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n.

1. A particular way or manner of moving on foot: a person who ran with a clumsy, hobbling gait.
2. Any of the ways, such as a canter, trot, or walk, by which a horse can move by lifting the feet in different order or rhythm.
3. Rate or manner of proceeding: The project went forward at a steady gait.

tr.v., gait·ed, gait·ing, gaits.

To train (a horse) in a particular gait or gaits.

[Middle English gate, path, gait, from Old Norse gata, path.]

Gait is a general term covering a series of modes of forward progression. In humans, it encompasses the only two familiar types: walking and running. However, other bipeds like kangaroos have radically different mechanisms of gait, and quadrupeds such as the horse have a much fuller repertoire of gaits including walking, trotting, cantering, and galloping, that involve quite different patterns of movement. Human walking and running varies only in speed.

The general principle is that increases in speed are associated with lifting each foot earlier in the stride cycle and placing it so that stride length is increased.

The choice of gait is largely determined by the energy cost of progression. In each case the most economical gait is selected, although the mechanism by which the central nervous system makes the selection remains unknown.

The power requirement for gait increases linearly with speed in each mode of gait. However, the efficiency with which this power is converted into forward motion varies. In general, each limb is used like a pendulum, swinging forward passively at low speeds and accelerated forward at higher speeds of progression. The increased flexion of the limb at the knee as humans change from walking to running can be regarded as a attempt to shorten the length of the pendulum, so allowing faster swings forward. This pendulum action is supplemented by storage of energy in the elastic components of the limb, with its subsequent release in the next phase of movement. This is obvious in the ‘spring in the step’ of youngsters, that allows smooth storage and release of energy during gait. It also allows a low energy cost of movement. (This reaches its most sophisticated form in the bouncing gait of the kangaroo and, as a consequence, kangaroos have the most energy-efficient gait in the animal kingdom.)

The management of energy transfer between its kinetic and potential forms requires complex control within the central nervous system. The limbs have to be folded to allow swing phases and stiffened to allow stance in precisely co-ordinated ways. In addition, muscle contraction can be used to stiffen the natural springiness of tendons, so allowing more energy storage.

Many neurological conditions, such as Parkinson's disease and stroke, affect the timings of the muscle activity. This severely affects the efficiency of movement and imposes a large additional demand for muscle activity, which is obvious in slowed gait and reduced endurance.

— R. H. Baxendale

See also walking.

(gāt)
n

A manner of walking; a cyclic loss and regaining of balance by a shift of the line of gravity in relationship to the center of gravity. A person’s gait is as characteristic and as individual as a fingerprint.

Style of walking.

The manner or style of locomotion. Often used in assessing horses and dogs. See also ataxia, dysmetria, incoordination, spastic, stringhalt, walk, trot, canter, gallop (2), cadence, five-gaited.

• g. analysis — evaluation of the manner or style of walking, usually done by observing the animal as it walks or trots in a straight line. The normal forward step consists of two phases: the stance phase, during which one or more legs and feet are bearing most or all of the body weight, and the swing phase, during which the other feet are not touching the walking surface and the body weight is borne by the others. In a complete two-step cycle all feet are in contact with the ground at the same time for about 25% of the time. This part of the cycle is called the double-support phase.
— An analysis of each component of the three phases of ambulation is an essential part of the diagnosis of various neurological disorders and the assessment of patient progress during rehabilitation and recovery from the effects of a neurological disease, a musculoskeletal injury or disease process, or amputation of a lower extremity.
• antalgic g. — a limp adopted so as to avoid pain on weight-bearing structures, characterized by a very short stance phase.
• ataxic g. — an unsteady, uncoordinated walk, employing a wide base.
• diagonal g. — one in which a forelimb is moved in unison with its opposite hindlimb, e.g. trot.
• double-step g. — a gait in which there is a noticeable difference in the length or timing of alternate steps.
• high stepping g. — may be normal in some fancy gaited horses. In others it may be a sign of blindness or poor proprioception, usually because of a defect in the sensory nervous system. It may also be a manifestation of hypermetria.
• horse g. — there are three natural gaits, walk, trot, canter and two artificial gaits, the foxtrot, rack. There are a number of other less well-defined gaits similar to foxtrot.
• spastic g. — a walk in which the legs move in a stiff manner, the toes seeming to drag and catch.
• staggery g. — see staggers.
• waddling g. — exaggerated alternation of lateral trunk movements with an exaggerated elevation of the hip, suggesting the gait of a duck.

IN BRIEF: Carriage of the body while on foot.

After the horse stumbled, the jockey was concerned about its gait.

Tutor's tip: The horse's "gait" (a way of walking or running) increased as it approached the "gate" (a movable barrier).

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - gang, gangart, fodskifte
v. tr. - træne (hest) i regelmæssig gangart

Nederlands (Dutch)
gang, manier van (hard)lopen, dresseren

Français (French)
n. - démarche, allure, trot, pas, petit galop (un cheval)
v. tr. - dresser/apprendre à un cheval (le petit galop, le trot, le pas, etc)

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gang, Gangart
v. - eine Gangart antrainieren

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - βάδισμα, περπατησιά, βηματισμός, βήμα
v. - μαθαίνω βηματισμό (σε άλογο)

Italiano (Italian)
andatura

Português (Portuguese)
n. - marcha (f), modo (m) de andar
v. - adestrar um cavalo na marcha, preparar para o funcionamento

Русский (Russian)
походка, поступь

Español (Spanish)
n. - manera de andar, paso, andares
v. tr. - enseñar un paso a un caballo

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - gång, tempo
v. - träna en häst i en speciell gångstil, visa upp en hund inför domare

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
步法, 步态, 训练...的步法

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 步法, 步態
v. tr. - 訓練...的步法

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 걸음걸이
v. tr. - 심사원 앞에 걷게 하다, 걸음걸이를 훈련하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 歩きぶり, 足どり, 馬の足並み

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) مشيه, طريقه العدو (فعل) يدرب على مشيه خاصه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הילוך, צורת הליכה/ריצה‬
v. tr. - ‮הילוך, צורת הליכה/ריצה‬

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