Trot A trot is a "two beat" diagonal gait in which a foreleg and opposite hindleg (often called "diagonals") touch the ground at the same time. In this gait, each leg bears weight separately, making it ideal to check for lameness or for stiffness in the joints. A rider on a walking horse initiates a trot by reducing tautness on the reins and applying more leg pressure. There are three types of trot a rider can perform; these are called posting trot, in which the rider stands up slightly in the saddle each time the animal's outside front leg goes forward, sitting trot, in which the rider sits in the saddle and matches the horse's movement, and two point, when the rider lifts slightly out of the saddle and leans forward from the hips. A jog is only used in western riding and is slower than the trot. When jogging the horse the rider sits deeply in the saddle moving along with the horse's movement.