The trot is a two beats gait in which a fore limb moves at the same time as the opposite Hind, and vice versa, separated by a time of suspension. It is a symmetrical gait, two legs of a diagonal must leave the ground at the same time and touch it down at the same time.
Its suppleness is observed by looking at the opening of the angle of the shoulder, the location of the fore foot from the front of the shoulder and the location of the opposite hind foot under the body at the time where they touch down the ground.
The balance of the trot which can be 'listen' such as the walk is also rated by the 'bounce' quality of the trot, i.e. the duration and the height of the suspension phase between the two diagonal movement.
As for the walk, the amplitude is measured between two successive prints of the same foot, at the working trot at the speed that the horse naturally adopts in hand beside the person who hold the line and who should accompany him in this natural speed.
The trot will be even suppler that the fore foot will be far before the levelness of the point of the shoulder, and that the rear foot will land near the back of the sternum.
It will be even more balanced that the suspension phase will be long and that the space between the two prints of the same footing will be great.
The visual impression of an observer familiar enough with livestock competitions can be used as a method of characterization of the suppleness and balance.
The amplitude is measured as for the walk. The trot will be small if the average length of a stride is less than 2 m 60, it will evaluate it in the following checkbox between 2 m 60 and 2 m 80, the following between 2 m 80 and 3 m and it will be rated with "great" amplitude beyond 3 m.
The Trot observation allows to evaluate the symmetry of the functioning of the 4 legs, and to develop it. It is a gait that especially solicits the Back strap. It alternates phases of contraction when both feet are on the ground and release during the suspension phase.
A “bouncy” trot" also requests the shoulder muscles and those that attach the shoulder to the chest and that will be solicited in the take-off and landing strides of the jump. This is the bounce of the trot that allows the horse to evolve in the collected gaits for dressage.
For the jumpers, the symmetry and balance of the trot are better than the magnitude and even the suppleness.