Scaling Stride Frequency and Gait to Animal Size: Mice to Horses

The speed at the transition from trot to gallop can be used as an equivalent speed for comparing animals of different size and plotting stride frequency at the trot-gallop transition point as a function of body mass in logarithmic coordinates yields a straight line.

Abstract

The stride frequency at which animals of different size change from one gait to another (walk, trot, gallop) changes in a regular manner with body mass. The speed at the transition from trot to gallop can be used as an equivalent speed for comparing animals of different size. This transition point occurs at lower speeds and higher stride frequencies in smaller animals. Plotting stride frequency at the trot-gallop transition point as a function of body mass in logarithmic coordinates yields a straight line.