Why Gaited Horses Feel Different: Gaits, Breeds, and What to Know

Last updated: October 15, 2026

By: Miles HenryFact Checked

Watch a rider come down the trail on certain horses, and something looks different. The horse is moving out at a good clip, but the rider is sitting still, with no posting and no bouncing. If you’ve heard a horse like that called “gaited” and wondered what it means, you’re not alone.

Below, I’ll explain how the main gaits differ, how to recognize them, and what to know about the best-known gaited breeds.

What Is a Gaited Horse?

Every horse has a walk, a trot, and a canter or gallop, and the basic horse gaits and their speeds are much the same from breed to breed. The trot is where gaited horses stand apart. In the trot, the legs move in diagonal pairs, and there’s a moment when all four feet are off the ground. That’s what bounces you out of the saddle and why riders learn to post.

A gaited horse has an extra gait, often called an ambling gait, that fills the same speed range as the trot. Instead of the feet landing in diagonal pairs, they hit the ground at separate times. The result feels more like gliding than bouncing.

A common mistake is thinking gaited horses are special just because their gaits are four-beat. A normal walk is four-beat, too. What sets a gaited horse apart is that it can keep a smooth gait at speeds where other horses would break into a trot. And since “gaited” describes how a horse moves rather than a breed, you’ll find gaited horses in many breeds—and now and then in breeds that aren’t known for it.

There’s a genetic reason for it. In 2012, researchers at Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found that a single mutation in a gene called DMRT3 has a major effect on gaits. It’s widespread in gaited breeds like the Tennessee Walking Horse and Paso Fino, and it plays a major role in a horse’s ability to perform alternative gaits, including the tolt and pace in Icelandic horses. It’s also common in harness racing horses, which helps explain why Standardbreds can hold a fast trot or pace without breaking into a gallop.

How Gaited Horses Move Differently

Most gaited horses still walk, trot, and canter like any other horse. Their advantage is the comfortable intermediate gait they can use instead of trotting, and that gait feels different under saddle for a few reasons:

• Footfall pattern. A regular trot moves in diagonal pairs that land together. Gaited horses break up those pairs, and the pattern depends on the gait. Most ambling gaits are lateral, with the hind and front foot on the same side moving in sequence.
• Less bounce. Many intermediate gaits keep at least one foot on the ground throughout the stride, reducing the suspension and up-and-down movement riders feel at the trot. The amount of motion varies with the gait and the individual horse.
• Different rhythms. Some gaits, like the running walk and rack, have four evenly spaced beats. Others, like the fox trot and stepping pace, have an uneven, broken rhythm.
• Stride and reach. The running walk is known for its long stride and big overstride, while the Paso Fino’s classic fino is short, quick, and highly collected.

Some gaited horses, like the American Saddlebred, are trained in both the trot and their gaits. Others rarely trot at all and default to their gait whenever they speed up.

Types of Gaits in Gaited Horses

Gaited horse people use a lot of terms, and some breeds have their own names for similar gaits. Here’s how the main ones compare, based on a detailed review of how each gait’s footfalls work and the breed associations.

Running walk

The running walk is the signature gait of the Tennessee Walking Horse. It’s an even, four-beat lateral gait with long strides, and the hind foot often lands well past the print of the front foot. That overstride, along with a head nod that keeps time with the feet, is what makes a good running walk easy to spot.

Rack

The rack is an even, four-beat gait where each foot hits the ground on its own. In five-gaited American Saddlebreds, it’s the faster and more animated of the two extra gaits, quicker than the slow gait. The Racking Horse, as the name suggests, is known for it, too.

Tolt

The tolt is the Icelandic Horse’s signature gait. Its footfall is close to the rack’s, but it has its own name, standards, and riding tradition within the breed. A good tolt can be ridden anywhere from a slow, relaxed speed to a fast, ground-covering one, with the rider sitting quietly the whole way.

Stepping pace

The stepping pace is a broken, four-beat version of the pace. The feet on the same side move closer together in time than they do in a running walk or rack, though the exact timing varies from horse to horse, and some riders feel a slight side-to-side sway. The Saddlebred’s slow gait is related, but the breed treats it as its own distinct, collected four-beat show gait with its own standard. Don’t confuse it with the true pace that Standardbred pacers race in. That’s a fast two-beat gait where both same-side legs move together, and it’s not something you’d want to ride for long.

Fox trot

The fox trot is the one diagonal gait in the group. As Horse Illustrated’s breed profile describes it, the horse walks briskly in front while trotting behind, and the head nods in rhythm with the hind legs. Because the front foot lands a split second before its diagonal hind foot, the gait loses the sharp two-beat bounce of a regular trot.

Paso gaits

The Paso Fino and Peruvian Paso both descend from Spanish horses and share a quick, four-beat lateral gait, but each breed has its own names and standards for it. Paso Finos perform theirs at three speeds, while the Peruvian Paso’s main gait is the paso llano. The breed profiles below explain how they differ.

How to Tell If a Horse Is Gaited

A horse can be naturally smooth without being gaited, and a gaited horse can sometimes trot or pace instead of gaiting. Here’s what to look and listen for:

• Listen to the footfalls. A trot has a two-beat diagonal rhythm, one-two, one-two, and a true pace has a two-beat lateral rhythm. Most intermediate gaits have four beats, either evenly spaced or slightly uneven. Listening for that rhythm while you watch the horse move is usually the quickest way to tell.
• Watch the rider. A rider sitting quietly at faster than a walk is a good clue, though a well-ridden jog or a smooth trot can fool you.
• Watch the head. Tennessee Walking Horses nod their heads in time with their feet. Fox Trotters nod, too.
• Look at the hind feet. In the running walk, the hind foot lands well past the front footprint.
• Check the papers. Breed matters. A registered horse from a gaited breed is far more likely to have a natural gait, though not every one does.

