How do horses gallop

Ambling gaits include a collection of several smooth footfall patterns that often require special training of the horse before a rider can command them.

Some individual horses and certain breeds may naturally have certain ambling gaits, but training is usually required for consistency and to take full advantage of the gaits. All ambling gaits are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter. They are smooth and can be sustained for long periods of time making them desirable for trail riding and other tasks where a rider must spend long periods of time in the saddle.

Not all horses can perform an ambling gait, but many can be taught to produce them. Whatever classification or categories are used, a consensus exists about what constitutes the different variations of gaits. The walk is a comfortable four beat gait. In the walk, the horse puts each foot down one at a time, creating a four beat rhythm and averaging about 4 miles per hour. At a walk the hose will always have one foot raised and the other three feet on the ground except for a brief moment when weight is being transferred from one foot to another.

The horse moves its head and neck in a slight up and down pattern that helps maintain balance. The trot is a two beat gait that may be uncomfortable for the beginning rider. In the trot, one front foot and its opposite hind foot come down at the same time, making a two-beat rhythm. The trot has a wide variation in possible speeds, but averages about 8 miles per hour. A very slow trot is sometimes referred to as a jog.

The trot is the working gait for a horse since horses in good condition can maintain a working trot for hours. Because the trot is such a safe and efficient gait for a horse, learning to ride the trot correctly is an important component in almost all equestrian disciplines.

Since each time the diagonal pair of legs hits the ground, the rider can be jolted upwards out of the saddle, most riders 'post' to the trot by rising up and down in rhythm with the horse to avoid being jolted.

Posting is easy on the horse's back, and, once mastered, is also easy on the rider. The lope is an asymmetrical gait left lead or right lead. This three beat gait is fun to ride, but can be unnerving to beginning riders. In the canter, one hind leg strikes the ground first, and then the other hind leg and one foreleg come down together, the the other foreleg strikes the ground. This movement creates a three-beat rhythm that is usually faster than the average trot, but slower than a gallop.

The average speed of a canter is between 10 and 17 miles per hour. This distinct three beat rhythm followed by a rest and then immediately afterwards a recurrence of the three beats followed by another rest is easy to distinguish. The lope is a western term for canter.

The gallop is an asymmetrical high speed four beat gait. This gait is thrilling for the rider and during the suspension phase when all feet are off the ground it feels like flying. In the gallop, the basic canter movement is sped up so that all four feet are off the ground for a suspended moment. It is the fastest gait of a horse averaging about 25 to 30 miles per hour and is used in the wild when the horse needs to flee from a predator or cover a short distance quickly.

Most horses need to rest after galloping for more than a mile or two. Standardbred and other breeds of horses can pace at a very high speed, making them popular on the race track. Notice the legs on each side moving in tandem. The pace is a lateral two-beat gait with the two legs on the same side of the horse moving forward together. As in the trot, two feet are always off the ground. Pacers are usually faster than trotters on average. A slow pace can be relatively comfortable as the rider is lightly rocked from side to side.

A fast pace is uncomfortable for riding and difficult to sit because the rider is moved rapidly from side to side. This unusual gait allows the horse and rider to cover large distances comfortably. These are a number of four-beat intermediate gaits with differences in footfall patterns and speed. Historically they are grouped together and horses that are able to do an ambling gait are referred to as "gaited. Among gaited horses, the American Saddlebred horse developed in Kentucky, and the Tennessee Walking Horse, developed for southern plantation owners who needed to cover the ground of their plantations in comfort and with speed, are two of the most popular horses.

Other gaited horses include the Icelandic Horse which is a sturdy horse with its roots in Viking history which possesses a gait known as the tolt, which is similar to the Tennessee Walker's running walk. Some Icelandics also have a gait called the flying pace where the legs on each side of the horse move in unison. The Missouri Fox Trotter was created by Missouri cattlemen to carry riders across stretches of rough terrain and to work cattle.

The Missouri Fox Trotter is known for its special trot exemplified by a four-beat fait instead of the usual two beats found in a typical trot. Your first galloping experience should be on a horse who can be kicked into a gallop but will slow down the moment you stop kicking. In that event you might find yourself involved in a spontaneous horse race, which is not the point of the exercise. When I introduce you to the gallop, I will first make sure you are competent trotting and cantering around a large field.

The hay field between my stables and my house is about 35 acres, and I have always found that to be sufficient. You might be the sort of rider with little or no experience outside the confines of an arena and you have to be mentally adjusted before continuing the lesson. Find a suitable galloping area with enough room for the wider turns you will need to make as your speed increases over the next month or so. I am going to assume your field has excellent footing and is free of hazards such as rocks and groundhog holes because the quickest way to make a sound horse lame is to step in a hole or gallop him on bad footing.

Make sure you can see the markers as you approach. I use meters rather than yards or feet because most of the competitions I prepare riders for use metric measurements. I set meters as the beginning distance of my speed trap because it is a fast show-jumping speed and most riders will be comfortable cantering at this speed.

Pretty simple so far, right? But wait—although mpm is not much greater than you are already used to, shorten your stirrup length approximately 1 inch. With your stirrup leathers adjusted and with vertical stirrup leathers, test yourself at the halt: Rise out of your saddle as if you were posting at the trot, then pause at the top of that motion. Now cross your arms in front of you and keep your balance there for longer and longer periods of time without using your arms to steady yourself.

This is more difficult for you to do than it is for me to say. I plan to spend several lessons preparing you both mentally and physically for riding at speed, and shorter stirrups will help you improve your fitness. You will find the shorter stirrups make your thighs and the small of your back become fatigued much more quickly than usual.

Once stirrups are set to the shorter length, canter back and forth through your speed trap, noting the time for each exercise— mpm should take you one minute. You may have to train him to accelerate during this section instead of cantering. Remember, learning to gallop faster is going to be a slow process. Once you can accurately canter through the meter speed trap in one minute, measure a new speed trap with markers meters apart in a different location in the field. Once again you will try to cover the distance in one minute.

You can see the progression I use to develop your ability to ride at speed. Each time I ask you to go faster through the speed trap, shorten your stirrup leathers an additional inch roughly an inch shorter for every additional mpm, up to mpm. Chances are your horse will start to anticipate the speed traps and you will have to train him to wait before he goes back through the faster speed trap.

Try to stay ahead of him mentally as well as physically. Note that your horse will get fitter during this process and his increased fitness may reflect itself in his other activities. Horses who previously cantered around Baby Novice cross-country courses on a loose rein may wake up and take a keen interest in the sport.

This can be fun, but you need to change your training practices as your horse changes. At the same time, bring your right hand straight back toward your right hip. As your horse slows, make sure to reward him with soft reins so that he understands what you want. I hope you will soon feel the joy that galloping produces. I enjoy everything about horses—training them in dressage, teaching them to remain calm and balanced during their show-jumping rounds and introducing them to their first water experience.

But I find a complete sense of freedom only when my horse and I are gone away, galloping toward some invisible horizon. Each time he floats through the air, I am for an instant free from problems, free from critical coaches and unhappy people, free from flat tires and expensive truck repairs, free from the laws of gravity and velocity, free from earthly constraints.

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