pace

Question
hello ma'am, is pace a natural gait in horses?

Answer
    There are indeed horses that have a natural inclination to pace. The pace is a lateral gait, opposed to the diagonal beat of a trot.We have several breeds such as Rocky Mountain Horses, which are said to take to these gaits naturally.

   There are free-legged Pacers in the Standardbred racing world. They do not need to wear hobbles. Hobbles are used to force a trotting horse to change his racing gait from diagonal to lateral. It is sometimes done to animals who show some lameness or soreness. I do not like the practice. The horses get sore legs and the hobbles actually break the skin of the horses.

   So, in reply, yes, there are some breeds that pace naturally, but it can also be a forced gait which people create by artificial means.