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Categories: Horse Illustrated

Taking it All in Stride

Ask anyone who isn’t a horse person about the foxtrot, and they’ll likely talk about a smooth, progressive dance with long, flowing movements. In the foxtrot dance, dancing partners glide across the floor. Ask anyone who knows about Missouri Fox Trotters, and they’ll speak similarly of the gait the breed is known for, with horse and rider as the dancing partners.



In the foxtrot gait, the horse walks with his front legs and trots with his hind legs. It’s a diagonal, four-beat gait, with the front foot hitting the ground just before the opposite hind foot. The back feet move in a sliding action, rather than up and down.



In addition to the foxtrot, Missouri Fox Trotters have: a four-beat, flat-footed lateral walk that can take place at considerable speed; a slow four-beat trail walk; and an expressive, three-beat rocking-horse canter. The breed has a large stride but remains surefooted, even on rough terrain.

**For the full article, pick up the September 2007 issue of HORSE ILLUSTRATED.**

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View Comments

  • I wish that the part of the article that was shown had more info. so that I could better tell if I want to subscribe to the mag. I have a Missouri Foxtrotter and would like to see more written on them.

  • I did not buy this issue,but I did review it in the store.The photos used of the Missouri Foxtrotter were in my opinion and that of several others,were not very good ones.I do not feel they showed the breed to its' best advantage,and the horses used were just not representative of the breed.Our Association brought this out in the latest issue of the Journal of the MFT which is mailed to all members.They were not allowed to preview the article and photos,and when one board member looked at the photos and asked the author if they could submit some different photos,she was told "no."
    I do not feel this is fair to our breed.You always represent all breeds in your magazine with full spreads,the best photos,and an excellent fold out.I did see the pictures and compared to your other breed spotlight articles,especially Nov.of the Paint Breed,this made the Missouri Foxtrotter Horse look shabby and cloddy.
    Have you ever seen our show horses? Have you personally been to Ava,MO to the World Celebration and seen these horses perform in the ring and versatility? I doubt it.
    I do not wish to buy your magazine any longer and certainly would not consider subscribing to it.In a time when the horse market in general is in a depressed state,I feel you did nothing to represent a breed that those of us who own are as proud of as any Quarter Horse,Paint horse,or any other breed owner is.
    I thought the article very poorly done and in bad taste.

  • Sorry to hear the article made others so unhappy. Hopefully, the author will be able to make amends in some way

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