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Gaits
Standardbred
racing is contested on two gaits, the trot and the pace.
Trotters move with a diagonal gait; the left front and
right rear legs move in unison, as do the right front
and left rear. It requires much skill by the trainer
to get a trotter to move perfectly at high speeds, even
though the trotting gait is a natural one in the animal
world.
Pacers,
on the other hand, move the legs on one side of their
body in tandem: left front and rear, and right front
and rear. This action shows why pacers are often called
"side-wheelers." Pacers, which account for
about 80 percent of the performers in harness racing
and are the faster of the two gaits, are aided in maintaining
their gait by plastic loops called hobbles, which keep
their legs moving in synchronization.
Pacers
Move
in a lateral gait, which means they move both legs on
the same side forward in unison (for example, its left
front and left rear legs), and then follows suit with
both legs on the other side (right front and rear legs).
Trotters
Move in a diagonal gait. For example, their left front
and right rear legs move forward simultaneously, and
then the right front and left rear legs follow together.
Any
trotter or pacer who "breaks" into a canter
or gallop during a race must be pulled back to it's
correct gait and lose ground to its competitors or be
disqualified from the race.
©
Copyright 2007 Ocean Downs and The United States Trotting
Association. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
or redistributed in any form.
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