Eadweard Muybridge Horse Trotting (Bowling 1997)

Like the walk, the trot is also a diagonal gait, reaching speeds of 6 to 9mph (Waring 28). Instead of four, however, the trot has only two distinct beats; the fore and hind legs form pairs that hit the ground at the same time (left fore with right hind, and right fore with left hind). There is a slight pause after the second beat when all four hooves are off the ground (Deuel 1987).

During the trot, the horse’s hooves hit the ground more that seven thousand times an hour (Taylor 1991).

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