What is a Missouri Fox Trotter?
A Special Thanks to Rick Lamb at
"The Horse Show"
Be sure to visit Rick Lamb for more great info about horses!
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The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse is known best for the comfort it affords it's rider. Loved as a trail horse, the majority of registered Missouri Fox Trotters are owned by people who use them for trail riding, competition, endurance, and pleasure riding. Acclaimed as a show horse, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse is also recognized for its beauty and style in the show ring. Used by hunters and forest rangers for its endurance and surefootedness in rugged terrain, by ranchers for its versatility and intelligence, and on Hollywood movie sets for its gentle nature, the breed has quickly earned its reputation as a horse for all situations. |
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The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse has three natural gaits: an easy-going flat
foot walk, the smooth and comfortable fox trot characteristic of its name,
and a relaxed and free-flowing canter. No special shoeing or training is
required for these horses to perform their gaits, and their good
dispositions and willing attitudes are among their many desirable
characteristics, making them one of the most versatile and loved of horse
breeds within the equine registries.
Developed from horses in the Missouri Ozarks, the breed is characterized by
a gentle demeanor and its signature gait, the fluid, diagonal 4-beat fox
trot. Bloodlines can be traced from the horses of early settlers coming to
the Ozarks from neighboring states of Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee and
Arkansas. Their horses were depended upon for their surefootedness in this
mountainous region and their ability to do whatever was needed around the
homestead ranging from plowing, hauling logs and working cattle, while at
the same time being able to double as a stylish buggy horse or riding horse
for the family. Whatever the need, this using horse proved capable and
adaptable, later becoming known as the Missouri Fox Trotter.
By 1948 a breed association was formed for this talented horse for the
purpose of maintaining an accurate stud book for the breed. In 1958 the
Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association located in Ava, Missouri was
reorganized and reincorporated as a stock company. In 1973 the corporation
was changed from a stock company to a membership organization. The
Association had kept its registry open for qualifying stock until 1983.
After that time, horses approved for registration had to have both parents
permanently registered in the MFTHBA, effectively becoming a "closed book"
registry.
In 2002, the Missouri Legislature recognized the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse as the Official State Horse, and while we are extremely proud of this honor, the Missouri Fox Trotter is at home in all 50 states, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond.
Surefooted in mountainous terrain, gentle in temperament, and smooth of gait for the comfort of both horse and rider, the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed’s motto today is "To Ride One Is To Own One."