Gaited horse folks call a horse “trotty” if its gait drifts toward the diagonal trot, or “pacey” if it drifts toward a lateral pace. Common causes include rushing, poor rider balance, lack of conditioning, rough or steep ground, and hoof or shoeing issues that affect how comfortably the horse moves. A well-executed gait has its own distinct rhythm, so learn what the footfalls should sound like for the gait you’re trying to identify.

Why Gaited Horses Are Popular

Spend a few hours on a comfortable gaited horse, and it’s easy to understand the appeal. They’re popular with trail riders, older riders, and anyone who’s had enough of posting.

• Comfort. Many riders find a smooth gait easier on their back and knees than a trot, especially on long rides.
• Ground-covering speed. Many gaited horses can hold their intermediate gait for long stretches, so you can cover a lot of ground at a steady speed without loping.
• Easy to sit. You don’t have to learn to post or sit a bouncy trot, which appeals to new riders and riders coming back to the saddle.
• Trail heritage. Some breeds, like the Missouri Fox Trotter and Rocky Mountain Horse, were developed for rough country and long days on the trail.

That said, a gaited horse isn’t automatically a beginner horse. Temperament and training matter more than breed, and plenty of gaited horses are hot, green, or just plain opinionated. Not all of the best horse breeds for beginners are gaited, and even a breed with a calm reputation varies a lot from horse to horse. That’s worth keeping in mind if you’re wondering whether Tennessee Walking Horses are a good fit for beginners.

Gaited Horse Breeds

There are dozens of gaited breeds around the world, but these are the ones you’re most likely to run into. If you’re shopping for one, I’ve also ranked the best gaited horse breeds for different kinds of riders.

Tennessee Walking Horse

The Tennessee Walking Horse is probably the best-known gaited breed in the United States. According to Horse Illustrated, Walkers have three natural gaits: the flat walk, the running walk, and the canter. The flat walk is a brisk, four-beat walk with a head nod, and the running walk is essentially the same gait sped up, with a longer stride and more overstride. If you’re thinking about buying a Tennessee Walking Horse, the running walk is one of the main things you’ll want to evaluate under saddle, along with temperament, soundness, and training.

Icelandic Horse

Icelandic horses are small, but they’re horses, not ponies, and their stocky build lets many of them carry adults comfortably. They have the walk, trot, and canter, and many can also perform the tolt. Five-gaited Icelandic horses can perform the flying pace as well, a fast two-beat gait generally ridden over short distances. According to the U.S. Icelandic Horse Congress, horse imports into Iceland have been prohibited for centuries, which has kept the breed isolated.

Missouri Fox Trotter

The Missouri Fox Trotter’s broken diagonal gait gives it a steady way of going on uneven ground, which made it a practical horse in the rocky Ozark hills of southern Missouri, where the breed developed during the 1800s. That same gait is why it’s still popular with ranchers and trail riders. The breed association was formed in 1948.

Peruvian Paso

The Peruvian Paso has Spanish roots and has been bred in Peru for centuries. Peru has declared it a Cultural Heritage of the Nation, according to the Peruvian Horse Association of Canada. Two features set it apart, and they’re easy to confuse. The paso llano is the gait itself, an even, four-beat lateral gait. Termino is a separate trait, an outward, swimming swing of the front legs from the shoulder as the horse moves. Judges reward both, but they aren’t the same thing.

Paso Fino

The Paso Fino descends from the horses the Spanish brought to the Americas, and the U.S. breed blends Puerto Rican and Colombian bloodlines. According to US Equestrian, it performs its gait at three speeds with different degrees of collection. The differences between the Paso Fino’s three gaits come down to how much the horse collects and how fast it moves. The classic fino is the most collected, with very quick, short steps and little forward speed. The paso corto is a moderate, ground-covering speed that suits trail riding, and the paso largo is the fastest and most extended.

American Saddlebred

The American Saddlebred stands out on this list because many Saddlebreds never gait at all. According to the American Saddlebred Horse Association, every Saddlebred performs the walk, trot, and canter, and horses shown in just those gaits are called three-gaited. Some are also trained in the slow gait and rack and shown as five-gaited horses, which makes the breed a good example of a horse that can both trot and gait.

Rocky Mountain Horse

Despite the name, the Rocky Mountain Horse was developed in eastern Kentucky, in the Appalachian foothills. The breed’s own standard calls for a solid body color and an even lateral gait that holds its rhythm whether the horse speeds up or slows down. The breed has a reputation for a calm temperament, but like any breed, individual horses vary.

Gaited Horse FAQs

Miles Henry

About Miles Henry

Racehorse Owner & Author | 30+ Years in Thoroughbred Racing

Miles Henry (legal name: William Bradley) is a professional horseman based in Folsom, Louisiana. He holds Louisiana Racing License #67012 and has spent over three decades managing Thoroughbreds at premier tracks including Fair Grounds, Delta Downs, and Evangeline Downs.
Expertise & Hands-On Experience: Beyond the track, Miles has decades of experience in specialized equine care, covering everything from hoof health and nutrition to training protocols for Quarter Horses, Friesians, and Paints. Every guide on Horse Racing Sense is rooted in this “boots-on-the-ground” perspective.
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