The Missouri Fox Trotter developed in the Missouri Ozark mountains of the United States, where pioneers from Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas settled after the Show Me State was given statehood in 1821. The horses they brought along crossed with each other over the decades, and the result was a surefooted horse with the ability to negotiate the rugged mountain terrain. These horses were used to plow, work cattle, haul logs, and transport people. In time, the breed was given the name Missouri Fox Trotter because of its smooth, four-beat gait.
In 1948, as association formed to maintain the breed’s studbook. The association took the name of Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association in 1958, and was reincorporated as a stock company. In 1973, the organization changed to a membership association. The studbook remained open until 1983.
Today, Missouri Fox Trotters can be found in all fifty states, in Europe and here in Canada.
The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse stands between 14 and 16 hands and comes in palomino, cremello, perlino, chestnut, black, brown, bay, buckskin, gray, roan, and pinto.
Horses of this breed are born with the ability to perform the fox trot and the flat foot walk, in addition to the canter. The fox trot is a collected gait that features a walking step in the front and a trotting step behind. The flat foot walk is a four-beat gait that differs from the fox trot in that it features a steady, equal, four-beat cadence produced by the hooves.
Missouri Fox Trotters are shown in jumping, Western classes, parades, gymkhana, and competitive trail riding. They are also common as family pleasure horses, and they are known as being gentle and good for beginners.
Michael