# Quadruped locomotion: only four modes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 18, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846 "2015-06-18T13:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/21 "2015-06-19T12:07:30Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Pity, I’d pay good money to see an elephant pronk. Juvenile elephants can, well they can jump, not sure that is a pronk or a bound. That’s so they can play hopscotch with the other animals. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/22 "2015-06-19T22:48:28Z")
Icelandic horses are said to have additional gaits over and above the walk/trot/canter/gallop. One of them is called the _tölt_, which is I think what my pony was doing on the one and only time I’ve ridden one. It was a fast and smooth movement over uneven terrain. Unfortunately I don’t know enough to say in what way it differs from the other horsey gaits or whether it’s the same as one of those mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/23 "2015-06-20T00:23:48Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Which is actually called “pacing”, at least in horses, and provides an example for the OP of something besides the four listed. I seem to recall hearing that dogs tend to pace rather than trot when they are tired. Don’t camels “pace” as their normal gait? ---
**Author:** ![Marion\_Wormer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@Marion\_Wormer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marion_Wormer)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/24 "2015-06-20T00:48:03Z")
The rack and the pace are separate. There’s this family of gaits called ambling, which vary by breed. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/25 "2015-06-20T01:15:16Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Pity, I’d pay good money to see an elephant pronk. … “Remember me?”, he asked, showing the elephant his silver hammer. Elephant nods, “yes”. "Want me to do it again? Elephant shakes head, “no”. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846/26 "2015-06-20T01:31:42Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > Icelandic horses are said to have additional gaits over and above the walk/trot/canter/gallop. One of them is called the _tölt_, which is I think what my pony was doing on the one and only time I’ve ridden one. It was a fast and smooth movement over uneven terrain. > > Unfortunately I don’t know enough to say in what way it differs from the other horsey gaits or whether it’s the same as one of those mentioned above. It’s sort of trotting in the forelegs and cantering in the hind. Feels very weird at first! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quadruped-locomotion-only-four-modes/722846.md?page=1)