Although most people have never heard of the breed, it's quite possible they've seen one, or even know someone who rides one, without realizing. The Missouri Fox Trotter is one of America's oldest breeds, dating back almost 150 years, but is one that has remained almost unknown outside of the Ozark Mountain region of Southern Missouri and Arkansas, where they were developed.

Today when you mention "gaited horses," most people picture some wild-eyed firebreather, careening around the showring, barely under the control of a fancily dressed rider, performing an almost unrecognizable gait. Hardly the sort of animal most of us would want to ride under any circumstances. But, the phrase "gaited horse" only refers to an animal that moves forward in something other than the usual walk, trot and gallop.

Actually, up until only a few hundred years ago, almost all horses were "gaited." Throughout history, horses were chosen, bred and trained to perform the soft or easy gaits when traveling, and one of those gaits was the one we now call the fox trot. Those easy-gaited horses migrated westward from Asia into the Middle and Near East, North Africa and eventually Europe, and then the Americas. Once road systems were established and the wealthier classes gave up riding astride to use wheeled vehicles, the more easy-gaited horses began to fade from the scene. Soon, many Europeans decided that anything other than the walk-trot-gallop sort of horse was socially undesirable. But, not everyone could afford the luxury of vehicular travel, and many lived in lesser developedareas, where roads remained unimproved. And so, the history of the soft-gaited horse beyond the 17th Century is that of the less developed and newly discovered areas of the world where the easy gaits belonged to the using horses of the region, rather than the pageant, classical or sports horses.

What we now know as the Missouri Fox Trotter is, like all breeds, a mixture of many strains of horses. The two earliest strains, or breeds, of horses recognized in North America were the Canadian Pacer, a breed still existing in small numbers in Canada, which evolved from Norman horses brought to Quebec by French settlers. And, the now-extinct Narragansett Pacer, which evolved from British Hobbies and Galloways brought to the American Colonies by English settlers. In his classic historical novel, The Last of the Mohicans, James Fenimore Cooper writes that "In the state of Rhode Island, there is a bay called Narragansett, so named for a tribe of Indians that formerly dwelled on its banks. Accident, or one of those unaccountable freaks which nature sometimes plays in the animal world, gave rise to a breed of horses which were once well known in America by the name of Narragansetts. They were small, commonly of the color called sorrel in America, and distinguished by their habit of pacing. Horses of this race were, and still are, in much request as saddle horses, on account of their hardiness and ease of their movements. As they were also sure of foot, the Narragansetts were much sought for by females who were obliged to travel over the root and holes in new countries."

In 1721, an English clergyman visited Rhode Island, and later wrote that he had seen some of these little horses "pace a mile in little more than two minutes...." And, this was probably on an unimproved track, with the rider on his back. It is not clear whether or not these horses actually performed a true pace, as the terms "pace" and "amble" were then used to denote most any of the soft gaits, including the fox trot, running walk, stepping pace or rack. But, it was not until over 150 years later, in 1897, before the first horse, Star Pointer, pacing in harness, broke the two minute mile at 1:59.25 at the Readville track, near Boston. Other legends describe these horses covering over a hundred miles in a single day. Understandably, as harness racing became popular with Colonial gentlemen, these horses made their way towards the colonies of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Inevitably, as frontiers moved south and west, the Narragansett and Canadian Pacers came together. The Canadians went to New England, where they became a part of the foundation of what is now the Morgan breed. Narragansetts went in large numbers to the West Indies and Caribbean, where they joined with Spanish horses to become part of the Paso breeds, and to Virginia, to be crossed with the Hobbies and Galloways. These easy gaited horses carried Virginians to Kentucky and Tennessee, where they met the Canadian Pacers from Quebec.

