What is the correct rhythm of the trot in dressage?

The correct trot in dressage is a two-beat diagonal gait in which the horse's feet move in diagonal pairs — left fore and right hind together, then right fore and left hind together — with a clear moment of suspension between each diagonal pair when all four feet are off the ground simultaneously. This two-beat sequence with its characteristic suspension is what gives the trot its spring and elasticity, and the length and quality of the moment of suspension is one of the primary indicators of the trot's quality as a dressage movement. A regular trot should show equal timing in both diagonal pairs — the left diagonal and right diagonal should spend equal time on the ground and equal time in suspension — and any tendency toward unevenness between diagonals, sometimes described as going unlevel, must be investigated for physical causes including lameness before being attributed to training issues. The trot's rhythm should remain consistent across all its variations — working, medium, extended, and collected trot — with the beat remaining the same two-beat sequence regardless of the length of stride or the degree of engagement. A loss of the two-beat rhythm in any form of the trot — a tendency toward a four-beat trot in which the diagonal pairs lose their simultaneity — typically indicates tension, loss of impulsion, or incorrect collection that has compressed the stride without maintaining its elasticity. The trot is generally considered the most trainable gait and the one in which a horse's gymnastic development is most clearly visible, which is why so much dressage training takes place at the trot and why the quality of the trot is so heavily weighted in competitive scoring.