hand cantern.
/ˈhan(d) ˌkantə/, U.S. /ˈhæn(d) ˌkæntər/ A gentle, controlled canter. Also figurative. Cf. hand-gallop n.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > family Equidae (general equines) > horse defined by speed or gait > [noun] > type(s) of gait > canter
false gallopc1515
hand-gallop1624
Canterbury1631
tittup1691
canter1755
hand canter1769
Canterbury gallop1773
tittuping1780
cantering1828
1769 Public Advertiser 17 Aug. (advt.) John Yates, Riding Master,..breaks Horses for Ladies, and brings them to an easy Hand Canter.
1790 E. Morris Adventurers i. 11 I'll keep out of the way, and we shall win in a hand canter.
1836 T. P. Thompson Let. 20 Feb. in Lett. to Constituents 12 The Whigs..have probably made up their minds to carry their Bill through in a hand canter.
1893 Earl of Dunmore Pamirs I. 284 We had seven miles to ride to the city, which we did at a hand canter.
1920 S. E. White Rose Dawn iii. 149 He began to get Pronto in hand. Soon they had slowed to a hand canter, and then to a walk.
1990 Times 23 Feb. 20/3 Park regulations forbid horses being ridden at any speed greater than a hand canter.
2011 N.Z. Herald (Nexis) 7 Feb. It was remarkable to watch him work away from the others from the 350m and be doing only a hand canter as he went across the finish.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1769