The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse
The Missouri Fox Trotting Horse was developed in the rugged Ozarks hills during the 19th Century by settlers who needed easy riding, durable mounts that could travel long distances at a sure-footed, ground consuming gait. Easy gaited stock imported to our nation's shores during the Colonial era left their genetic imprint on the Fox Trotting Horses, along with the American Saddle Horses of Kentucky and the Walking Horses of Tennessee. Fox Trotters became the using horse of the Ozarks, often used by cattlemen, country doctors, sheriffs, and tax assessors before improved roads and cars appeared on the scene.

The Tennessee Walking Horse
The Tennessee Walking Horse's origin dates back to the early 1800's. Tennessee was the melting pot for the four great breeds of horses: Thoroughbred, Morgan, Standardbred and Saddlebred. These horses make up the foundation stock of the Walking Horse. Today, he is a distinct breed, born with the inclination to do the flat-footed and running walk. He is the world's most comfortable horse and is shown in full mane and tail.

The Racking Horse
The Racking Horse has been around for many years, Old timers called them single-footers. The breed was officially recognized in 1971. The Racking Horse travels at three national gaits- the show walk, slow rack and fast rack- and should feature a smooth, graceful ride, never sacrificing form for speed. Unlike other breeds that rack, there should be no animated hock action. While many breeds must be trained in their particular gaits, the Racking Horse is born with and named for its gait, the rack.

The Spotted Saddle Horse
This colorful horse has a smooth, easy gait that will provide hours of pleasure in the saddle. The Spotted Saddle horse performs the show walk, show gait, and canter. These three gaits for which the horse is famous, with the show walk being an inherited naturally smooth gait unique to this breed. The show walk is a brisk, long reaching walk with which a horse can cover from 4 to 8 miles per hour. At the show gait this breed can travel 10 - 20 miles per hour. The easy, docile temperament of the gentle breed combined with a people pleasing personality makes this equine a highly sought after mount.

Peruvian Paso
General Impression: The Peruvian Paso horse should have an appearance of energy, grace and refinement. Horses should have a well-developed muscular appearance without exaggerations. The head carriage is high. Gait: A lateral gait left hind, left front, right hind, right front. In addition, an action typified by lift at the knee and fetlock flex, combined with “termino,” a movement of the front legs similar to the loose outward rolling of a swimmer’s arms which originates at the horses shoulder. Description of the Peruvian Paso’s two gaits: PASO LLANO: Equally spaced, four beat, pleasure gait. SOBREANDANDO: A faster, slightly more lateral, four beat gait than the Paso Llano.

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Paso Fino
General Impression: a light horse of grace and style with definite but controlled spirit. No extreme muscling, with a high head carriage. Gait: The Paso Fino gait is essentially a broken pace, lateral, not a diagonal gait (the sequence of the hooves are: right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore). The gait is performed at three speeds with the collection of the carriage decreasing as the speed increases. Description of the Paso Fino’s three gaits: PASO FINO: The classic show ring gait. It demonstrates rapid, steady, unbroken rhythm with very slow forward speed. The cadence is very fast with very little extension. PASO CORTO: A more relaxed form of the gait, also referred to as the pleasure gait. PASO LARGO: The speed form of the gait, the same 1-2-3-4 rhythm must be maintained at all times.

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Horse Talk
GAITS: The natural gaits of the horse are the walk, trot and canter.

RACK: A four beat gait, each foot striking the ground separately, neither a pace or trot.

FLAT WALK: A true square four-beat walk with cadenced head motion and good form.

FOX TROT: The horse walks with the front feet and trots with the hind feet. The rider should have little jar since the hind feet slide into place

PLANTATION RUNNING WALK: A smooth gliding, over stepping four cornered gait, the horse having stride and head motion.

CANTER: A three beat gait; a slow, collected gallop.