An Introduction to Gaited Horses

By Mary Jo Zanolli

Horse’s gaits commonly consist of the walk, trot, and canter. Some breeds, however, have other gaits beyond the 3 standard ones listed above. These breeds are known as Gaited Breeds, and include breeds of horses such as the Tennessee Walker, the Saddlebred, Missouri Fox Trotters, Icelandic Horses, the Standardbred, and the Peruvian Paso. Alternate gaits are generally very smooth and easy to ride. Generally these gaits are hereditary, but require time under saddle to develop and maintain.
The Tennessee Walker may be the most widely known breed of gaited horse. The walk alone has 3 different speeds! Of the various walks, the "running walk" is known for being a very comfortable, 4 beat walk with a long over-reaching stride that gives the rider a feeling of gliding.
The Saddlebred Breed is known as a five-gaited horse. Besides walk, trot, and canter, this special horse can also slow-gait and rack! The slow-gait is a slow 4-beat gait, where the horse seems to make a prancing motion while lifting the legs very high. The rack is also a 4-beat gait, but is much faster and covers more ground with the horse lifting his hocks and knees up very quickly. The Standardbred is a gaited horse often found in the show arena. Known for its flashy, animated gaits, this breed is a favorite amongst gaited horse fans.
Missouri Fox Trotters is of course known for its fox trot, a 4 beat diagonal gait, giving the appearance of the horse walking with its front end and trotting with its hind!  This gait has a definite pattern of footfall, with the front hoof hitting the ground just before the opposite hind hoof. Missouri Fox Trotters don’t have the fancy high-stepping action of the Saddlebred or Tennessee Walker, but these horses are known to have gaits that can be comfortably ridden for long periods of time at fairly high speeds. The Icelandic Horse is also known for its super comfortable gaits, most widely the tolt and pace. The pace (or skeio) is a racing gait, with the horse moving both legs of one side at the same time. The tolt is not as fast as a pace- it is more of a smooth high-stepping walk.
The Standardbred is famous for harness racing, but can be a pleasurable under-saddle horse as well. Standardbred horses have a trotting and pacing gait. This breed’s trot is said to be the fastest trot in the world, which is why the breed is used for harness racing. Standardbreds may also be asked to race at the Pacing gait – this is a 2-beat lateral gait with the front leg moving forward at the same time as the hind leg on the same side. After a career in harness racing, Standardbreds can be retrained to work under saddle in all gaits, including the canter.
The Peruvian Paso has been bred for a smooth, comfortable ride. The Peruvian Paso also has a lateral gait, known as the paso llano, which is a 4 beat gait in-between walk and canter. The paso llano gait has an ambling feel to the rider, and was developed for the horse to cover long distances in a short period of time without tiring.
Gaited horses can excel in the show arena with their flashy eye-catching gaits, and they can provide a comfortable trail ride. The gaited horse isn’t limited to these 2 areas however! Dressage competitions, endurance rides, and open horse shows (among other disciplines) are other areas where gaited breeds can be found. Make sure you are on the lookout for a gaited horse at your next equestrian event!