Natural Gaits
Conformation & Size
Disposition
Eye-Catching Colors
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BUYING ~ BREEDING ~ GENETICSThe future of the Missouri Fox Trotting horse rests solely in our hands today. What breeders produce and sell today are the international ambassadors and future of the breed forever.. The basics of buying and/or breeding is to look first at the horse in front of you, or in the case of long distance buying/breeding – a good video and conformation photos. First decide if you are buying/breeding the show horse type with extended reach and animation, or the older original type of Foxtrotter who has a sensible, sure-footed and comfortable length of stride. (My breeding practice addresses the latter only). CONFORMATION
Analyze the horse’s conformation from the side, the front and the back carefully. While few horses are perfect, be honest in your evaluation. My preference is for a well balanced horse, strong driving rear end, deep heart girth with good chest and leg muscle, straight front legs, medium length pasterns and feet large enough to support the horse’s mature size (if looking at young stock). Additionally I look for well placed neck, a large well placed soft eye , width of muzzle and small ears. Look to see if the horse moves forward freely from the shoulder with minimal knee action (lift). It has been my experience the conformation of the front 1/3rd of the horse will determine reach and lift; the driving rear 1/3rd of the horse will determine length of stride and the last 1/3 is the horse's back - not too short or too long. If buying or breeding for color, make sure you have the best of all the basics first, add color last and as a added caveat if seeking rare colors, ask for dna color verification. Tests are now available for Champagne, Silver Dapple and Dun. PEDIGREES Most sellers and/or breeders have developed marketing strategies to attract visitors (buyers/breeders) to their farms and ranches. Some specialize in particular colors, size, curles, ponies or emphasize lengthy pedigrees or show records of the dam and/or sire. I have found no correlation in looking/researching pedigrees 5 and 10 generation back to ascertain the original breed make-up of the horse in front of me. The fact of buying or breeding still remains the same – look at the horse in front of you. Does it foxtrot, pace or hard trot? Ask yourself if your preference is for a line-bred horse. Are you willing to take a chance of building solid good genetic traits and ask yourself what will you do with the end product if only the bad genetic traits are passed on? One does not have to be a genetic genius to look at a stallion and mare's pedigree to identify closely related stock on both the top and bottom sides. Will the stallion compliment your mare's body type? Will the mare be a versatile asset to your stallion? The Missouri Fox Trotter horse evolved from several different breeds in the 1930/1940’s; Morgans, Tennessee Walkers and Saddle Horses to name a few. When mares and stallions were registered in the Missouri Fox Trotter Horse Breed Association, they were registered because they were required to demonstrate a solid foxtrot gait under saddle prior to registration. There is no scientific data to support any particular breed of horse registered, regardless of their breed or unknown status, demonstrated any gait other than a foxtrot. I refer to these pre-1970 registered Foxtrotters as the real foundation stock of our breed (regardless if they were registered in another breed registry) prior to the influence of the more animated, long striding, rooster tailed show winner. As with any species of domesticated animal, showing has affected each species dramatically - for the good or the bad - you take your pick. Some of the old time bloodlines I especially like are Toddy’s Perfection, Danney Joe W., Hawkeye’s Black Sambo, Missouri Traveler E., Golden Governor, Zane Grey and Pooles’s Blue Boy. In my opinion, they offered the conformation, disposition and above all – the Foxtrotting gait I want in my breeding program.
Equine gene mapping commenced in 1998 to investigate the complex hereditary basis of equine performance, behavior, disease and color. To date, scientists have not located a gait gene; but it is hoped that in the near future, this important aspect of genetics will become available and perfected to the same degree as current equine dna parentage verification and dna color testing. FORM TO FUNCTION In the meantime, I cannot stress strongly enough to look at the horse in front of you – does it fox trot, hard trot or pace? The choice is yours. The future of the Missouri Fox Trotting horse rests solely in our hands today. What breeders produce and sell today are the international ambassadors and future of the breed forever.................................................... |
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