What does cadence mean in reining circles?

Cadence in reining circles means the horse maintains a steady, rhythmic lope throughout the entire circle without rushing, breaking gait, changing tempo unnecessarily, or becoming choppy and irregular in its stride. It is one of the qualities judges evaluate most consistently because it is a direct indicator of the horse's training level, physical balance, and mental state — a horse in correct, balanced training moves with a consistent rhythm because nothing in its physical or mental state is disrupting it, while a horse that is unbalanced, anxious, over-collected, or poorly trained shows those problems directly in the irregularity of its stride. A cadenced lope has a three-beat rhythm that remains consistent whether the horse is on the straight portions of the circle, through the turns, in the larger fast circle, or in the smaller collected circle. The rhythm should not speed up on the straight and slow through the turns, which indicates the horse is not balanced through the arc and is using the straight portions to compensate for difficulty in the bend. It should not become choppy when the rider applies leg or rein, which indicates the horse is reacting to the aid rather than simply adjusting from it. In the large fast circle, cadence means the horse gallops with a big, forward stride that covers ground consistently rather than rushing and taking many quick strides. In the small slow circle, cadence means the collected stride is even and measured rather than irregular from the effort of collection. Judges reward circles that look smooth and willingly guided because smoothness and willingness are the visible expression of correct training, and cadence is the clearest single indicator of whether those qualities are present or absent in a given horse's circle work.