While English Thoroughbreds, Morgans, Standardbreds and coach horses may all be found in the background of Fox Trotters, it was the Canadians and Narragansetts who formed the basis for their gaits. Even though the Thoroughbred "Denmark" was the foundation stallion for the American Saddle Horse breed, and contributed to other American breeds, including the Fox Trotter, he was not easy-gaited. It was the "Stevenson" or "Cockspur" mare, tracing directly back to the Narragansetts, when bred to Denmark who brought the easy gaits to their foal, "Gaines Denmark." Through that horse, the Tennessee Walking Horse breed also owes a debt to the Canadian and Narragansett Pacers.

As colonists continued west, the Ozark region was settled by emigrants of the hill country of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia. The horses they brought with them were the popular using horses of the day, Saddlers and Plantation horses. These horses performed several soft gaits, including the fox trot, and the Ozark horsemen began to breed selectively for horses with this gait, which proved most sure-footed and comfortable in that rocky terrain.

Throughout his history, the Missouri Fox Trotter has remained primarily a using horse, even to this day. But, as railroads and highways began to crisscross the region, he became less necessary for basic transportation and attention gradually changed to the Fox Trotter as an entertainment in the showring. In the latter half of the Nineteenth Century, dirt track racing became less popular, and was replaced by showring competition, and in most areas of the South, classes were held for "Plantation Saddle Horses," which might include Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses or Fox Trotters. Accepted gaits included the stepping pace, running walk and fox trot. But, as interest in exhibition grew, the easy, shuffling gaited Fox Trotter was not as desirable as the more flashy performers, and so, Tennessee Walking horses were crossed with Fox Trotters to produce an animal with a loftier action, longer stride and higher head carriage.

But even today, what distinguishes the Missouri Fox Trotter from other breeds is his broken gait. The horse will appear to be walking in front and trotting in back, but is actually performing an uneven, four beat broken trot, with the back foot sliding into the track left by the front foot. With this sliding action in the hind feet, rather than the hard step of a trotting horse, the rider feels no rough jolt, and so can ride comfortably for many miles. And, the gait is as easy on the horse as it is on the rider, so the Fox Trotter can travel in his gait all day, at an average of 6 to 8 miles an hour or more, over even rough or broken ground. Although not usually a high stepping horse, the Fox Trotter has a very stylish way of traveling, carrying his head and tail slightly elevated, and bobbing in time with his step. Their other natural gaits include a fast, animated flat footed walk, and a rocking chair canter. Some individual horses may perform additional saddle gaits, such as the running walk, singlefoot, stepping pace or rack.

Generally, the Fox Trotter is a medium sized horse, ranging from 14 to 16 hands, with about 15 hands the average. The most common color is sorrel, followed closely by palomino or grey, but all coat colors may be found. They have fine, pretty heads with large, bright eyes set well apart, small foxy set ears, and a well-tapered muzzle. The back will be short and strong and the body quite deep and full. Shoulders are deeply sloped and muscular with prominent withers, hips are long and powerful, and legs are strong, with good, heavy, flat bones and joints, long forearms and short cannons, leading to medium sloping pasterns and good, round hooves, well proportioned to the body. The Fox Trotter is not generally abroad, heavily muscled animal, but instead has more the appearance of a sleek and streamlined athlete. Fox Trotters are shown with a full mane and tail and are plain or naturally shod. The gaits are born to the horse and should need no special training to develop under saddle.

But, as distinctive as their gaits is the temperment of a Missouri Fox Trotter. The combination of both "hot" and "cold" blood in their ancestry has produced a breed that is extremely intelligent and sensitive, eager to please, and willing to work, and at the same time exceptionally sensible, calm, docile and affectionate. Fox Trotters are tolerant and forgiving animals, and new owners are always amazed at the ease with which they can handle their horses, especially the stallions. Young horses may be taken from pasture, haltered, longed, driven and saddled within just a few days, as quietly as horses handled all of their lives. They make ideal horses for families with young children, beginning or elderly riders, and especially, riders whose back injuries have made riding other breeds almost unbearable.

