Lead (leg)
[1] In horses, it is more often than not an undesirable gait form, also known as rotary and round galloping, and as moving disunited, cross-firing, and cross-cantering.
[1] Some authorities define the leading leg in the singular form as the last to leave the ground before the one or two periods of suspension within each stride.
Because in some animals the gallop has two moments of suspension, some authorities recognize a lead in each pair of legs, fore and hind.
So when an animal is in a rotatory gait, it is called disunited,[2] due to different leading legs in the front and hind.
However, there is an exception to this general rule, the counter canter, or counter-lead, a movement used in upper-level dressage, where a horse may be deliberately asked for what would normally be the "wrong" lead in order to show obedience and balance.
Usually the constraints of a show arena and the presence of other animals prevent the gait from extending into the four-beat form of the racing gallop.
When performing a counter-canter, the horse is slightly bent in the direction of the leading legs, but opposite to the line of travel.
As the horse becomes better at the exercise, the rider may then make the loop deeper, and finally perform a 20-meter circle in counter-canter.
[3][4] Eadweard Muybridge illustrated both rotatory and transverse canters but did not stress the difference of lead.
In reining and working cow horse flying lead changes are an integral part of nearly all patterns except for those at the most novice levels.
A good flying lead change appears effortless both in the horse's actions and in the rider's cues.
Controlled speed is desired in reining competition, and the faster a horse moves while properly executing the flying change, the higher the score.
The canter-halt-canter transition is becoming more and more popular, especially at the higher levels of competition, where judges are now beginning to specify a simple change through the halt, as it requires a greater degree of control by the rider and balance by the horse.
These tables outline the sequence of footfalls (beats) in the canter and gallop, the animal on the right lead.
