The canter is a three-beat gait. The first leg to initiate the canter is the rear outside leg. This sets the horse up to canter on the correct lead, which means last footfall will be the inside foreleg. The correct lead helps keep the horse in balance as it's body weight pivots around on that leg. The footfalls for the left lead (last footfall = left forefront leg) are right rear, left rear/right front together, left front. Footfalls for the right lead are left rear, right rear/left front together, right front.

Sometimes a horse will get confused and "cross-canter," which is cantering on one lead in the front, and another in the back. This usually results from the horse being tense or unbalanced. The rider usually stops the horse and reinitiates the canter on the correct lead.

Saddlebreds in the show ring initiate the canter either from a walk or a halt. It is not acceptable to "run" a horse into a canter from the trot. Saddlebreds also exhibit a "rocking horse" canter, which displays a pleasant up-down motion. It has been often said that a well-cantering Saddlebred can "canter all day in the shade of a tree!"

Videoclip of Canter - Right Lead (1,191K)