 The breed exhibits a natural ambling gait , called the single @-@ foot , which replaces the trot seen in a majority of horse breeds . Both gaits are an intermediate speed between a walk and a <unk> or gallop ; ambling gaits are four @-@ beat gaits , whereas the trot is a two @-@ beat gait . The extra <unk> provide additional <unk> to a rider because the horse always has at least one foot on the ground . This <unk> movement of the horse 's <unk> and removes the bounce of a two @-@ beat gait , caused by a moment of suspension followed by the <unk> of two feet hitting the ground as the horse shifts from one pair of legs to the other . The value of an intermediate speed is that the horse <unk> energy . More than thirty horse breeds are " gaited , " able to perform a four @-@ beat ambling gait , and some can also trot . Thus , a Rocky Mountain Horse , with rider , can use the single @-@ foot to cover rough ground at around 7 miles per hour ( 11 km / h ) and short stretches of smooth ground at up to 16 miles per hour ( 26 km / h ) . The faster speed is known as the rack . In comparison , the average medium trot speed is 6 to 8 miles per hour ( 9 @.@ 7 to 12 @.@ 9 km / h ) . 
