A Horse Has Four Natural Gaits
A gait is a manner of walking. Horses change theirs at predictable speeds, for reasons of efficiency.
A gait is a manner of walking or running. A horse has four natural gaits — walk, trot, canter and gallop — and switches between them at particular speeds because each is most efficient in its own range. Studies measuring oxygen use show a distinct energy minimum for each, and horses change gait at exactly the crossing points. *Gait* is a variant spelling of *gate* in its old sense of a way or path, preserved in northern English street names ending in *-gate*.
- A manner of walking. *An uneven gait.*
- A horse's pace. *The canter is a gait.*
- A way or path (archaic). *Gate.*
- Gait analysis. *Gait analysis.*
- Old Norse — *gata*, a path. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | gait | A gait. |
| Plural | gaits | Gaits. |
| Variant | gate | A gate. |
| Compound | gait analysis | Gait analysis. |
| Old Norse | gata | A path. |
- He walked with a rolling gait.Movement.
- The horse broke into a canter.Horses.
- Gata means a path.Etymology.
The four gaits of a horse
- Walk — four beats, always one foot on the ground
- Trot — two beats, diagonal pairs moving together
- Canter — three beats, with a moment of suspension
- Gallop — four beats, the fastest gait
- Each is most efficient within its own speed range
A variant of *gate* in its older sense of a way or manner of going, from Old Norse *gata*, a path.
Why do horses change gait?
Because each gait is most efficient in its own speed range. Measurements of oxygen use show horses switch at exactly the crossing points.
Why do northern English streets end in -gate?
From Old Norse gata, a way or street, left by Scandinavian settlement, not from any gate in a wall.