Trot (horse gait)
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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The trot is a two-beat diagonal gait of the horse where the diagonal pairs of legs move forward at the same time with a moment of suspension between each beat.
From the standpoint of the balance of the horse, the trot is a very stable gait and does not require the horse to make major balancing motions with its head and neck. Due to its many variations, the trot is a common gait that the horse is worked in for dressage.
The speed of a regular working trot averages 8 to 12 km/h (5 to 10 mph), up to 19 km/h (12 mph) in a horse driving trials marathon. Harness racing horses are considerably faster. Other variations, such as the "jog trot" used in western pleasure competition, may be much slower.
Eadweard Muybridge was the first to prove, by photography, in 1872 that there is a "moment of suspension" or "unsupported transit" during the trot gait.
