What is the difference between a pacer and a trotter?

Question

What is the difference between a pacer and a trotter?

Answer 1

It's a difference in gait.

Pacer: The right front and right rear legs move in unison, as do the both left legs. MOST pacers wear "hobbles" to make sure that this gait is sustained during a race.

Trotter: The diagonal legs move in unison. The right front moves

forward along with the left rear; the left front with  the right rear.

When the horse is running toward you, a pacer 's body sways from left to right, not so with a trotter.

When looking at a trotter from the side, it's front legs have

a "bicycle peddal -like"  circular motion. Trotters don't wear hobbles.

Generally, pacing times are better than trotting times.

Answer 2

the trotter has what is known as a 'diagonal' gait, the front leg and the opposite rear leg move in unison, the pacer has the opposite motion  a 'lateral' gait, where the front leg and the rear leg on the same side move in unison... the above poster is correct in that top pacing times are generally faster than trotting times for harness horses, known as standardbreds... if you look in my 360* profile you will see me about to work a horse for lou pena and his buddy brian at the old work track in sacramento, ca.