inside hind leg and outside foreleg are still touching the ground, but are about to be lifted up. The inside hindleg and outside foreleg (beat two) are lifted off the ground. The inside foreleg is the only foot supporting the horse's weight. The inside foreleg is lifted off the ground. Suspension: All four of the horse's legs are off the ground. The faster the horse is moving, the longer the phase of suspension is. Gallop The canter and gallop are related gaits, so by asking the horse to gallop from a canter, the rider is simply asking the horse to lengthen its stride. When the stride is sufficiently lengthened, the diagonal pair of beat two breaks, resulting in a four beat gait, the inside hind striking first, before the outside fore. A careful listener or observer can tell an extended canter from a gallop by the presence of the fourth beat. The gallop is the fastest gait of the horse, averaging about , and in the wild is used when the animal needs to flee from predators or simply cover short distances quickly. Horses seldom will gallop more than before they need to rest, though horses can sustain a moderately paced gallop for longer distances before they become winded and have to slow down. Although the walk, trot, and canter can be collected to very short, engaged strides, the gallop if collected will turn back into a canter. The "hand gallop" of the show ring is not merely an extended canter, but a true lengthening of stride, yet still fully under control by the rider. A racing gallop, in contrast, pushes the horse to the limits of its speed. The fastest galloping speed is achieved by the American Quarter Horse, which in a short sprint of a quarter mile () or less has been clocked at speeds approaching . The Guinness Book of World Records lists a Thoroughbred as having averaged over a two-furlong () distance in 2008. Leads The "lead" of a canter refers to the order in which the footfalls occur. If the left hind leg is placed first (beat one), which would then be followed by the right hind and left foreleg (beat two), before the right foreleg (beat three), the horse is said to be on the "right lead". If the right hind leg is beat one, then the left foreleg will be the last leg