Hello, friends! It’s VERA here, with LC beside me, carefully watching the horses make their way into the arena. The other morning, we overheard one of our instructors talking about the importance of a horse’s gait and how it can make such a difference for our participants. Naturally, LC and I had to discuss this important matter.
“Gates?” she asked. “You mean those things we squeeze under to get into the paddocks?”
“Not quite,” I explained. “Those are g-a-t-e-s. They’re talking about g-a-i-t-s. It’s the way horses move.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Well, we have plenty of those! We run, scamper, pounce, slink, and occasionally perform a very impressive sideways hop when something surprises us.”
I couldn’t argue with that. But as we settled into our favorite observation spot, I began to explain that a horse’s gait is something rather extraordinary, especially here at High Hopes.
You see, when a horse walks, each of its four hooves touches the ground in a particular sequence, creating what’s known as a four-beat gait. It’s a steady, rhythmic movement that may seem quite ordinary to anyone watching from the sidelines. But there’s something remarkable happening with every step. As the horse moves forward, its back creates a gentle, three-dimensional motion that travels through the rider’s body, encouraging the pelvis to move forward and backward, side to side, and in a subtle rotation. Amazingly, many of these movements are similar to what happens with a human’s body when they walk!
Think about that for a moment. A participant sitting on a walking horse experiences movement patterns that resemble important aspects of human walking, even while their own feet aren’t touching the ground. Their body is constantly making small adjustments to follow the horse’s rhythm, engaging muscles, practicing balance, and responding to changes in position. Over time, these experiences can help support improvements in posture, coordination, balance, and motor skills. There’s a great deal of science behind it, but watching it happen still feels a little like magic.
LC looked rather impressed. “So you’re telling me that while the horse is walking, the participant’s body is doing all sorts of important work?”
“Exactly,” I replied. “And that’s only part of the story.”
Because, as we’ve mentioned before (you have been reading our stories, haven’t you?), no two horses at High Hopes are exactly alike. Some have big, sweeping strides that cover plenty of ground, while others take shorter, gentler steps. Some offer a wonderfully smooth, steady rhythm, while others provide a little more movement for a rider to follow. Their size, build, stride length, and natural way of moving all contribute to the unique experience they offer.
And that’s where our wonderful instructors come in.
We sometimes think of our instructors as the wizards behind the curtain. Long before a participant enters the arena, there’s a tremendous amount of thought that goes into deciding which horse might be the right partner. Our staff consider each participant’s goals, physical needs, abilities, confidence, and experience, alongside each horse’s movement, temperament, and comfort with the work. A horse with a longer, more expressive stride might offer just the right movement for one participant, while someone else may benefit from a smaller, steadier walk. It’s never simply a matter of choosing who’s available that day. It’s about creating a partnership where both horse and human work well with each other.
And the wonderful thing is that movement isn’t limited to those sitting in the saddle. For participants working alongside a horse on the ground, walking together can create opportunities to practice coordination, balance, spatial awareness, and communication. Learning to match a horse’s pace, recognize its movements, and guide it with confidence is an entirely different kind of partnership, but one that is just as meaningful.
As we watched another horse-and-human team make their way around the arena, LC grew unusually quiet. I could see the wheels turning beneath those whiskers.
“Funny,” she finally said. “They’re just walking, but they’re all doing something different.”
And there it was. Another little piece of wisdom from my dear friend. Long story short (us cats can be a little long-winded sometimes), the same four-beat rhythm can offer something different to every person who experiences it.
Now, if you’ll excuse us, LC has decided she’d like to demonstrate her own collection of gaits for the instructors. She’s particularly proud of her sideways scamper, although I’m fairly certain it has more to do with avoiding wet spots on the ground than improving her coordination.
Until next time, keep moving forward, one step at a time!
VERA (and LC, Director of Gait Analysis & Advanced Scampering) 🐾