What Are The Different Speeds of a Horse?

Everybody knows horses can cover a considerable amount of ground, but exactly how fast are they? Horses have four basic gaits: the walk, trot, canter, and gallop. The speeds (and names) of these gaits vary depending on the discipline and horse. But in general, walking is the slowest gait and galloping is the fastest.

It may seem confusing at first, but the different speeds of a horse are quite simple when they’re all laid out.

Speeds of a Horse: The Movements

The four basic gaits are distinguished by different beats and footfall patterns. The walk has four beats. At the walk, the horse will take one step after another in a 1-2-3-4 pattern starting with one front leg, then the corresponding hind leg, the other front leg, and the other hind leg.

The trot is a two-beat gait that has a diagonal footfall pattern. This means that when the front left leg moves forward, the hind right leg will move simultaneously. The same goes for the front right and the hind left.

The canter is a three-beat gait. In the canter, the horse will have a leading front leg that stretches out farther than the rest. The correct leading leg is the one on the inside, or the one closest to the center of the arena. So if your horse’s left shoulder is on the wall and their right shoulder is on the inside, the right lead is correct. The horse will take off on its hind leg opposite of the canter lead, then the diagonal pair will move forward, and then their leading leg. For example, in the right lead, the horse will start on their hind left, then their front left and hind right will move together, and then finally their leading front right leg will stride forward.

A gallop is a four-beat gait like a walk, but it is much faster. It could be compared to full-out run, like a racehorse, for example. The footfall pattern is as follows: left front leg, right front leg, left hind leg, right hind leg.

What speeds are most commonly used in different disciplines?

• Polework exercises & challenges are mainly done in walk and trot.
• At liberty horse training is often done in walk, trot & canter.
• Lateral work & collection begins in walk & using groundwork.
• Confidence training & trail riding begins in walk also. Beginning most types of horse training & riding in walk, helps you to avoid some major issues that can be quite common.

The Different Speeds

The gaits slowly increase in speed from the walk up to the gallop. The speed of the walk is about 4 mph on average. The trot is slightly faster, with average speeds of around 8-12 mph. Next is the canter, which is about 12-15 mph. Finally, the average speed of a gallop is about 25-35 mph.

Racing horses are even faster. They can reach speeds of over 40 mph. The fastest recorded speed for a Thoroughbred racehorse is 44 mph. The fastest recorded speed for all horses is 55 mph. That was achieved by a Quarter Horse racehorse, which are notoriously fast in short distances.

Speeds of a Horse: Western vs. English

The two major disciplines in the equestrian sport are English and western. English covers sports like hunt seat, jumping, dressage, and eventing. Western covers events like western pleasure, reining, cutting, and barrel racing. In English, the four basic gaits and their speeds listed above are applicable. Western gaits have the same movements, they are just slower, and some go by different names. The walk and the gallop are relatively similar in both disciplines. The major differences are in the trot and canter.

A western trot is called a jog. There is no recorded average speed for a jog, but it is noticeably slower than a trot. Sometimes, especially in western pleasure, a jog is not much faster than a walk. A western canter is referred to as a lope. The lope is about 8-12 mph, on average. So, the speed is comparable to an English trot.

Gaited Horses

While the gaits listed above are normal for the average horse, some breeds have their special gaits. Tennessee Walkers, Paso Finos, Standardbreds, American Saddlebreds, and Missouri Fox Trotters are all examples of gaited horses. These breeds all have different natural gaits. A few popular examples of gaits are the running walk, pace, slow gait, and fox trot.

The running walk is characteristic of the Tennessee Walking Horse. It is a four-beat gait that is similar to a normal walk, but the speed is a bit quicker. In the running walk, the horse’s hind legs reach farther forward than their fronts, creating a gliding motion.

Standardbreds are the most popular example of pacers, as they pace in harness races. It is a two-beat lateral gait, which means the front and hind legs on the same side hit the ground together. So, the footfall pattern is as follows: right front and right hind together, then the left front and left hind together.

Saddlebreds are five-gaited, which means they move at the walk, trot, slow gait, rack, and canter. The rack is a four-beat gait that is basically a more animated, exaggerated walk. The slow gait also has four beats. It’s similar to the pace in that both legs on the same side move forward together, however, they hit the ground at slightly different times.

The fox trot is attributed to the Missouri Fox Trotter. It is a four-beat diagonal gait. In this gait, the horse’s diagonal leg pairs will move together, but the front leg hits the ground just before the hind leg.

One great way to track your progress with your hose is with a horse training journal.

Conclusion

Horses are diverse creatures and their many different gaits and speeds are representative of that. The four basic gaits are walk, trot, canter, and gallop, but certain disciplines and breeds have differences. For example, western has the jog and lope, which are slower versions of the trot and canter. Gaited breeds have unique gaits like the pace, rack, fox trot, and more. Horses can also be very speedy, with the fastest recorded time (55 mph) being comparable to driving a car on a typical road. The different speeds of a horse can be hard to understand, but this article is a great guide to help.