Glossary
Black Horse Cantering

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Canter
An asymmetrical, three-beat gait in which two diagonally contralateral limbs are moved in unison, and the other two limbs are moved independently.
A typical sequence of footfalls might be right hind foot, left hind foot and right forefoot in unison, and then left forefoot. This is an asymmetrical pattern  because footfalls are not evenly spaced in time.
This movement provides more speed than a trot, without the expenditure of energy of a suspended gallop. It is rarely adopted by dogs or cats.
Strictly speaking, the canter is a supported gallop, so-called because at least one limb is on the ground at any one time. There are no suspension phases.