Paces - Introduction

There are three basic paces which you will encounter whilst learning in a school - walk, trot and canter. Galloping is best left for a while as it needs lots of space and some experience.

Like learning to drive a car it will help to have a basic understanding of the 'mechanics' of your vehicle. These pages will introduce you to the motion of the three paces with the terms used to describe them and then briefly introduce some of the more advanced movements.

To start with, the legs of a horse are traditionally identified by the following names;

Although it is a lot easier to use 'front right' or something similar - everyone will still know what you're talking about. A lot of horse terminology is unnecessarily archaic and could do with modernising.

The sides of a horse can also be described by which side is closer to the inside of the arena or the circle you are riding - this is simply the 'inside' and the 'outside'. You will often hear your instructor referring to your inside leg.

(In more advanced work this definition is not strictly true - see inside or outside.)

Next - the walk.