Why is knowing your horses gaits important?
Knowing your horses gaits is important because when you are exercising your horse it is helpful to know how they are supposed to move. When you are cantering you need to know where the canter starts and what lead your horse picks up so it doesn't fall over on a corner or turn. When you think your horse is hurt or lame you can tell if they are favoring a leg or if they are just not moveing right. So from this you can tell that knowing the gaits of a horse is important.

The Trot
So you have moved on to the trot. The biggest thing with this gait of a horse is that it is very bouncy, this is because the way a horse move's in this gait. The trot is a two beat gait and the horses legs move in diagonal pairs thus creating the "bounce". The trot is the gait that is easiest for the horse, they cover the most ground with the least amount of effort. Most horse would rather trot then do almost any other gait.

There is also a gait that a staderbreed does that is called a pace. A paceing horse does the pace instead of a trot. Durring the pace a horses legs move in pairs just like the trot. But instead of diagonal piars it is the legs on the same side of the horse moving together. Unlike the trot this gait throughs you side to side rather then up and down, you cannot post you just have to sit there. It is a very uncruftable gait unforcantly
many horses that do pace end up going for meat

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The Canter and Gallop
The canter is not the best gait for a horse. It is actually slower then the trot and takes alot more energy. The canter is a three beat gate starting with the outside hind leg, then the outside front and the inside hind, and finally ending that stride with the outside front.

The gallop is the same beat and movement as the canter only it is sped up and has four beats instead of three. a galloping horse cant go for too long, it tires very fast.

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