OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Gaits Masa Williams, State Extension Associate Ohio 4‐H Program www.horse.osu.edu

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION What We Will Cover Today

• Anatomy of a • How to determine a gait • Basic • Some unique breeds and their gaits Excellence in Junior Fair Activities

Ohio 4‐H Horse Program www.horse.osu.edu OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION What is a Gait? • Characteristic rhythmic movements of a horse’s legs and feet during motion • Can be natural or acquired… • Natural gaits: • Common to most breeds: • Walk, , pace, canter, gallop, and • Other gaits may be natural to some breeds • Acquired gaits: • Some learned • Some enhanced by training/shoeing

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Anatomy of a Gait • All gaits have a distinct footfall pattern that determines the beat and may or may not include a period of suspension • All natural gaits may be determined by examining these three parts

• In addition to these, length of stride, tempo of footfall, and leg action will help determine the gait • Many acquired gaits vary in this way • Some breeds will exhibit “acquired” gaits naturally! OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait

• Footfall Pattern • Beat • Suspension • Stride • Tempo • Action

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait

• Footfall Pattern • Sequence in which each foot takes off from and strikes the ground • Determines beat • Lateral • Diagonal OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Beat • Interval in which a foot (or two feet simultaneously) strikes the ground. • Gaits can be: • 2‐beat ‐or‐ • 3‐beat ‐or‐ • 4‐beat ‐and‐ • Diagonal ‐or‐ • Lateral

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Diagonal • Front foot and opposite hind foot take off and stop at the same time or in sequence. OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Diagonal • Front foot and opposite hind foot take off and stop at the same time or in sequence.

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Lateral • Legs/feet on same side of body move as a pair or in sequence OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Lateral • Legs/feet on same side of body move as a pair or in sequence

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Beat • Interval when a foot (or two feet simultaneously) strikes the ground. • Gaits can be: • 2‐beat ‐or‐ • 3‐beat ‐or‐ • 4‐beat ‐and‐ • Diagonal ‐or‐ • Lateral OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Beat • Interval when a foot (or two feet simultaneously) strikes the ground. • Gaits can be: • 2‐beat ‐or‐ • 3‐beat ‐or‐ • 4‐beat ‐and‐ • Diagonal ‐or‐ • Lateral

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Beat • Interval when a foot (or two feet simultaneously) strikes the ground. • Gaits can be: • 2‐beat ‐or‐ • 3‐beat ‐or‐ • 4‐beat ‐and‐ • Diagonal ‐or‐ • Lateral OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Suspension • Period of time when all feet are off the ground

• Does not happen with all gaits http://revealingpaws.com/revealingpaws/uk%20pages/Content% 20UK/Glossary/Individual%20Words/Suspension%20Phase.htm https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/607634174699285108/?lp=true

Basis for Determining the Gait

• Tempo • Speed at which footfalls occur in a gait • Variations in speed of the same footfall pattern can result in different gaits

• Gaits of the : • Four‐beat, lateral • Speed determines gait! • Classic Fino • Paso Corto • Paso Largo

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Stride • Distance between successive imprints of the same foot

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paso_Fino#/media/File:Paso_Fino_p http://yousense.info/7061736f/paso-fino-horse.html erforming_classic_fino1.jpg

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Tempo & Stride • Gaits of the Paso Fino: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Basis for Determining the Gait • Action • Action or animation achieved when a horse folds its knees and flexes its hock noticeably

https://bobandsuewilliams.com/explore/Tennessee-Walker-gait/

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Basic GaitsAs

Ohio 4‐H Horse Program www.horse.osu.edu OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Walk • 4‐beat, lateral • Slowest of all gaits • Known as the foundation gait

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Trot/Jog • 2‐beat, diagonal • Period of suspension between each diagonal pair • Can be extended or collected • Trot‐english, Jog‐ western • Not all trot!

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Pace • 2‐beat, lateral • Period of suspension between each lateral pair • Speed gait

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_gait https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Canter/Lope •3‐beat,diagonal • One diagonal pair • Independent front leg called “” • Period of suspension between each stride • Canter‐english • Lope‐ western

Right Lead Left Lead

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Canter/Lope- Left Lead

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Canter/Lope- Right Lead

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Gallop •4‐beat, diagonal • One diagonal sequence pair • Independent front leg called “lead” • Period of suspension between each stride • Fastest of all gaits

https://allpony.com/learn/gaits/ http://swphorses.com/understanding-horses-gait-part-2/

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Gallop

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Muybridge_race_horse_gallop.jpg#/ media/File:Muybridge_race_horse_animated.gif OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Back

• 2‐beat, diagonal in reverse • No suspension

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

Acquired GaitsAs

Ohio 4‐H Horse Program www.horse.osu.edu OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Acquired Gaits • Exhibited by “gaited” breeds • Learned or enhanced • Most are 4‐beat, lateral (*some exceptions) • Rack • Walk • Slow Gait • Tölt • “Paso” gaits • Fox Trot*

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Rack • 4‐beat, lateral • Style and action • Fast or slow • Evenly timed • “Single foot” • Little or no overstride

• Racking Horses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-gaited • Variety/combination of breeds • Five‐Gaited OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Running Walk • 4‐beat, lateral • Style and action • Fast • Very distinct overstride, nodding head in rhythm with gait most recognized in the Tennessee Horse

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Wiser

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Slow Gait/Stepping Pace • 4‐beat, lateral • High action • Slow • Unevenly timed • Hind foot strikes ground slightly before forefoot • Five‐gaited American Saddlebred OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Fox Trot • 4‐beat, sequential (broken) diagonal • Front foot of diagonal pair lands before the hind • No suspension • Slow • Appears to “walk in front, trot behind” •

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Other Gait-Related Terms

• Balance • Stance Phase • True‐moving • Step • Easy Gaited • Swing Phase • Flashy Gaited • Overlap time • Free Moving • Simple change • Labored • Flying change • Rapidity

All terms found in resources OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION What is NOT Covered

• Other breeds and their unique gaits

• Gait defects

• Lameness

• Phases of the stride

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION Resources

Extension Horses Gaits Explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCWMI09F5O8 Horse Gaits‐ Footfall: Emphasis on the Diagonal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4zdTn02PWQ

Horse Gaits: What is Disunited Canter? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpogSf_Jez4

The Gaited Spectrum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoB6FFP7a84

Horse Industry Handbook

Dictionary of Equine Terms

Beginning (4‐H 174)