The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse is known best for the comfort if affords its rider. Loved as a trail horse, 90 percent of registered Missouri Fox Trotters are owned by people who use them for trail, competition and 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 it's endurance and surefootedness in rugged terrain, by ranchers for it's 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.
The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse has three natural gaits; the long and easy-going flat foot walk, the smooth and comfortable fox trot characteristic of its name, and the "rocking horse" canter. No special shoeing or training is required for these horses to perform these gaits and their good disposition and are among their many desirable characteristics. It has made them one of the most versatile and loved of horse breeds within the equine registries.
Developed from horses in the Ozarks, the breed is characterized by a gentle disposition and an easy, fluid 4-beat diagonal gait. Bloodlines can be traced from early settlers coming into the Missouri Ozarks from neighbouring 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 able to double as a stylish buggy horse or riding horse for the family.
In 1948, The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association was formed to preserve this true all-American horse. This followed the scramble to discard saddle horses for automobiles as the main means of transportation.
Because of their stamina and smooth ground covering gaits, they have also become very popular with field trial competitors and those involved in the sport of long distance trail riding.
Missouri Fox Trotting horses are extremely intelligent and have the heart and stamina to attempt any task asked of them. They are surefooted in mountainous terrain, gentle in disposition, and smooth of gait for the comfort of both horse and rider. The Missouri Fox Trotter Horse Breed motto today is "Every rider's pleasure horse".
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