A square halt in which both hind legs are underneath the body, the weight is distributed evenly over the support base, and the horse is round, elevated, and light, is something that many riders struggle with. Most horses will leave one hind leg out behind, or they have one front leg farther under the body than the other.
A steady tempo (beats per minute) that is neither too fast nor too slow for the horse is the foundation of balance - together with correct arena patterns. That’s why it is the first element of the training scale. A steady tempo allows the horse to find his longitudinal balance. Accurate arena patterns that are performed in functional straightness (i.e. the horse’s feet are aligned so that the left pair of legs is on the left side of the line, the right pair of legs is on the right side of the line, and the spine forms a segment of the line) allow the horse to find his lateral balance.
Each gait has its own potential for rhythm impurities. The walk is the most vulnerable to gait impurities because it has no suspension phase. That’s why German riding instructors often warned against working the horse at the walk.
The canter has an asymmetrical footfall sequence, which also makes it susceptible to rhythm purities.
The trot has a very symmetrical footfall pattern with a suspension phase after each diagonal pair touches down. That makes it the most robust gait, although there a couple of rhythm anomalies that can occur in the trot as well.
