Glossary of Horse Gaits and Movements
Gaits are the different ways a horse moves, and dressage adds specific technical movements. This glossary clarifies the locomotion and dressage terms that appear in lessons, rules, and competition commentary.
Terms
- Walk
- The slowest gait of the horse, a four-beat gait, where at least two legs are always on the ground.
- Trot
- A two-beat gait in which the horse moves its diagonal pairs of limbs together, with a moment of suspension.
- Canter
- The fastest gait, a three-beat gait, with a phase of suspension; can be on the right or left lead.
- Collection
- A state in which the horse shifts its weight onto its hindquarters, shortening and elevating its movement.
- Extension
- The maximum lengthening of the walk or trot, covering more ground with each stride without increasing the rhythm.
- Piaffe
- A very collected and cadenced trot executed practically on the spot, characteristic of high-level dressage.
- Passage
- A very elevated, cadenced trot with marked suspension, one of the pinnacle gaits of dressage.
- Shoulder-in
- A lateral movement in which the horse flexes and advances with its shoulders displaced inwards.
- Half-pass
- A lateral movement in which the horse moves sideways and forwards at the same time, crossing its limbs.
- Pirouette
- A turn of the horse on its hindquarters while maintaining the gait, usually at the canter in dressage.
- Flying change
- A change of canter lead from one to the other in the air, during the suspension phase.
- Leg yield
- A basic exercise in which the horse moves sideways away from the pressure of the rider's leg.
- Transition
- A change from one gait to another or from one speed to another; its quality measures the horse's training.
- Arreón
- In Doma Vaquera, a short, fast, and energetic canter characteristic of the discipline.
- Stride
- Each of the horse's steps or paces; its measurement is important when calculating distances between obstacles.
