The canter is a controlled, three-beat gait performed by a horse. It is a natural gait possessed by all horses, faster than most horses' trot but slower than the  gallop, and is used by all riders. The speed of the canter varies between 16 and 27 km/h (10 and 17 mph), depending on the length of the stride of the horse. A variation of the canter, seen in western riding, is called a lope, and generally is quite slow, no more than 13–19 km/h (8–12 mph).