The gait we now call the fox trot is a broken four beat diagonal gait, and not as evenly spaced as the Running Walk, with which it is often confused. The running walk of the Tennessee Walking Horse is a lateral gait, and actually a variation of the simple walk performed by most all breeds, except that it is performed at a much faster speed, with a much longer stride and the horse greatly over-striding his front feet with his hind feet. But then the fox trot is a broken 1-2--3-4 or 1-2--1-2 sort of rhythm. There is just the slightest hesitation in the hock as the hind foot is brought back in its stride, before it then slips into the track left by the front foot. The timing of the footfalls would be right forefoot, left hind foot--left forefoot, right hind foot. The traditional working Fox Trotter will "cap" his tracks by sliding the hind foot right into the track of the front foot, while the show-trained Fox Trotter will often have the hind foot overstriding the track of the front foot by several inches.

The performance of the true fox trot gait requires a horse with a relaxed attitude and a very supple spine, which means the Missouri Fox Trotter is a very athletic animal, capable of performing a variety of equine sports. Many of the same bloodlines which evolved into the Missouri Fox Trotter were also foundation bloodlines for today's American Quarter Horse, and so, many Fox Trotters find their way to cattle ranches in the far West and South. Another area where many of the breed may be found is the rangelands of Wyoming, where cattlemen have found Fox Trotters to be unsurpassed at covering vast miles of rough country riding fence and gathering cattle. Several bloodlines popular today have produced individuals successfully competing incutting and reining competition.

With their deeply sloping shoulders and powerful hindquarters, Fox Trotters also make excellent hunters and jumpers. Their smooth gaits and stylish appearance make them well suited as Park and Pleasure Driving horses as well, and the smoothness of the fox trot gait, even at extended speeds, makes posting unnecessary for English riders. But, true to their history, Fox Trotters particularly excel in the fields of competitive trail riding. In fact, here in California, several veterinarians involved with NATRC and AERC are actually recommending Fox Trotters to their clients, over the more traditional breeds. According to a recent report, the U. S. Forest Service now owns over 1,200 Missouri Fox Trotters across the United States, where the Rangers use them for fire fighting, park patrols and livestock management. Commercial pack outfitters are discovering Fox Trotters as ideal for pack trips into the High Country, and field trial enthusiasts have found them superior even to Tennessee Walking Horses in their sport.

For so many years the Missouri Fox Trotter has remained America's most unknown breed. Even today, over half the registered Fox Trotters remain in Southern Missouri and Arkansas, and since the founding of the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association in 1948, small bands of horses appeared in other areas of the United States only as families moved out of the Ozark regions, and took their prized Fox Trotters with them. But, the first annual Missouri Fox Trotter Show and Celebration was held in Ava, Missouri in 1959, and since that time, the Annual Celebration has become a national event, drawing tens of thousands of fanciers each year. In 1966, only 1500 horses were listed on the stud books, but in 1985, the count had grown to nearly 25,000. The Missouri Fox Trotter will be a secret no longer!

In the showring, Fox Trotters are shown in halter and then under saddle in performance at two or three gaits. Traditionally, they were shown in Western or Sidesaddle equipment, but in recent years, they are being shown in any of the classes typical of other breeds, in English or Western riding, and they are also shown in Costume and Pleasure Driving. Recognized by the American Horse Shows Association in 1981, Fox Trotters are now being offered classes in most of the larger all-breed shows across the United States. Although Fox Trotters do not perform a square trot, judges in competition are beginning to appreciate the Fox Trotter as a free-moving, well-mannered, attractive pleasure horse for English or Western classes, and they are beating the more popular breeds in their own classes.

Truly, the Missouri Fox Trotter is America's rarest, but finest light horse breed. A Missouri Fox Trotter can be trained to do anything any other horse can do, but no other horse can equal their smooth, ground-eating gaits or their docile, affectionate dispositions. Whatever your need for a horse, there is a Missouri Fox Trotter just right for you. As the motto for the Missouri Fox Trot Horse Breed Assn. says,
 

"To Ride One is to Own One!"

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