A gymnastic equipment is made out of an upright pole topped with a rotating disk with hooked hooks that, when clutched, allow one to take long steps around the pole. The first recorded instance of this word being used in a sentence was in 1838. This verb came into popular use after the advent of the peg floor in 1872. Taking a giant stride means going far enough so that your foot reaches down to the ground before you rise up again. This expression comes from sports where people would leap over a barrier or fence in order to enter a new area. The size of the jump required to reach this point is called a "giant's stride." You can also take large strides by walking or running very close together with your feet pointed in the same direction. This is useful when you need to cover a lot of ground quickly and don't have much time to stop and start over again. The term "stride" also refers to the mark left by a horse as it passes through water. If you watch horses at play, you will see that they often kick their legs high in the air as they walk through shallow streams or ponds. This is because their legs are spread out wide apart from one another, which makes them look like they are leaving a clear path on both sides of their body.