beat. The gallop is a four beat gait while the canter has three.
"GALLOP" Footfall Pattern:
Left Lead
1st beat - Right Hind
2nd beat - Left Hind
3rd beat - Right Front
4th beat - Left Front
3rd beat - Right Front
4th beat - Left Front
"GALLOP" Footfall Pattern:
Right Lead
1st beat - Left Hind
2nd beat - Right Hind
3rd beat - Left Front
4th beat - Right Front
"GALLOP" Body Weight Distribution:
A horse’s body weight tips forward between 51 – 70%
B
ACK UP
- 2 Beats
- Similar to the trot where the hooves move in diagonal pairs but the difference lies in the horse’s weight distribution and the direction. When moving backwards naturally and without interference, it is in a two beat pattern.
"BACK UP" Footfall Pattern:
The horse tips his body weight on his Hindquarters between 51-70%. If more weight were distributed, he would sit down or tip over. If the weight goes under this percentage, the horse is probably doing a Piaffe.
ALT
- All Hooves Stop
"HALT" Footfall Pattern:
"HALT" Body Weight Distribution:
When standing, a horse has most
of his weight distributed on his front end,
which is approximately 60%.
of his weight distributed on his front end,
which is approximately 60%.
In the old westerns, we would see a common trend of the cowboy folding his arms on the saddle horn and leaning forward while the horse was at a halt. This action copied directly from the real cowboys, placing most of their body weight on the front end of the horse. Knowing how the horse displays its weight naturally, the rider will know how to distribute their weight in accordance with the “natural” balance of the horse.
You do what the horse does.
* Eadweard Muybridge:
The first practical application of high-speed photography was Eadweard Muybridge’s 1878 investigation into whether horses’ feet were actually all off the ground at once during a gallop. The photographs above are of his works.
Photographer: Eadweard Muybridge 1830 -1904
Go Green Tips:
- Inside the barn, make stall doors approximately 25" in height versus all the way to the floor, 50" wide and the bottom should hang approximately 26" from floor. This will provide excellent air flow.
- Use cordless clippers with rechargeable batteries.
Any Go Green Ideas?
Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization,
we will find the hoof print of the horse beside it
~ John Moore
