A gait of a horse between a trot and a gallop, consisting of three beats and a "suspension" phase, where there are no feet on the ground. Also describing this gait on other four legged animals
a smooth 3-beat gait; between a trot and a gallop ride at a canter; "The men cantered away" ride at a cantering pace; "He cantered the horse across the meadow" go at a canter, of horses
The canter is a broken three-beat gait, and should be performed with collection The horse should be relaxed and under control, should not crossfire, and should be in the correct lead In the canter the outside rear foot hits the ground first, the inside rear and the outside front feet hit the ground simultaneously, and the inside front foot hits last This produces the broken three-beat cadence Because of the rocking motion of the canter, the saddle should move smoothly without surging or bouncing This rocking chair canter allows the horse to have a showy head movement as the head is used as a counter balance to the broken gait The head will reach its highest point when the outside rear foot hits the ground, and its lowest point when the inside front foot hits the ground The horse gathers itself on the off beat and takes another step The speed of the canter should be near that of the flat foot walk
When a horse canters, it moves at a speed that is slower than a gallop but faster than a trot. The competitors cantered into the arena to conclude the closing ceremony. Canter is also a noun. Carnac set off at a canter. to ride or make a horse run quite fast, but not as fast as possible gallop (canterbury (1600-1700), from Canterbury city in southeast England; from the speed at which people rode when going to Canterbury on pilgrimage)