| Did you know?! | | | | walking in four beats is easy to work out, trotting in |
| Your horse or pony can use his legs in different ways | | | | two beats a little harder, now the canter is in three |
| so that he can move forward to walk, or trot or | | | | beats. How is that possible? Think of it as - the walk |
| canter, or gallop. The walk, the trot, the canter and the | | | | and trot are even and best designed to go straight, the |
| gallop are all gaits or paces. Each horses gait or pace | | | | canter is a bit 'one-sided' and best designed for circles |
| has a different number of beats in the rhythm, just like | | | | and going around corners! So that means there is a |
| in music. Do you play music or know someone who is | | | | left-hand canter and a right-hand canter. |
| musical? The rhythm of each pace can be fast or | | | | The beat starts with a back leg. Think of the back leg |
| slow. So you and your pony can work together finding | | | | on the opposite side of the direction you have chosen |
| out the speed that suits you both in each pace. Often | | | | for your circle. Then the other hind and its diagonal fore |
| the walk is the slowest pace, then the trot, then the | | | | move forward together. These are the same diagonal |
| canter and then the gallop. Though there are some | | | | pair that move together in the trot. Then there is one |
| horses that can canter slower than they trot. Can you | | | | foreleg remaining so it moves next to complete that |
| do that with your pony?! | | | | stride. A 'stride' is a complete set of the three beats |
| The Horses Walk: has a four-beat rhythm. One, two, | | | | followed by a 'moment of suspension' before starting |
| three, four. So, that is each leg goes forward one at | | | | the next stride. Did you know that having this moment |
| time. But in what order do the legs go so he does not | | | | of suspension makes it really easy for your pony to |
| get all tangled up?! He puts a hind leg forward, | | | | change from say a left-hand canter to a right-hand |
| followed by the front leg on the same side. Then | | | | canter! |
| comes the hind leg on the other side and the front leg | | | | So, a left hand canter is where the nearside foreleg is |
| on that side. Then start all over again. So it could be - | | | | 'leading'. You can see this when watching your pony |
| nearside hind leg, nearside foreleg, offside hind leg, | | | | from the ground. The leading leg comes more forward |
| offside foreleg. If it is safe while you are riding, put one | | | | each time he takes another stride. Think of it as - |
| hand on your horses rump. Can you feel your pony's | | | | offside hind leg, then nearside hind leg and offside |
| rump come up and down in rhythm with his walk? | | | | foreleg together as a diagonal pair, followed by the |
| The Horses Trot: has a two-beat rhythm. That should | | | | nearside foreleg. |
| be easy to work out. Two beats and four legs so it | | | | Of course, you can use the left-hand canter or the |
| must be two legs at a time. But which two legs are | | | | right-hand canter to go straight. And believe it or not, |
| together?! The diagonal pair of legs go forward | | | | you can go to the right using the left-hand canter and |
| together - one front leg and the back leg on the other | | | | go to the left using the right-hand canter! |
| side of the body e.g. nearside foreleg and offside hind | | | | The Horses Gallop: has a four-beat rhythm. It is a fast |
| leg. The pairs of legs in trot are easy to see when you | | | | pace! Make sure that you can manage your pony in |
| are watching your pony trot rather than when you | | | | walk, trot and canter before gallop. The diagonal pair |
| riding. Get two brightly coloured bandages and wrap | | | | of legs that stay together in canter become separate |
| on the diagonal legs to help you see the pairs moving | | | | in the gallop. So the left hand canter as described |
| together. Do this with a friend and take turns watching | | | | above becomes - offside hind leg, then nearside hind |
| and riding. Or ask someone to take a video when you | | | | leg, then offside foreleg followed by the nearside |
| are riding and watch it in slow motion! | | | | foreleg. |
| The Horses Canter: has a three-beat rhythm. Wow, | | | | Can you remember?! |