Massage Therapy helps to support ➡️gaited horses⬅️ and their unique biomechanics. By enhancing their flexibility and suppleness, massage therapy can help alleviate gait abnormalities, conformational challenges, stress and anxiety and promotes balance, muscle coordination, and timing for gaits such as:

Running Walk➡️A faster, smooth, four-beat gait with a moment of suspension, where only one foot is on the ground at a time.

Rack or Single-Foot Walk➡️A lateral gait with a four-beat pattern, where the horse moves its legs in lateral pairs, creating a smooth ride for the rider.

Foxtrot➡️A lateral gait with a four-beat pattern, characterized by a sliding motion of the front foot.

Paso Corto➡️Seen in the Paso Fino breed, this is a slower lateral gait with a four-beat pattern.

Paso Largo➡️Also in the Paso Fino breed, this is a faster lateral gait with a four-beat pattern.

Saddle Gait➡️A smooth four-beat gait with lateral movement, often found in the American Saddlebred breed.

Slow Gait➡️A lateral gait with a slower tempo, commonly seen in breeds like the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Flat Walk➡️A four-beat gait with a fast but flat-footed walk, found in some gaited breeds.

Stepping Pace➡️A lateral gait with a two-beat pattern, where the horse moves its legs on one side of the body at the same time.

Rack or Single-Foot Walk➡️A lateral gait with a four-beat pattern, where the horse moves its legs in lateral pairs, creating a smooth ride for the rider.

Running Pace➡️A lateral gait with a faster pace, where the horse moves its legs in lateral pairs.

Missouri Fox Trotter Gaits➡️Missouri Fox Trotters often exhibit the fox trot, a diagonal gait, as well as a flat walk and canter.

Marcha Batida and Marcha Picada➡️Found in the Mangalarga Marchador breed, these are two natural gaits. Marcha Batida is a diagonal gait, while Marcha Picada is a lateral gait.

Tolt➡️The Icelandic Horse is known for its special gait called the tolt, which is a four-beat lateral ambling gait known for its smoothness and speed.

March 4, 2024
Melissa Caccamo

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