Ambling gait

Historically, horses able to amble were highly desired for riding long distances on poor roads.

In 2012, a DNA study found that horses from several gaited and harness racing breeds carried a mutation on the gene DMRT3, which controls the spinal neurological circuits related to limb movement and motion.

In the Standardbred breed, the DMRT3 gene was also found in trotting horses, suggesting that it inhibits the ability to transition into a canter or gallop.

Though there are differences in footfall patterns and speed of the various gaits, historically they were collectively referred to as an "amble".

[1] The amble was particularly prized in horses in the Middle Ages due to the need for people to travel long distances on poor roads.

[3] As roads improved and carriage travel became more common, followed later by railroads, riding horses that trotted became more popular in Europe; the dominant uses of riding horses came to include light cavalry, fox hunting and other types of rapid travel across country, but of more limited duration, where the gallop could be used.

Thus, in history, where comfort for long hours in the saddle was important, ambling horses were preferred for smoothness, sure-footedness and quiet disposition.

[5] Many breeds of horses inherit the ability to perform these gaits, which may be observable naturally from birth or may present with a minimal amount of training.

Sometimes, this effect is accidentally produced in an attempt to create the slow two-beat jog trot desired in western pleasure competition when the horse cannot sustain a slow jog and falls into a shuffling, four beat gait described as "trotting in front and walking behind," which is penalized in the show ring.

Some horses neither trot nor pace easily, but prefer their ambling gait for their standard intermediate speed.

Horses with a longer back at the lumbosacral joint or "coupling" will find it easier to perform a lateral ambling gait, though they may also have to work harder to have proper collection.

A well-laid back shoulder and somewhat horizontal hip angle favor a longer length of stride and is helpful in horses that fox trot, while a steeper shoulder angle combined with more sloping croup produce a stride more desirable in some lateral gaits such as the running walk.

[13] In 2016, a study of DMRT3 SNP in paleographic DNA located the ambling horse mutation to medieval England with subsequent spread by Vikings first to Iceland in the 10th century.

[15] Breeds known for galloping ability, including the Thoroughbred and even the wild Przewalski’s horse, do not possess the mutated form of the gene.

Researchers theorize that this is due to the difficulty that horses with this mutation have in moving from an ambling gait to a gallop, leading them to be easy prey for predators.

[8] In the studies of Icelandic horses, those animals homozygous for the DMRT3 mutation scored poorly for their ability to both trot and gallop.

Researchers concluded that breeders selected away from the mutation in horses bred for sports such as dressage, show jumping, and racing at a gallop.

[19] Some Tennessee Walking Horses perform other variations of lateral ambling gaits, including the rack, stepping pace, fox trot and single-foot, which are allowable for pleasure riding but penalized in the show ring.

[20] The slow gait is a general term for several slower forms of the classic amble that follow the same general footfall pattern as the walk, in that lateral pairs of legs move forward in sequence, but the rhythm and collection of the movements are different.

The stepping pace, sometimes itself called an "amble," is a slightly uneven lateral gait, with a non-isochronous 1–2, 3-4 sequence, while the singlefoot has an isochronous, even 1-2-3-4 rhythm.

[26] The rack, like other intermediate gaits, is smoother than the trot because the hooves hitting the ground individually rather than in pairs minimizes the force and bounce the horse transmits to the rider.

This means that, instead of a rounded back as seen in dressage horses and others that work off their hind quarters, the spine is curved somewhat downward.

The downside of this is that this position weakens the back and makes the horse less able to carry the weight of the rider without strain.

Horses are ridden over a "fino strip", which is usually plywood set into the ground, so the judges can listen for absolute regularity of footfall.

The faster ambling gait of the Peruvian Paso is called the sobreandando and is slightly uneven, similar to the stepping pace.

[39] The Marwari and Kathiawari breeds of India often exhibit a natural lateral ambling gait, called the revaal,[40] aphcal,[41] or rehwal.

[42] The Mangalarga Marchador performs the marcha picada, a four-beat lateral gait, similar to a stepping pace or singlefoot.

In a fox trot, the horse must keep one front foot on the ground at all times and display a sliding motion with the hind legs.

[44] The Carolina Marsh Tacky, another breed with Spanish heritage, exhibits a four-beat diagonal ambling gait comparable to the marcha batida.