THE AMERICAN SADDLE HORSE II3 



beat gait instead of a two-beat gait, as in the racing pace. 

 The running walk.— The name fittingly describes the 

 gait. It is an accelerated walk, the footfalls following 

 each other in rapid succession, hence it is a four-beat gait. 

 At this gait many horses nod their heads in rhythm with 



FIG. 69.— GAITED SADDLE HORSE "ROYALIST" 



the footfalls, hence the term "nodder," which is some- 

 times applied to the gait. 



The fox trot. — This is a slow, rather loosely jointed 

 trot. It has fittingly been described as a "dog trot." 

 The action is somewhat similar to the trot described 

 above, except that it is much slower and the beats are 

 often separated. The gait is rather difficult to perform. 



The slow pace. — Though somewhat similar to the rac- 

 ing pace, this gait differs in that both feet on the same 

 side of the body do not strike the ground at the same 



