History

The Missouri Fox Trotter was developed in the rugged Ozark Mountains during the nineteenth century by setters who needed smooth-riding, durable mounts that could travel at a comfortable, surefooted gait for long distances.

Missouri achieved statehood in 1821 and the pioneers who streamed across the Mississippi River to settle in the Ozarks came mostly from the hills and plantations of Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia.

They brought with them their finest possessions, including their best saddle stock. The breeding of this stock was largely Arabian, Morgan and plantation horses from the deep south. Later more American Saddlebred, Tennessee Walking and Standardbred breeding was added. It soon became apparent that horses able to perform the easy, broken gait called the "fox trot" were the most useful in the rocky, forest-covered hills of the Ozarks, and selective breeding of the fox trot gait began.

Easy-gaited stock imported to America's shores during the colonial era left its genetic imprint on the fox-trotting horse in the Ozarks, the American Saddle Horses of Kentucky and the walking horses of Tennessee. Some nineteenth century greats, such as the Canadian stallion, Tom Hal, made sizeable contributions to the easy-gaited horses of all three regions.

The distinguishing characteristic of the Missouri Fox Trotter is the fox trot gait. The Fox Trot is basically a diagonal gait like the trot, but the horse appears to walk with its front legs and trot with his hind legs. Because of the back feet's sliding action, rather than the hard step of other breeds, the rider experiences little jarring action and is quite comfotable to sit for long periods of time without posting or "standing" in the saddle.

The ability to travel long distances at a comfortable speed of five to eight miles an hour made the Fox Trotting Horse a favorite of the country doctor, sheriff, assessor and stock raisor. Today the breed is in demand as a pleasure horse, show horse and for cross-country trail riding. It is often described as the common man's pleasure horse because of its gentle disposition.

Missouri ranks number two in the nation in cow-calf operations and Missouri Fox Trotting Horses are historically tied to the grazing cattle industry of the Ozarks. When automobiles made horses almost obsolete in the everyday lives of most Ozarkians, Missouri Fox Trotting Horses survived largely because the cattlemen of the region continued to use and breed them. Old Fox, one of the breed's most influential sires, was a chestnut stallion that spent his adult life trailing cattle in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas early in this century.

Many famous families of the Fox Trotting Horse have been known throughout the Ozarks and even to this day, the names of Copper Bottoms, Diamonds, Brimmers, Red Bucks, Chiefs, Steel Dusts, Cold Decks and many others are recognized by horse breeders everywhere.

Because of their stamina and smooth ground-covering gaits, the Missouri Fox Trotter has become very popular with field trail competitors and those involved in the sport of long distance trail riding. Today there are approximately 52,000 registered throughout the United States, Canada, Austria and Germany.