BREED DESCRIPTION
The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed is one of the fastest growing breeds in the USA and Europe. These versatile horses were developed in the Missouri Ozarks and were especially bred for their multipurpose qualities. They are noted for their gentle nature, willingness to work on the farm, their comfortable and surefooted fox trot gait (a broken 4 beat gait) which allows a rider to cover ground quickly and comfortably, their ability to perform impressively in open timed events, and their elegance in the performance show ring at their fox trot gait. These horses excel on trail rides, in competition rides, speed events, field trial events, handicap riding programs, parades, as police and park ranger horses, and more. All the above qualities are those which make up the winning combination for which these horses are known and their owners enjoy.
The motto of those who ride these amazing horses is
"To Ride One is to Own One!"
The three main Foxtrotter gaits are the flat foot walk, fox trot and canter. The Missouri Fox Trot gait is basically a diagonal gait. The horse performs this gait by walking in front and trotting behind with reach in each stride. He may disfigure or overstep his track, provided he travels straight on all four legs and does a true Fox Trot. The fox trot has a distinctive rhythm that is created by a horse moving its front foot a split second before its opposite rear foot. The fox trot is a smooth gait because the horse is in contact with the ground at all times. A horse that is foxtrotting correctly will never have more than two feet off the ground at any given time. On both the front and back ends the horse will sit one foot down as it picks the other foot up and for a moment both feet will be touching the ground.
A true flat foot walk is a four-beat gait in which each foot is picked up and set down in an even cadence. The rear end movement should be smooth and close to the ground without any snap or pop. Each stride should reach forward and slide in as it is set down, over striding the track of the front foot. The head shake is in time with the rear feet and should be smooth. The tail should set still and flow.
The canter is a broken three-beat gait, and should be performed with collection. The horse should be relaxed and under control, should not crossfire, and should be in the correct lead. In the canter the outside rear foot hits the ground first, the inside rear and the outside front feet hit the ground simultaneously, and the inside front foot hits last. This produces the broken three-beat cadence. Because of the rocking motion of the canter, the saddle should move smoothly without surging or bouncing. This rocking chair canter allows the horse to have a showy head movement as the head is used as a counter balance to the broken gait. The head will reach its highest point when the outside rear foot hits the ground, and its lowest point when the inside front foot hits the ground. The horse gathers itself on the off beat and takes another step. The speed of the canter should be near that of the flat foot walk.
The Fox Trotting Horse is not a high stepping horse, but an extremely sure-footed one, and because of the sliding action of the rear feet, rather than the hard step of other breeds, the rider experiences little jarring action and is quite comfortable in the saddle for long periods a time. The head and tail are slightly elevated, giving the animal a graceful carriage; and the rhythmic beat of the hooves, along with the nodding action of the head, gives the animal an appearance of relaxation and poise.
The ideal characteristics of the Fox Trot shall be that the animal will travel with animation, Fox Trot rhythm, and style. The horse will travel in a collected manner. The Fox Trot should carry with it rhythm, the head should nod, the ears should indicate the step, and the tail should be part of the rhythm. The step should be springy, consistent and smooth. The up and down motion should not be noticeable, but rather a smooth gliding gait without swinging.