What does a gait consist of?

Answer 1

There are a few different gaits horses have, and they are separated by speed and rhythm/steps. So there's:

Walk - four beats, slowest gait

Trot/Jog - two beat, slightly faster. Sometimes this can be an extended trot, like in dressage, where the horse takes longer steps.

Canter/Lope - three beats. This tends to be the main gait, at least in English/Western horse shows.

Gallop - four beats and the fastest gait.

Hope that helps!