Vicka's informant says: >>Well, I'd think that as for the actual word tolt, the Icelandic definition should do. Tolt is a four beat gait where the spacing between the footfalls is even. One to two legs support the horse at any given time, and the gait is thus without suspension. Flaws in tolt can among others be when three legs touch the ground at the same time, or deviation from even spacing of the footfalls, either in the direction of trot or pace. These deviations of beat and support are not considered seperate gaits, but rather imperfections to be worked out. Tolt is not defined by speed, it can be nearly as slow as a walk, or unbelivably fast, all depending upon the capacity of the horse.
Tolt with a good beat, good reach of the hind legs, graceful lift and reach of the forelegs, the movements are very supple and elastic, great speed can be attained. That is about it for the Icelandic definition, as far as I know, and that is all that should apply to the word tolt. People can of course go on trying to define things further, but then they are no longer talking about tolt, then it falls under some other vocabular definition, which we in Iceland do not use.<<<< Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
