Horse trot: types, characteristics and speed

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

This is a graceful and majestic creature. When you look at a horse, everything inside is dying from the sight of this noble animal. I want to reach out and touch soft, slightly rough lips, touch silky fur, run my fingers into a dense mane. And if someone happened to find himself once in the saddle, then he is unlikely to want to do it again.

Types of movements

How do these animals move? Each horse gait has its own characteristics, and as soon as you sit in the saddle, how it feels. Movements are divided into a step, a horse's trot, its gallop, amble. There are other types of movements, but they are specially developed, usually in riding schools, and are suitable for a sport like dressage.

Step

This is the slowest movement when the animal is calm - no one pushes it, it moves at a walk. What is your step? This is an alternate permutation by a horse of herlimbs. The step phase does not involve jumping. Thus, the horse always leans on the ground.

The step is divided into 4 types:

Short. When moving, the hind legs of the animal are far behind the front. This type of step is also called assembled.
Medium. When hind footprints are found on front footprints.
Wide. Such a step occurs only in well-trained and plastic horses. Hind hooves overstepping front footprints.

Gallop

This is the fastest pace. The horse is able to move at speeds up to 60 km / h. The average speed reached by an animal with such a step is 15-18 km/h.

This is a three-stroke movement used in long and short races. In the event that we are talking about equestrian sports. What are the types of canter? What about the types of trotting horses? Shall we talk about the latter? Necessarily. Below you can read similar information. In the meantime, back to the gallop.

Manezhny - the most difficult for an animal. He has to move rather slowly, often turning around as he does so.
Assembled. The knight, as in the previous version, cannot move quickly. Therefore, he is not comfortable. The animal is not able to unleash its movement with all its power.
Medium. More or less relative in terms of speed, movement, which is why it is called so. This type of gallop is necessary when you have to move for quite a long time and over long distances.
Field (sweep or extended). This pace of the gait refers to the warm-upmovement. The animal moves freely, without tension and relatively slowly.
Quarry. The fastest kind of canter and the most fatiguing for the horse. It is used for short distances, as a rule. There is another type that is sometimes distinguished as a separate one - this is a jump. A horse gallops during a steeplechase.

As strange as it may sound, the canter is considered the easiest for both horse and rider.

Amble

The name is beautiful, and the gait itself is very similar to the horse's trot. Differs in permutation of legs during the movement. If at the trot the horse rearranges its legs in pairs and diagonally, then in this case there is a permutation on one side.

This type of movement is faster than trotting, but also more dangerous. Only suitable for straight and flat distances. The animal is able to stumble when moving at an amble, "do not fit into the turn", and thereby cause great harm to itself and its rider.

Lynx

Here we are approaching the most complex and beautiful movement of a noble animal. When a horse is trotting, it looks just great. Together with beauty, this gait is the most difficult for the rider. It is necessary to strictly observe the landing in the saddle, and when jumping from her rider, skill is required in order to stay in the saddle.

As for the speed of the horse at the trot, it all depends on the type of such gait. Let's take a closer look at them.

Types of lynx

The horse's trot, as mentioned above, is divided into several types:

trot;
sweep;
max;
prize.

Four obscure words that we will now decipher.

Trot

In another way it is called the collected or shortened trot of the horse. The stride length is 2 meters, the average speed is 13-15 km/h.

What is a trot? This is the slowest type of trot. It is called shortened because of the short stride length and the almost complete absence of the jump phase. Trot is the most optimal when training trotters.

Swing

Or a sweeping lynx. They say about her: "the horse trots." The setting of the hind legs of the animal occurs in front of the traces of the front ones. The stride length reaches 6 meters. At short distances, the speed of a horse with such a movement can reach 60 km / h.

Mach

Its main difference is the long movement. Mach requires clarity and precision from the horse and rider. It is quite fast: the speed of a horse at a trot of this type reaches 30 km / h. Suitable for long distances.

Prize money

She is a field, normal and correct trot of a horse. At a speed of 20 km / h, the stride length can reach 2.2 meters. A pronounced phase of a jump or unsupported movement.

Speaking of all the listed types of gait, it is necessary to note their main difference - the rider's shaking. The fact is that the nature of the movement is such that this shaking simply cannot be ruled out. However, it can be reduced. It's all about being rightlanding rider.

There are two types of landing at the trot: training and lightweight.

Training trot

How to trot on a horse? It is not easy, besides, this type of gait is the most difficult for the rider. And in order to reinforce the correct position of the rider, there is a training trot.

What is meant by this very correct fit? The maximum tight pressing of the rider to the saddle. The rider must not rise in it. Achieving such a landing is extremely difficult, especially for a beginner. It requires maximum work of the inner thighs. They strain as much as possible, and the body leans back a little. The training trot uses the rider's legs.

Lightweight version

Before starting the training trot, you need to learn to ease. What does she give? The ability to adapt to the trot of the horse. You need to be able to catch the rhythm and pace of your horse. In order to adjust to the pace, the inner thighs of the rider rests on the saddle. The feet are pressed to the stirrups, the body is as straight and elongated as possible.

With every second push, the rider rises in the saddle with the help of his own pelvis. That is, there is a push with the pelvis forward and upward, while the knees rest against the saddle, and the inner thighs are strained to the limit. The rider descends into the saddle smoothly, slowing down with his hips. If you fall roughly into the saddle, then there is a high probability of injuring the horse's back.

Experienced riders are able to ride a horse at a trot without resting their feet in the stirrups. At the same time, their hands are on the belt or behindback, and the correct fit is maintained throughout the journey.

Tips for beginners

For those who have just decided to sit in the saddle, it will not be out of place to know the following:

To go on a horse ride should be in trousers or leggings, ideally - seamless. Jeans can wipe your own thighs into blood. As for shoes, these can be boots with special low and wide heels. Jockey type. However, few people wear such shoes these days. Therefore, sneakers are quite suitable in the warm season.
It is not forbidden to take a carrot, an apple or a piece of black bread with you. Why not treat the horse after the walk, not to thank him in this way?
No need to take a walk for 2 hours or more the first time. Believe me, one hour will be enough for the whole next day to have an unpleasant sensation in the thighs.
If the walk should be out-of-doors - in a forest or a field, then you should warn the guide that you are a beginner and are sitting in the saddle for the first time in your life.
For the first acquaintance with a horse, a lesson in the arena is suitable.
Don't try to practice what you've read or seen in movies as soon as you're in the saddle. In other words, you need to start with a step. Trot and canter - not for beginners.
The horse is alive, and it is uncomfortable and painful. This must not be forgotten when spurring the animal or pulling on the reins. Everything should be in moderation, we are not skiers, but the reason is not ski poles to wave them around.

Short summary

The main aspect of the article:Horse gaits are of several types. In turn, these species are subdivided into types.

Second point: the trot is the most difficult move for a rider. Therefore, before proceeding with it, you need to prepare. A training or light trot will help with this.

Conclusion

Horses are wonderful animals, smart, beautiful, responsive to a good attitude. Communication with them leaves no one indifferent, forcing them to return to the stable or KSK again and again.