If your horse is gaited it's gaited, meaning it's doing something smoother than a trot...what more do you really need to know? If you want to breed horses that are pretty and smooth to ride, then you breed them to other horses that are pretty and smooth to ride. 

Try not to let the over analyzing of gaited horses confuse or discourage you from doing whatever you might with your gaited horse or from your interest in gaited horses.  A smooth ride is a smooth ride. It is interesting  to some to know what gait your horse might be performing and feel free to send us a clip of your horse to name your gait for you.

If there's anything I've learned in the last few years is that gaits have not changed much since I was a girl as I rode a variety of gaited types back then, as well as trotters. Not much discussion or consideration was entertained in my family or among our horse community about all that, we were sometimes riding Walkers that did a running walk, or Fox Trotters that step paced or performed the Fox Trot, or grade horses that trotted.  I had a Saddlebred and experienced the "slow gait" and the rack, both of which were different than what I was riding on the trail. The slow gait was pretty smooth but not as smooth as the running walk, and the rack was a blast, very fast, head up in your face, and also pretty smooth, at least on that horse.  I saw some rack's among Saddlebreds back then that were not smooth...There was not much talk then about whether or not a gait was natural, at least not that I paid any attention to at the time.  What I realize now is this...Most of the gaited breeds have similar gaits and most everyone has a different opinion on what gait is what and are analyzing gait with great scrutiny in order to apply a proper label.  Some gaits are so similar as to make it difficult to distinguish between them in still photos without the speed being applied that you can see in a video.  I would use the term gaited just as the term Single-foot is being used.  Gaited is gaited.  And there is a variety of gaits and gait levels with lots of factors affecting the gait. Running walk is our preferred gait here at Missouri Morgans, stepping pace is a slower more lateral gait than the running walk but on most horses still pretty smooth.  The change in speed and animation to the rack is quite notable and visible on most horses and is not usually as smooth as the running walk unless it is a horse with great reach and speed and not up in the front end . The Foxtrot is descript in it's label...there's a trot to it and mostly I don't find them to appear or feel too smooth.  Anything that concerns style or execution of gait or gaitedness applies to Morgans just as it applies to any other gaited breed. It is interesting to look at the videos and try to pick out gait though, just try not to get overly confused...it's not that critical. 

Single-foot:  a broad term used by old time horsemen to describe any gait other than a two beat gait.  A single foot  hits the ground one at a time.  MSFHA has adopted the term ‘Single-Foot” as an umbrella term to describe the continuum.  It includes the following gaits: fox trot, running walk, rack and stepping pace.

Running Walk:  An even four beat cadence with each hoof hitting the ground  singly, similar to a flat foot walk but with more speed. Note that single hitting foots are sometimes not detectable in photos and consideration to a foot about to lift of should be made.  Saying a hoof hitting the ground singly would perhaps be better explained by saying the weight shift off a foot is considered to be a movement onto the next footfall.

Running Walk        Running Walk

Rack:  A rack is also a four beat cadence but in my opinion has much more animation going on than a running walk.  When riding a rack it's a bit more up

in the front end, a little more elevated in front, more reach up under from the hind legs, faster speed and not as smooth to ride on some horses as the running walk.

However, this gait will vary with the horse...If you take a look at the North American Single-footer type horses, or the registered Racking horses, they are actually more

extended out forward and deep reach from behind than a Saddlebred type you see in a show ring that is a more animated and up and down movement.

They're all still much more smooth to ride than a trot and pleasant ground covering gaits.

    Rack

Stepping Pace:  A four beat gait in which the lateral hooves move together with the hind hoof hitting the ground slightly before the front.  This gait is sometimes called a broken pace. An uneven rhythm count of 1, 2 and  3, 4 and  1, 2 and 3,4 and 1,2 and 3,4 and 1,2 and 3,4 and so on.  The photo below exhibits this perfectly where the left hind is down already with the left fore about to touch down.  You may be able to see that by the time the right hind comes forward to set down, there would be a break in the rhythm, creating the slightly uneven count.  This is a very smooth gait to ride but can quickly go pacey if the horse is rushing the gait or hollowing out his back.  Easily corrected by just a tap on the bit to get the horse back on the bit.  This gait can go trotty as well for the same reason, also corrected by reconnecting through the bit and asking for some rounding of the back, bringing the horse back into a frame where gait execution is more easily accomplished.

Stepping Pace

PACE:  (not a singlefoot gait)  While the pace is not a single-foot gait, inclusion of a pace description would lend some understanding to the stepping pace.  A pace is actually a two beat gait...1.2.1.2.1.2.1.2.1.2.1.2 and so on.  It is lateral meaning that the right hind and right fore touch down at the same time and then the left hind and left fore touch down at the same time.  A fast and efficient movement but not one very comfortable to ride.  It is the same rhythm as a trot with it's 1,2 count but the bounce is a side to side action where as with the trot you'll experience more up down movement with that diagonal foot fall.

Contrary to popular belief, the pace IS accepted as preferred gaits in two breeds I know of.  The Florida Cracker Horse and the Pacer. 

Below is a diagram of sorts that shows the spectrum of gaits from the diagonal to the square even gaits to the lateral pacey gaits.  You may run across some horses that do some kind of something that fall between some of these descriptions.