Eadweard Muybridge Horse Galloping (Bowling 1997)

A gallop is a canter with greater speed and an additional beat; the hind leg in the second-beat pair of the canter hits the ground sooner than the fore, resulting in the pattern of lead hind, trail hind, trail fore, and lead fore hitting the ground in succession (Waring 28). This pattern is also followed by a pause, during which the horse can – and often does – switch lead legs (Taylor 1991, Ishii 1989, Deuel 1987). Horses in a gallop can reach speeds of 43mph, although their usual range is 16 to 18mph. Up until the gallop, both the length of the stride and its frequency increase with an increase in speed; once the horse has begun galloping, however, only the length of the stride increases (Waring 27).

This website was created as a part of a class project in the Animal Physiology Class at Davidson College.

E-mail me at emmccracken@davidson.edu