Rotary Gallop May Be the Fastest Gait

Quarter Horses can reach speeds of about 45 miles (72 km) per hour in short bursts. What gives cheetahs the ability to run so much faster–about 70 miles (112 km) per hour? Several factors of conformation are responsible, but part of the answer is that cheetahs use a rotary gallop, while horses and a number of other mammals prefer a transverse gallop. Many animals, including horses, use both forms in some instances. Footfalls in a transverse-galloping horse are left hind, right hind quickly followed by left fore, finishing with right fore. In a rotary gallop, the footfalls are left hind, right hind quickly followed by right fore, finishing with left fore. This gait sequence in horses resembles a disunited canter.

There is some evidence that the rotary gallop is somewhat faster for horses than the transverse gallop, and the footfall pattern may explain a portion of the cheetah’s speed as well. Scientists in Canada compared mechanics of the gaits of both animals and concluded that the horse derives momentum and speed mostly from its hindlimbs, while the cheetah derives momentum and speed mostly from its forelimbs. They also speculated that equine gaits such as the amble and tolt may be derivatives of the horse’s rotary gallop.