Written by Sue Morris

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When a horse walks, trots or canters he  moves his legs one or two at a time. When a horse moves a leg it is  called a step. A stride is the distance a horse covers with all 4 legs, which is approx 12 feet. Within each stride pattern there are different beats. The walk is a gait with four beats. The sequence in the animation, above, shows it to be: Right  Hind Left Hind Right  Front Left Front There should be a  distinct 4-beat rhythm to the walk. It is a sign of tension in the  horse or restriction by the rider if the walk shows sign of becoming  2-beat; also known as ambling (diagonal pair moving together) or pacing (lateral pair moving together). The main cause is trying to collect the walk or make the horse work in the walk too early. "Working on a  contact doesn't ruin the walk; walking incorrectly on a contact ruins it!" The Walk Regularity of the  Walk The Trot Regularity of the  Trot The Canter Regularity of the  Canter Copyright  © Sue Morris 1998-2005