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Training you horse to switch leads correctly is an important cue. Switching leads is done with a horse's hips, and a horse with a hip will run correctly, consistently and competitively all the time. The benefits of a strong hip with lead to perfect lead switches and flying lead switches and will allow your horse to curve around... more »
Identifying breeds of horses can be tricky, but rewarding. Arabians are, arguably, the oldest and purest breed in the world today. Art on Egyptian tombs clearly show the traits the Arabian is still known for today - smaller stature, high tail set, and delicate profiles. Identifying an Arabian horse is actually a simple process. ... more »
This showy breed is known for its cool, calm and collected temperament and though they have a highly animated rocking-horse movement they are known for smooth riding gaits. Tennessee Walking Horse specific shows can be found around the United States year round and are the official state horse of Tennessee. Their high heads along with... more »
Showing horses is difficult, yet quite rewarding. You may spend years and years practicing, and thousands of dollars. Yet many horse owners will tell you there is nothing like showing and winning. Show your Arabian in an English Hunter Class and go for that blue ribbon. more »
Upward transitions are extremely important in horseback riding, and describe the transition from a slower gait to a faster one. For example, if you want your horse to move from a walk to a trot, you would execute an upward transition to the trot. While this might seem relatively simple, it is the rider's job to make upward transitions... more »
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The canter is a controlled, three-beat gait performed by a horse. It is a natural gait possessed by all horses, faster than most horses trot but slower than the gallop, and is used by all riders. The speed of the canter varies between 16-27 km/h (10-17 mph), depending on the length of the stride of the horse. A variation of the canter, seen in western riding, is called a lope, and generally is quite slow, no more than 13-19 km/h (8-12 mph).
The sequence of footfalls
The canter is a three-beat gait, meaning that there are three footfalls heard per stride. Each footfall is the "grounding" phase of a leg. The three footfalls are evenly spaced, and followed by the "suspension" phase of the gait, which is when all four legs are off the ground. The three beats and suspension are considered one stride. The movement for one stride is as follows:
# Beat One: the grounding phase of the outside hind leg. There are many riders who think a front leg is the first beat of the canter, which is incorrect. At this time, the other three legs are off the ground.
# Beat Two: the simultaneous grounding phase of the inside hind leg and outside fore leg. The inside fore leg is still off the ground. The outside hind leg (beat one), is still touching the ground, but is about to be lifted off.
# Beat Three: The grounding phase of the inside foreleg. The outside hind leg (beat one), is off the ground. The inside hind leg and outside foreleg are still touching the ground, but are about to be lifted up.
# The inside hindleg and outside foreleg (beat two) are lifted off the ground. The inside foreleg is the only foot supporting the horses weight.
# The inside foreleg is lifted off the ground.
# Suspension: The horse has all four legs off the ground.
The faster the horse is moving, the longer is the time of the phase of suspension relative to the time of the three beats.
Leads
The "lead" of a canter refers to the order in which the legs ar read more at » http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canter
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